Perry Campaign Press Release - Gov. Rick Perry Touts Faith in Constitution and Commitment to Make Washington Answer to the American People

Gives strong performance at Huckabee Presidential Forum

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Rick Perry tonight shared his faith in the U.S. Constitution, plan to overhaul Washington and vision to get America working at the Republican Presidential Forum, hosted by Mike Huckabee and Attorneys General Pam Bondi, Ken Cuccinelli and Scott Pruitt.

"I've lived a purpose-driven life and my purpose was never to be President of the United States, but our country's in trouble," Gov. Perry said. "Our country needs us working together to take our country back. I hope again that you'll take a look at my plan and give me that second opportunity and I'll promise you that every day I will work to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can."

Over the last few weeks, Gov. Perry has unveiled a series of plans he will implement to help create American jobs, transform Washington, D.C., and repair the damage President Obama's failed economic proposals have had on the American people.

"It's been a wild and a wooly ride in this primary and I suspect that's going to stay the same," Gov. Perry continued. "I hope everyone will give me a second look and take a look at my plan that cuts taxes, that balances the budget, that gets America working again and overhauls Washington. One of the ways that it does that is we'll put a part-time Congress in place. Just think about that. Send them back to their own districts to have a real job working back in their home districts. That's the way you really make a difference."

During the forum, the governor spoke about his Uproot and Overhaul Washington plan, which establishes a part-time Congress receiving only half of their current pay and spending only half of their time in Washington, so that they can spend more time at home living with the rest of the American people under the laws that they help create. Uproot and Overhaul Washington also calls for an immediate moratorium on costly, wasteful and unnecessary federal agencies, which will help to curb the spending of our overgrown government.

"My Overhaul Washington calls for a part-time Congress, cutting their pay and staff and making them live and work under the laws they pass. I would end lifetime appointments for Supreme Court judges. The idea that the federal government and federal courts tell us how we can pray, whether our kids can pray in school or we can have the Ten Commandments on our capitol grounds — that's offensive to me. I am the only presidential candidate who has never served in an administration or in Congress and never professionally lobbied in Washington or at the White House. I am the true Washington outsider in this race," said Gov. Perry. "The American people are tired of having the prosperity of our country compromised by the direct line between Washington and Wall Street. It is time for Washington, D.C. to truly answer to the American people the way our Founding Fathers envisioned it would."

Gov. Perry also spoke about his Cut, Balance, and Grow and his Energizing American Jobs and Security plans. Cut, Balance, and Grow cuts personal and corporate tax rates to a flat 20 percent, makes tax filing simpler and more transparent and calls for a federal Balanced Budget Amendment. Energizing American Jobs and Security will create up to 1.2 million jobs across every sector of the economy by reducing our nation's dangerous dependence on hostile foreign countries as sources of oil and instead utilizing our domestic energy resources to make electricity and fuel costs cheaper and more predictable. As the governor of the state of Texas for the last 11 years, Gov. Perry has an unrivaled record establishing the type of environment necessary to encourage job creation. Texas has led the nation in creating jobs while he has served as governor. During Gov. Perry's tenure, Texas has created more than one million new jobs. During President Obama's tenure, the country has lost nearly two million jobs.