Rep. Brandon Williams has not yet moved into our 22nd district, as he promised, but he has moved his legislative ideology much closer to that of extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

A recent analysis by Forbes.com of 34 key votes from the first 100 days of the 118th Congress showed that 18 House Republicans — including Williams — from swing districts have voted in lockstep with Marjorie Taylor Greene, passing themselves off as moderates to their constituents and the media, while in fact pushing an extremist agenda in Washington.

Negotiations over a “budget ceiling crisis” continue with a June 1 disastrous default looming. The Republican strategy favored by Williams and Greene passed the House 217-215 on April 20 raising the debt ceiling but also advocating a savage 22% cut to non-defense spending that would leave children poorer, veterans sicker, families hungrier and less healthy, housing more expensive and climate change unabated.

I suggest challenging Congressman Brandon Williams and his Republican colleagues to demonstrate courageous leadership by:

• Passing a clean debt ceiling bill to assure payment of debts as required by the 14^th Amendment;
• Using voter input and dedicated research to undertake reasoned and responsible separate budget-making;
• Reducing the expensive privileges and benefits congressmen receive and the exorbitant amounts they waste on congressional actions that have no results, like current retaliatory ‘investigations’ or unproductive travel abroad; and
• Requiring rich individuals and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.

It is time for voters to reject the radical Republican right-wing agenda of McCarthy and extremists like Greene. Please join me in also opposing the un-Representative Brandon Williams before he does any more damage to the lives of residents of the 22nd District — in which he doesn’t even live.

Our health, welfare, and success are not his main concerns.  

— Ted Tottey, Clinton