Rep. Brandon Williams on first few weeks in Congress, committees, debt ceiling and more

Before he was sworn in, he had a front-row seat to the 15-round House speaker election — he voted for eventual winner, Kevin McCarthy, in every round. Once that was settled, he began receiving his committee assignments. He has hired his staff and opened district offices in Syracuse and Utica. 

In a wide-ranging interview with The Citizen, Williams, R-Sennett, recapped his early days in Congress, offered his thoughts on the debt ceiling debate and outlined his priorities for representing the 22nd Congressional District. 

McCarthy was elected in the 15th round after a last-minute agreement with Republican holdouts. If the election went to a 16th round, Williams revealed that he was next in line to nominate McCarthy for speaker. 

During that late-night vote, cameras showed Williams approaching McCarthy. 

“I went up to him and said, ‘I’m ready to go.’ But I also told him this is your show. This isn’t mine. I’m here to support the process… This isn’t about me. He said, ‘Thanks, we’re going to get this done right away.” 

While there was plenty of criticism of the speaker election, Williams said he is proud of the public debate about who should lead the House of Representatives. 

“Everyone says that Washington, D.C., is broken and if it’s broken, which is more likely to fix things: A three-hour coronation or four days of open and passionate debate in front of the whole American people?” he said. “I think it was very healthy for the House and for the Republican majority and for our country to have had that display out in public.” 

For Williams, the first task was to secure key committee assignments. Committees, he said, are critical to being an effective legislator. 

He will continue a central New York tradition by serving on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He will also join the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. 

Members of Congress typically serve on two committees, but Williams shared that he was asked to take on a third assignment as a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He wants to use that post to push for workforce development policies — a really important issue in central New York, he says — and advocate for school choice. 

Back in central New York, he has met with Syracuse hospital leaders, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud, two unions and business leaders. The meetings with business leaders focused on Micron’s impact on the region. 

Those meetings are part of his goal of loving and serving the people of the 22nd district. 

“To do that, you got to get out and talk to them,” he said. 

The U.S. Treasury has implemented “extraordinary measures” after reaching the debt limit on Thursday. 

Congress must vote to raise the debt ceiling, but some House Republicans want spending cuts. 

Williams offered four points about the debt ceiling debate. He thinks gamesmanship around the debt ceiling is “a losing proposition.” However, he said there is a “huge government spending problem” that is driving inflation. 

Any plan to slash government spending must be bipartisan, he continued. He hopes the Biden administration will engage in good-faith talks with House Republicans to reduce spending because “that’s the only way we’re going to get to a solution.” 

His final point: He predicts that this process will be political. He does not know how it will end, but again said that “we have a big spending problem in this country.” 

Williams is not a fan of legislation that would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income and payroll taxes. Those taxes would be replaced by a national sales tax — an idea that has been panned by members of both parties. 

The bill, known as the FairTax Act, has 23 cosponsors, all Republicans. It has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for review. 

“The FairTax is highly regressive and therefore I am opposed to it,” he said. 

A bill sponsored by Williams would target New York’s farmworker overtime threshold. 

The legislation was first introduced last year by former U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs. Williams reintroduced it shortly after taking office. The bill would amend federal law to prevent states from lowering the overtime threshold for farmworkers to below 60 hours a week. 

New York recently approved a plan to lower the overtime threshold for farm laborers to 40 hours a week over a 10-year period. 

The 40-hour work week, Williams explained, is a product of industrialization. But manufacturing is different than farming, he added. As examples, he mentioned that calves can be born outside of a typical 9-to-5 workday and crops could be harvested at night due to weather conditions. 

“There is nothing about farming that lends itself to a 40-hour workweek schedule,” said Williams, who believes the state’s policy will harm farmworkers and farmers. 

Among the issues that Williams wants to tackle is the cost of energy. He will support bills that boost domestic energy production, specifically the U.S. oil industry, and to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He blames the Biden administration for policies that led to high energy prices and contributed to high inflation. 

Williams reiterated what he said shortly before taking office — that it is a real honor to represent central New York and the Mohawk Valley in Congress. 

“If you are not in awe when you walk onto the House floor or if you are not really struck by what an honor it is to be there, then you probably shouldn’t be there,” he said.