Ted Yoho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ted Yoho
Official portrait, 2012
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Cliff Stearns
Succeeded by	Kat Cammack
Personal details
Born	Theodore Scott Yoho (1955-04-13) April 13, 1955 (age 70) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Carolyn Yoho
Children	3
Education	Broward College (AA) University of Florida (BS, DVM)

Theodore Scott Yoho (born April 13, 1955) is an American politician and veterinarian. He also owned a small business. He served as a U.S. Representative for Florida from 2013 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.

In 2012, Yoho won a big surprise victory in the Republican primary election. He defeated Cliff Stearns, who had been a Congressman since 1988. Before becoming a politician, Yoho worked as a veterinarian and ran his own business in Florida for 30 years.

On December 10, 2019, Yoho announced he would not run for re-election in 2020. He had promised to limit how many terms he would serve.

Early Life and Education

Yoho was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 13, 1955. When he was 11, his family moved to Florida. He met his future wife, Carolyn, in fourth grade there.

Yoho earned his AA degree from Broward Community College. He then studied animal science at the University of Florida. In 1983, he received his degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He is part of several groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Time in the U.S. House of Representatives

Becoming a Representative

Ted Yoho ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 3rd district. In the Republican primary, he won against the long-serving Congressman Cliff Stearns. Yoho won by a very small margin of 829 votes.

In the general election in November, Yoho won with 65% of the votes. He defeated the Democratic candidate, J.R. Gaillot.

What He Did in Office

Congressman Ted Yoho speaking at the 2013 Young Americans for Liberty National Convention

Yoho started his term on January 3, 2013. He was part of groups like the Tea Party Caucus. He supported lowering taxes and wanted to replace the current tax system. He also wanted to reduce government spending.

Yoho was against raising the debt ceiling unless the government also cut spending. He also did not like "earmarks," which are special funds added to bills for specific projects.

In 2015, Yoho tried to challenge John Boehner for the role of Speaker of the House. He and other members wanted to make changes in how the House was led.

He also worked with a Democratic colleague, John Conyers, on an important issue. They tried to stop the U.S. military from training a group in Ukraine called the Azov Battalion. Some members of this group were known to have extreme views.

Laws He Supported

During his first term, Yoho sponsored 18 bills. One bill he introduced, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2014, passed in the House but not in the Senate.

Yoho also helped write the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014 (H.R. 1528; 113th Congress). This bill made it easier for veterinarians to give certain medicines to animals outside their main office, like on a farm.

In 2016, Yoho voted against a bill called PROMESA. This bill was about helping Puerto Rico with its debt problems.

His Committee Work

Yoho served on important committees in the House of Representatives:

• Committee on Agriculture (focused on farming and food)
• Committee on Foreign Affairs (focused on relationships with other countries)

He was also part of other groups, including the Freedom Caucus.

Political Views

Gun Policy

Yoho strongly believes in the right to own guns. He said it is a "birthright" that should always be protected. He owns guns himself and supports laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons. He even compared carrying a gun to carrying a cell phone.

He helped create bills that would allow lawmakers to carry guns in the U.S. Capitol. He also supported bills that would let people carry guns nationwide, no matter what state laws say. He has received support from the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Foreign Policy

Yoho urged the government to punish Chinese officials for human rights issues. He spoke out against how the Chinese government treated the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. He called it an "occupied country" and said China was committing "genocide" against these groups.

Economic Views

Yoho voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He believed this bill would "simplify the tax code" and "lighten the burden on all Americans."

Lynching Bill

In 2020, Yoho voted against a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime. He believed this was too much power for the federal government. He thought it should be up to individual states to make laws on this topic.

Personal Life

Before his political career, Ted Yoho worked as a veterinarian for 30 years. He married his high school sweetheart, Carolyn, in 1975 when they were both 19 years old.

Awards and Honors

Yoho has received honors from other countries for his work:

• In 2020, he received the Order of the Rising Sun from Japan.
• In 2021, he received the Order of the Polar Star from Mongolia.

|

See also

In Spanish: Ted Yoho para niños