U.S. Rep. Williams Tours Tower
Congressman Roger Williams Addresses Tariffs, Budget Cuts, and Small Business Regulation in Olney Visit U.S. Congressman Roger Williams toured Tower Extrusions on April 22 and fielded questions from local officials, business leaders, and journalists, speaking about federal tariff policy, proposed budget cuts, and economic challenges facing rural Texas communities.
Invited by Tower Extrusions President Mark McClelland, Rep. Williams, a Republican who represents the 25th congressional district that includes Olney, spent the morning touring the aluminum extrusion plant and visiting with employees and community members before holding an informal Q&A session. It was his first trip to Olney since redistricting moved it from Rep. Jodey Arrington’s district in 2020.
Mr. McClelland thanked Rep. Williams for making the trip to Olney—”kind of the middle of nowhere,” he joked—and praised the congressman’s background as a small business owner and advocate for deregulation and tax reform.
Rep. Williams, who chairs the House Small Business Committee and has served in Congress since 2013, told the crowd he travels to Washington every Sunday and returns to his home in Weatherford on Fridays. He said his time in Congress has been guided by the belief that government should “defend our borders, get the infrastructure right, and get out of the way and let us do great things.”
When asked about fluctuations in President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, and whether businesses could expect more stability in the near future, Rep. Williams said he believed the President was using tariffs “as a wedge.”
“We think we have 70 countries that are going to get in line with America on cutting tariffs, making things more equal. When that happens, it squeezes China even more. China is our enemy,” he said. He predicted tariffs would eventually “flatten out” and “phase out.”
He added that Congress was working on other economic policies: “We’re not going to tax overtime. We’re not going to tax tips. And if you’re older and getting Social Security, you’re not going to get Social Security tax.”
When told that local program directors had expressed concern about the loss of funding for Meals on Wheels, senior utility assistance, and other safety net programs in Olney, Rep. Williams replied that “I, for one, am not interested in taking anything away from everybody.”
He expressed opposition to reducing benefits, but said he supported adding work requirements to some aid programs.
Tom Parker, executive director of the Olney Economic Development Corporation, asked what the federal government could do to help small businesses compete on a national and international basis.
Rep. Williams said the key was to “create a competitive environment” by cutting taxes and regulations and not interfering in the marketplace.
“I don’t want to compete against the government. I want to be on an equal playing field. Sometimes people in government pick winners and losers—that doesn’t work. Let the customer pick winners and losers,” he said.
He said regulatory burdens were especially damaging to small businesses. “People don’t realize how regulations choke businesses to death,” he said. “In the last four years, we’ve had $1.7 trillion and 20 million man-hours of offsetting regulations. We need to get away from that.”
Justin Piegat, a sales representative from Cemco, asked about fraud and waste in federal spending and whether there would be consequences for those misusing taxpayer funds.
Rep. Williams said federal agencies needed independent audits, citing efforts to “open up the books.” He referenced his oversight role with the Small Business Administration (SBA), where he said $220 billion had been lost or unaccounted for. “They want to write it off,” he said. “You can’t write it off because the money belongs to [taxpayers].”
The congressman invited constituents to visit his Washington, D.C. office and tour the Capitol. “We work for you,” he said. “We treat everybody like a customer, and we want to give you a good return.”