This week, Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) was a guest on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program to answer a variety of viewer-submitted questions. One viewer asked if the freshman lawmaker had taken “the Norquist pledge,” referring to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge championed by Americans for Tax Reform. Congressman Messer responded:
“I did. When I ran in the Republican primary . . . last fall, I did sign the Pledge to not raise taxes. I just believe that the key to getting America turned around is a growing economy. The best way to get more revenue for our federal government is to have more jobs, therefore more taxpayers, therefore tax revenue that comes from that. And I don’t think the solution is to raise more taxes, so I signed the Pledge and did it gladly.”
Messer’s reply shows that he, along with 218 of his House colleagues, understands the importance of economic growth when it comes to generating revenue. As he points out, higher taxes are not conducive to that goal. Watch the full video below: