A Florida congressman says he is planning to add a provision to the upcoming tax reform discussions that would call for the National Football League and other professional sports organizations staging protests against the national anthem to lose the loopholes they enjoy, and he's sure he'll get the backing of President Donald Trump.
"I don't think that the millionaires and billionaires associated with professional sports ought to get a special tax break that's not available to the regular small businesses and regular folks in my district and across America," Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" Tuesday.
"I could not have a better partner in this effort than President [Donald] Trump. Through Twitter, he has endorsed this concept that we should eliminate special tax benefits that the NFL receives."
The protests that players have engaged in, and that have been "seemingly embraced" by the league office, has brought the treatment they receive into focus, he added.
"It's just more proof that the average American doesn't need a 70,000-page tax code," Gaetz continued. "Those are things that exist for special folks and special interest. And I'm glad that President Trump and Speaker [Paul] Ryan want to do away with those things and lower rates for all Americans."
Gaetz, whose district includes Pensacola, represents an area that has the most active duty military and veterans in the country, and they don't know why the NFL is embracing its players' "unpatriotic conduct."
"If there are players with concerns about racial inequality or the criminal justice system, rather than taking a knee, how about they take a stand and actually advocate for some proposals that they think might improve quality of life for people?" he said.
He pointed out that he serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and he can be of help if any NFL players have ideas about how to change the national situation.
"Let's not disrespect our troops and our veterans and all who love this great country by saying that America is not worth standing for," he said. "She absolutely is worth standing for. And that's why I think we need to do away with special breaks that those get who are embracing this unpatriotic conduct."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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