U.S. Representative Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, spoke to the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce at their regular breakfast event on Wednesday.
Roby emphasized the benefits of the tax reform law that was passed at the end of last year cutting individual and corporate tax rates.
“I am going to continue to fight every day to make sure that our veterans get the care that they deserve,” Roby said.
Roby also pledged to fight for the construction of a border wall and to fight the opioid epidemic.
The conservative congresswoman expressed her disappointment that the Senate did not repeal and replace Obamacare, but stated that, “Our unified conservative government has already delivered tremendous benefits for the American people.”
Roby said that the Trump Administration and the GOP controlled congress has brought a booming economy and that, “Alabama’s second congressional district has not missed out on the action.”
Roby cited the Kimber Firearms plant in Troy, the December Wayne Farms announcement of an expansion in their Enterprise facility, and Shaw Industries’ announcement that they were investing over one hundred million in their Andalusia plant.
She also pointed to the decision by the U.S. Air Force to base the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in Montgomery.
“I could not be more proud,” Roby said. “A lot of work went in to this and as I look are the room I see so many faces that contributed,” to the effort to get the F-35s in Montgomery, which Roby said, “Could result in thousands of jobs and over a $billion of capital investment. I just can not thank this community and all the people who worked so hard enough. This community embraces our military men and women.”
“Most of all I would like to thank the men and women of the 187th for their professionalism and their dedication,” Roby said. “We can’t wait to see the Tuskegee airmen red tails painted on F35s.”
“I am very proud of the work we have done on your behalf to roll back the Obama era rules,” Roby said. “I am eager to work with the Administration and my colleagues in Congress on an infrastructure plan,” but warned that she still has to see the plan itself because, “The devil is in the details.”
“Having reliable roads, ports, and railways is essentially to maintaining the economic momentum,” Roby commented.
She also said that she looked forward to the GOP controlled Congress rewriting the farm bill and reshaping agriculture policy in this country in the new farm bill.
Roby promised to make sure that our priorities are addressed in the new farm bill and that very burdensome regulations would be repealed. Roby also promised that SNAP, or food stamps, will include work requirements for the able bodied to get benefits.
“We should incentivize able bodies Americans to work instead of encouraging them to live off the government,” Roby said. “The full house will vote on that as early as next week.”
Roby criticized sequestration and its harmful effects on military readiness.
“I voted against the budget control act for this very reason,” Roby said. “We can not balance the budget on the back of the men and women of our Armed forces. That was wrong. We have got to be ready not just for the known threats. We must make sure that our men and women have the tools that they need when we put them in harm’s way. I would love nothing more than to see the harmful sequester overturned.”
Roby was critical of the budget process.
“The way that we are operating now is not how it is designed to work,” Roby said. “The House had twelve markups which produced twelve conservative spending bills. “The Senate is supposed to do the same thing, but the Senate did not do this.”
Roby did express some hope on eventually returning to budgeting normalcy.
“We have a committee working on budget reform,” Roby said. “There is a group of individuals led by my colleague Steve Womack from Arkansas trying to figure out a way to get these 12 appropriations bills across the finish line each year.”
“Our priority is Alabamians,” Roby said. “And to make sure that your voices are heard. Our unified government has accomplished a lot in the last sixteen months and we have more to accomplish. I will always put Alabama first.”
A representative with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented Roby with an award for being “a friend of the business community” citing her 93 percent voting record last year with the Chamber on major issues including voting to repeal Obamcare and voting for the tax cuts bill.
