Bill Sali

American politician (born 1954)

William Thomas Sali (born February 17, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a congressman from Idaho. A Republican, he served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2007 to 2009. Sali previously served in the Idaho Legislature as a member of the House. Sali was elected to an open seat in Congress in 2006. He was defeated for reelection in 2008 by Democrat Walt Minnick. Sali was the first Idaho congressman to fail to win a second term in 56 years, since Republican John Travers Wood was defeated in 1952. Minnick also served only one term before being defeated by Raúl Labrador in 2010.

Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Sali moved to Idaho with his family in 1962 at age ten. He graduated from Capital High School in Boise in 1972 and enrolled at Boise State College, attending for two years. Sali worked full time for over four years, then returned to the renamed Boise State University in 1979, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1981 at age 29. He was admitted to the University of Idaho law school in Moscow, where he received a Juris Doctor in 1984.

Sali was first elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 1990. There, he gained a reputation as a staunch conservative on social and economic issues, frequently drawing the ire of the more moderate Republican house leadership. Sali served as vice chairman of the state House Health and Welfare Committee and as Chairman of the Special Committee on Health Care. He also sat on the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Committee, the Human Resources Committees, and the Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee.

Sali was elected president of the 2007–08 Republican freshman class.

In 2007, Congress took up the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care for about 6 million children and 670,000 adults from families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicare but not enough to afford health insurance. Congressional Democrats and many Republicans tried to use the opportunity to dramatically expand the program but were opposed by President George W. Bush and other Republicans. In 2006, 5.4 million children were eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid and 9.4 million total children were uninsured. Bill Sali voted against the first House bill, which passed along party lines.

He opposed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour, as well as a Republican motion to recommit. He argued that a minimum wage violates the "natural laws" of the free market, and to make his point he (facetiously) proposed the "Obesity Reduction and Health Promotion Act" which would mandate a 10% reduction in the force of gravity.

Sali has consistently voted to support the Iraq War and has opposed all legislation aimed at withdrawing the United States' troops from Iraq. Sali said, "None of us like war. We all wish that victory in Iraq had been swift, clear cut and definitive and that a stable and free government would have been operating in Baghdad, able to stand on its own. Clearly great progress has been made, particularly in the past year, and the future of Iraq is now more promising than ever. Yet, we remain at war. At a minimum, we owe it to our soldiers and to our national security to win this war by supporting those in the field. Only by doing so can we bring our soldiers safely home."

Sali was a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus and opposed President Bush's proposal for comprehensive immigration policy reform. "Amnesty does nothing to secure our borders," Sali said.

In July 2007, Sali introduced legislation allowing for separate votes on bills that contain multiple subjects. Sali based his proposal on his experience in the Idaho Legislature, noting that Idaho's constitution forbids grouping unrelated projects in a single bill. "Frankly, the process [in the Idaho Legislature] is an orderly process, and while it is political it is somewhat predictable," Sali told the Idaho Statesman. "Congress is a whole other deal." In August 2007, Sali introduced his second proposal to reform Congress. That bill called for Congress to make available a "red line" version of legislation so that congressional representatives and the general public can easily see what is being added and removed from a statute. In 2006, Sali linked abortion to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute has said there is no known link between the two. Such views, which refer to a supposed abortion – breast cancer hypothesis, are consistent with Sali's anti abortion viewpoint.

In August 2007, Sali expressed concerns over what he perceived as a deterioration of the "Christian heritage" of the United States and the rise of multiculturalism in U. S. politics—largely with reference to the 2006 election of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of the U. S. House of Representatives, and to the Hindu prayer offered by Rajan Zed during the opening of the U. S. Senate on July 12, 2007. Sali said these events were "not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers" and said that America was founded on Christian principles. Speaking with the Idaho Press Tribune, Sali explained his view that multiculturalism is in conflict with the national motto "E Pluribus Unum," or "out of many, one." Sali said multiculturalism would mean "out of the many, the many." "The question is, is multiculturalism good or not?" Sali said. "I don’t think the Founding Fathers were multicultural. Multiculturalism is the antithesis of (the motto)." In regard to the view that the nation was founded on Christian principles, Sali said, "If we’re going to move away from those principles we better consider the blessings of God that have been bestowed on this country and the protective hand of God that’s been over this country." In another interview, Sali said, "The idea that somehow we can move to multiculturalism and still remain the same – I think that's a little dangerous, too." "From my standpoint, I believe the Founding Fathers were overwhelmingly Christian and the God they were talking about is the God of the Bible." Sali was accused by some of wanting to impose a religious test for elected officials, but his spokesman said that Sali had no such intention. In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Sali said of Ellison, "He got elected the same way I did. People certainly have the right to elect anyone they want."

Sali and his wife, Terry, reside in Kuna, southwest of Boise. Married since 1976, they have six adult children.