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Rep. Roger Williams votes against CR, reiterates importance of Jumpstart America

October 7, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hours before a government shutdown, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) during the early morning hours on Thursday that will keep the government open and functioning through Dec. 11.

U.S. Rep. Roger Williams – who serves the approximate 748,000 residents of Texas' 25th Congressional District that encompasses an area from Fort Worth to Austin, and includes Somervell County – voted against the CR, but not because he wanted a government shut down.

In fact, Williams reiterated the fact that he "never talked" about a desire for a government shut down, and instead said that it is, "President [Obama] who is shutting the government down."

"[…] [Obama] would rather kill babies and sell their parts than let Planned Parenthood get into the private sector," Williams said.

Planned Parenthood – the a non-profit-healthcare organization that has been under fire for the alleged illegal sell of fetal tissues – should be removed from government funding, according to Williams, and be forced to compete with other health care organizations. Moving the organization into the private sector, could free nearly $550 million annually – money the congressman said he wants applied to military funding.

Even still, the Planned Parenthood debacle is not all that prevented Williams from voting in favor of the CR, in fact, he said he would have voted against the CR regardless.

"We cannot continue to do business on continuous resolutions," Williams said. "It is just a horrible way to do business, and when you look at what came over from the Senate, for example, it did nothing to fund the military.

"It funded Obamacare. It funded Dodd-Frank and the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau], which are devastating mainstream America and the community banks. It funded Operation Choke Point, and it funded the Waters of the US, which is another EPA regulation that is choking our farmers and ranchers.

"Bottom line," Williams continued, "it continues to raise the debt ceiling. How can you vote for something like that? It was not all Planned Parenthood. If you even took Planned Parenthood out of it, it was all of these other things that kept me from voting for it. I made the right vote, and I think it was a vote that our district wanted me to make."

JUMPSTART AMERICA

According to Williams, true tax reform is the only answer to America's $18 trillion debt, and voting to raise the debt ceiling is no longer an option the congressman will consider. That is why he began to introduce his seven-bill tax reform, Jumpstart America, in June.

Jumpstart America will cut taxes, and empower small business owners by allowing owners to hire employees and make money, according to Williams.

"We tried zero-percent interest and it does not work. We tried stimulus and it does not work. We tried socialism and it does not work," Williams said. "The last thing left is true tax reform, which I have been talking about it for years, and now I am glad to see [Donald] Trump and Jeb Bush begin to talk about it.

"We need to cut expenses in Washington. We need to cut taxes and allow people to make more money. We need the cash flow to get this country off and running again."
Williams is one the handful of business owners remaining in Congress, and said his Jumpstart America is exactly what small business owners need to continue to grow their brand and receive some much needed relief. The plan, if approved, will lower "federal, individual, corporate, payroll, and capital gains taxes, makes bonus depreciation permanent, institutes repatriation, and keeps LIFO accounting," according to an official press release issued on Aug. 3.

"We will cut the corporate income tax to 20-percent across the board," Williams said. "We will cut the personal income tax to 20-percent on the first million dollars, and 30-percent on everything over a million. We will bring the cap gains back down to 15 [percent] and business back down to 15 [percent].

"We will do away with the inheritance tax. We will cut the payroll tax in half, not only for the employee, but the employer. That way the employee has more money, and the employer has more money to hire people. And all of this money overseas, we repatriate it at five-percent and we do that every single year. We do not make it mandatory, but the money will come back over here."

Repatriating the money coming back into the U.S. economy from overseas at five-percent interest, will allow for those funds to be directly into a highway trust fund to improve deteriorating roads and bridges, according to Williams.

"America's workers desperately need a pro-growth tax reform that will spur productivity growth, raise wages and provide real economic opportunity," said Congressional Budge Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin in the Congressman's press release on Aug. 3. "In seven pieces of legislation Rep. Williams has laid out the elements of just such a reform."

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

The Sept. 25 resignation of John Boehner (R-OH), 65, has left several Republicans jockeying for position atop the race for House Speaker. As of Friday, Williams was not prepared to endorse a candidate, as the House had not yet held the candidate forums.

"I am a pretty strong conservative, and I want to make sure that we take this opportunity now with a new speaker to really forge ahead a conservative agenda," Williams said. "I'll have to have some questions answered, and then I will decide who I support, but I want a conservative agenda that touches on tax reform, health care, energy, the military, education, and balancing our books.

"We lack that, but now we have a chance to move it forward, and I have been one of the few who is pushing it hard, so we will see what happens."
The GOP will meet on Thursday, Oct. 8 to select its candidate for speaker, and the House of Representatives will vote on the selection on Oct. 29.

Issues:Economy