Salmon: Boehner Departure a ‘Wake Up Call,’ Stop Executive Branch From ‘Becoming a Dictatorship’

House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) resignation is a wake-up call for Republicans to listen to their constituents and aggressively fight President Obama’s overreach, according to Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ).

In reaction to Boehner’s unexpected resignation announcement Friday, Salmon congratulated Boehner for his service and for doing the “right thing.”

“As the leader of the Republican Party in Congress, the Speaker must be willing to fight the Obama administration’s dangerous, immoral, and sometimes illegal, actions using every tool our Constitution provides,” Salmon said. “This is what the majority of Americans want their leaders in Congress to do, and ultimately, Mr. Boehner could no longer provide the leadership necessary to do this.”

Salmon, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, noted that for his congressional district, removing Boehner had been a “top priority” and he had committed to vote against efforts to keep Boehner as Speaker.

“His resignation will now allow us to avoid this fight so Republicans can choose a new Speaker who, I am hopeful, will bring every member to the table, including those who he or she may disagree with,” the Arizona Republican said.

Salmon concluded by calling on Washington leaders to recognize the shake up as a “a wake-up call to stop ignoring the will of the people.”

“This is a gut-check for everyone in Washington,” he concluded. “Either we finally rise up to the occasion and stop caving to the Obama administration’s every demand, or we remember the powers of the legislative branch that were designed by our Founding Fathers to prevent the executive branch from becoming a dictatorship.”