Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, said Monday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" that President Donald Trump's proposal to let Americans fund their own healthcare using revenue from tariffs would be a "great" step toward restoring consumer control and easing costs.
Williams argued that shifting healthcare ownership back to individuals would empower families and help strengthen the economy.
The congressman, who has long criticized rising insurance premiums, underscored the burden employers face under the current system.
"I'm an employer," he said. "I employ hundreds of people back in Texas, and the cost of insurance is just out of sight."
Williams said Trump's approach aligns with a principle he believes Washington abandoned: allowing people to manage their own care rather than tying coverage to government programs or workplace benefits.
"I think we need to get back to where people own their own healthcare, not the government, not their employer," he said.
He added that competition must return to the system to force prices down.
"Shop across state lines, let competition work, and if the president wants to help fund that, especially out of tariff money, that'd be great," Williams said.
Williams said such a system would give Americans far more flexibility while putting downward pressure on insurance costs.
He noted that letting consumers choose plans without geographic limits could spur innovation and make insurers more accountable to patients rather than bureaucrats.
"That would help people get what they need and move us forward and talk about jobs and the economy and doing great things," he said.
Turning to the Democrats' recent push to extend Obamacare for another year, Williams rejected the idea outright, saying it was a nonstarter in Congress.
"Nobody's interested in extending Obamacare for a year," he said. "It doesn't work."
Williams argued that the Affordable Care Act has driven up premiums, restricted choices, and left employers and workers with fewer viable options.
He framed Trump's proposal as a contrast: a system built on individual control, market competition, and a funding mechanism designed to avoid new taxes.
He said redirecting tariff money toward healthcare support would let families retain more of their income while avoiding layers of federal oversight.
Such a shift, he added, could open the door to broader economic gains by reducing financial pressure on small businesses and their employees.
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