{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/williams-responds-to-potus-request", "Williams responds to POTUS\u2019 request", "2013-12-12", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Recently, President Obama said during a speech on his healthcare law that \u201cIf you\u2019ve got good ideas, bring them to me\u2026[if] you still think this law is a bad idea then you\u2019ve got to tell us specifically what you\u2019d do differently to cut costs, cover more people, make insurance more secure.\u201d\u00a0 Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) issued the following statement in response to the President\u2019s request.\n\u201cThere is no denying that our healthcare system in America isn\u2019t working and needs serious reforms.\u00a0 Obamacare has only furthered the problems by mandating expensive plans for the uninsured and eliminating plans for millions of insured Americans.\u00a0 A system that favors mandates over choice, government over the individual, and profit over quality is a system doomed to fail.\n\u201cBig government cannot accommodate the needs and desires of the individual.\u00a0 You needn\u2019t look further than other government programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to realize that increasing federal bureaucracy is bankrupting our nation, leaving the bill for future generations.\n\u201cThe President asked for suggestions.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got solutions.\u00a0 First, the private sector needs to be given more control of healthcare.\u00a0 Let the market dictate prices and services.\u00a0\n\u201cSecond, we need to make healthcare portable, allowing individuals \u2013 not their employer, and not the federal government \u2013 to own their insurance.\u00a0 Americans should be allowed to buy insurance from any provider, nationwide and across state lines.\u00a0 Allowing consumers to choose will create more competition.\u00a0 As a result, premiums would go down and services go up.\u00a0\n\u201cThird, healthcare costs must be tax-deductible.\u00a0 Whether Americans buy insurance independently or through an employer, the tax code should treat everyone equally and fairly.\n\u201cLast but not least, there must be provisions to protect most vulnerable.\u00a0 We must ensure there will be no federal funding of abortion, and safeguards must be put in place to extend coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.\n\u201cHouse Republicans have introduced more than 200 bills with these and other solutions since before Obamacare was rushed through the House without one single Republican vote.\u00a0 President Obama has heard these solutions but denies their existence.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I sent a letter to the White House in hopes that the President will work with the majority of Americans who disapprove of his healthcare law.\u00a0 We can make health insurance more affordable, more accessible, and more available, but Obamacare is not the answer.\u201d\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/williams-responds-to-potus-request"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7611079383641481, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}