Stephanie Murphy files bill that would remove Stephen Bannon from National Security Council

Florida congresswoman and Winter Park resident Stephanie Murphy filed a bill Wednesday that would essentially remove Trump’s top political advisor Stephen Bannon from the National Security Council.

If passed, Murphy’s bill would make it so no person whose “primary or predominant responsibility is political in nature” could be designated as a member of the Security Council or be allowed to regularly attend its meetings.

The bill would also “express the view of Congress that the Director of National Intelligence or the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff should have a standing invitation to attend Principal Committee meetings.”

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Murphy stated that the bill was a response to Trump’s unprecedented move of giving Bannon a seat at the National Security Council and de-emphasizing the roles of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence.

“Our men and women in uniform, our intelligence and homeland security professionals, and our citizens should feel secure in their knowledge that the critical decisions made by the NSC are free from political considerations. The American people deserve a national security policymaking process that inspires confidence, not cynicism,” said Murphy in a House floor speech.

Murphy is a representative of Florida’s District 7, which covers all of Seminole County and much of northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, and the University of Central Florida.

This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2017.