GOP Millionaire House Rep Complains About Not Being Able To Make Money In Congress

The entire point of being a member of Congress is supposed to be about helping the American people, not making money, but don’t tell that to Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas).

Insider trading is illegal, but members of Congress apparently do it regularly, as they usually have critical information about stocks and the economy before the rest of us do, giving them quite an unfair advantage that no one should have. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is now pushing to ban insider trading by members of Congress, an idea that most Republicans and even some Democrats have opposed.

On Wednesday, Fox News asked Williams his opinion on the proposed ban, only for him to respond by complaining that making money as a lawmaker is difficult.

“I think we’ve got to be careful that we don’t limit Congress people to where they can do nothing,” Williams said. “Of course, I know there’s a lot of people that have abused insider trading and that sort of thing.”

“But I think we need to take a look at it because right now, from a financial standpoint, it’s not easy being up in Congress,” Williams continued. “And I think that we can’t limit the ability for people to do business and operate their lives. So I want to take a look at that, but I want to be careful we don’t squeeze it too hard to where nobody wants to come up here.”

Here’s the video via YouTube. Williams’s remarks about insider trading in Congress begin at the 3:25 mark.

Again, the goal of being a member of Congress is supposed to be improving your constituents’ lives, not enriching yourself. Members of Congress already make a salary of $174,000 a year, paid by taxpayers. House and Senate leaders have higher salaries. Furthermore, the average net worth of members of Congress is just north of $1 million, far higher than the median income in the United States at just under $40,000.

Roger Williams himself is one of the wealthiest members of Congress at a whopping $67 million after inheriting his father’s car dealerships. He certainly doesn’t need to make money in Congress. You should go to Congress to serve the people, not make money.

It’s time for members of Congress to be banned from using their positions to enrich themselves. If a taxpayer-funded Congressional salary and healthcare are not enough for you, don’t run for office.

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