Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the President yet again chose to bash Congress and blame the House Republicans for the failure of America's economy. I have seen him make this argument on television many times, but he never shows up on Capitol Hill to actually engage in productive conversations. He does talk, however, to the Russians, the Chinese, and the Iranians. This is no surprise. This is the same man who spends more time with Hollywood stars than Members of Congress.

It is not Congress that will shut our government down--it's our President. I would argue that he already has shut the government down. Five years ago, unemployment was at 5 percent and the national poverty rate was at 12 1/2 percent, and approximately 30 million Americans received food stamps. Today, unemployment sits at 7.6 percent, the poverty rate exceeds 15 percent, a staggering 47.8 million Americans are enrolled in the food stamp program, and 48 million people between the ages of 18 and 64 have not worked one day in the last 12 months.

The President's economic agenda is only pushing us further into danger, and it's a disaster. For more than four decades, I have owned my business and I can say with certainty that today's economy is the toughest economy our country has seen from a small business standpoint.

Everything from health care to taxes to regulations is killing businesses and forcing job creators to play defense. Rather than generating profits, businesses are saving profits. This isn't the sign of a rebounding economy.

Despite this, in his public address to the Nation, President Obama said the economy has gained traction and continued to place the blame on Congress. What the American people need to hear are solutions, not sound bites. As a business owner, I know what it takes to create jobs. I live it every single day.

First, we need true tax reform. Lower taxes mean more taxpayers and more income. More specifically, we need to cut taxes for all taxpayers across the board and quit picking winners and losers.

The first step in doing this is cutting the corporate tax rate, the personal tax rate, the capital gains tax, the dividends tax, and eliminate forever the inheritance tax.

The next step is to begin a dialogue on whether we should move to a fair or a flat tax. Either one of these is certainly better than what we have today.

Second, we need to change health care policy. With the addition of ObamaCare, the government now comprises one-sixth of the Nation's economy. This is a complete travesty, and the private sector must be given more control of health care, not the Federal Government.

Consumers should be able to shop across State lines, which will create more competition. As a result, premiums would go down and services go up. That's what competition does. Consumers also need to own their own health care, not their employer, and not the Federal Government. It needs to be tax deductible. It needs to be portable so you can take it with you if you retire, you lose your job, or move around.

Third, we need to energize the energy business and not penalize the energy business. Let's favor an all-American approach for all sources of energy and let the private sector drive our energy, not our government. We do this by reducing regulations, letting the industry drill, and promoting the advancement of safe nuclear and alternative energy sources. Let the private sector tell us where to go.

Developing our domestic energy sources will undoubtedly lower energy prices for families and businesses.

Finally, we need to ensure America remains the world's superpower with a strong and well-equipped military. Our men and women in uniform must have the best equipment and must have the best training to fight for our freedom and our liberty.

It shouldn't even be an option to balance our Nation's books on the backs of our military. Doing so diminishes our military's readiness and threatens our national security, and it simply shows weakness across the world.

These are real solutions. They will allow businesses big and small to invest, to take risks, and they also will be rewarded. They show that the Federal Government believes in the private sector, believes in entrepreneurship, and believes in people getting checks and lets everyone feel good about themselves.

We should never accept 7.6 percent as the normal level for unemployment. We should never accept a 15 percent poverty rate. We should never accept $2.5 billion in free cell phones. We should never accept 15 percent underemployment. We should never accept 52 percent of our college graduates who are either underemployed or can't get a job. And we should never accept an economy that creates more food stamps than jobs.

It is time to wake up, America. Big Government has taken a toll on our families, our businesses, and our budgets. Let's get back to regular order in Washington and start passing responsible budgets that give our Nation much-needed certainty and security. Businesses and families do it every single day.

There is no question that America is the greatest country in the world. In the unforgettable words of Abraham Lincoln:

America is the last best hope of Earth.

Let's keep it that way by believing in the people and not the Federal Government and not Big Government. Let's say good-bye to ObamaCare, the largest takeover of the people by the government we have ever seen in our history.

It is truly our generation's Valley Forge. Let's be shepherds and not sheep, and let's be patriots and not victims. In God we trust.

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