I've made several tough votes with your voting card this week, but there is one in particular that I want you to know about this evening. Today I voted "no" on what they call "The STOCK Act." Supporters of the bill say that it will "clean up Washington"—a goal that I support and share—but this is one of those bills that dramatically over-promises and under-delivers. President Obama and the media sold this bill as one to "outlaw insider trading by members of Congress." Nonsense. Insider trading by members of Congress is already illegal today. I promised you that I would be proud of every vote that I make with your voting card. I could not be proud of the STOCK Act, so I voted "no." The list of men and women that I admire in Washington, D.C., is short, but one of them is Dr. Tom Coburn, the U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. He was one of three "no" votes in the Senate against the STOCK Act, and he captured my feelings exactly when he said this on the Senate floor: "It's disappointing the Senate spent a week debating a bill that duplicates existing law and fails to address the real problems facing the country. The only way we can restore confidence in Congress is to make hard choices and solve real problems by doing things like reforming our tax code, repairing our safety net and reducing our crushing debt burden. Doing anything less will further alienate the American people, and rightfully so."
I work every day to continue to earn the trust that you placed in me by being your independent voice in Washington. America deserves an open, honest, and accountable Congress. If you want to end the high-powered lobbying in D.C., support my FairTax legislation that abolishes all loopholes, exemptions, favors, and carve-outs in the tax code. If you want more accountable members of Congress, support my Competitive Elections Act, which eliminates incumbent campaign war chests so that all candidates have a level playing field in each election. If you want transparent stock trades, support H.R. 3639 which was introduced by a freshman colleague, and which I cosponsored to move all stock trading away from members of Congress and into blind trusts. We can provide fact-based solutions. We can confront America's challenges. We can ensure that America's best days are still ahead, and working together, we will.
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement. If I can serve you in any way, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Rob Woodall
Member of Congress
