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Upholding the Constitution

May 30, 2020
Newsletters

The Constitution does not disappear simply because we are in the midst of a crisis, despite House Democrats' political ploy. Last week, Speaker Pelosi rammed through a change to House rules that not only broke 230 years of precedent, it threatens to take away the voices of millions of Texans. That's why I joined my Republican colleagues and American citizens in filing a lawsuit against Speaker Pelosi's unconstitutional proxy rule.

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While our communities begin opening up and people return to work, Democrats are content to sit at home and receive a paycheck as other Members cast votes on their behalf for the very people they were elected to serve. The new rule sets Congress on a dangerous pathway to abuse; already some Democrats have wrongfully utilized a proxy in order to attend the scheduled SpaceX launch earlier this week, citing health concerns related to the pandemic to explain their absence and neglect.

I was sent to the House of Representatives to be a voice for every constituent in the 25th District, and I intend to fulfill my duty.

REMEMBERING AN AMERICAN HERO

Former Congressman Sam Johnson was a dear friend, a true Texan and an American hero. Sam passed away this week at the age of 89 and is now reunited with his beloved wife, Shirley, in the presence of our Savior. He embodied the soul of what makes our nation great, and his devotion to the country he so deeply loved will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.

Sam was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1930 and spent much of his childhood in Dallas. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1951, he served in the U.S. Air Force for 29 years as a fighter pilot, deploying to Korea and Vietnam. During a mission over North Vietnam in the spring of 1966, his plane was hit by enemy fire and he bailed out, breaking his arm, dislocating his shoulder and severely injuring his back. Sam was quickly captured by the North Vietnamese and tortured for seven years as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, never once betraying his nation despite 42 months in solitary confinement. He was released in January 1973 during Operation Homecoming.

Retiring in 1979 as a colonel, Sam embarked on a new journey as a homebuilder and would later go on to serve in the Texas House of Representatives for seven years. In 1991, he was elected to Congress and served Texans in Washington, D.C. for 28 years with the same fortitude and tenacity that carried him across oceans and battlefields, and ultimately to freedom.

He was a selfless gentleman and patriot to his very core, and will remain one of the greatest men my family has ever known. Our nation is better because of the remarkable life he so courageously lived.

In God we trust,

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Roger Williams

Member of Congress