Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) has been a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump‘s “big beautiful bill,” which House Republicans were able to pass this morning without Massie’s vote (215-214).
Note: The other House Republican to vote against the bill was Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH). Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) voted present, and Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and David Schweiker (R-AZ) did not vote.
Massie has consistently argued that the bill needed more spending cuts to avoid a record-breaking $5 trillion deficit.
Hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that the bill passed by one vote, Massie shared the video below and wrote on X: “I’d love to stand here and tell the American people ‘we can cut your taxes and increase spending and everything will be fine.’ But I can’t because I’m here to deliver a dose of reality about the ticking debt bomb known as the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.'”
I’d love to stand here and tell the American people “we can cut your taxes and increase spending and everything will be fine.”
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 22, 2025
But I can’t because I’m here to deliver a dose of reality about the ticking debt bomb known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” pic.twitter.com/eLT5GwNj11
Massie warns Americans that they are trading a $1600 tax break now in exchange for a $16,000 interest payment per family, as the debt explodes over the next ten years by “$20 TRILLION of new debt.” And that figure is just what the bill’s “authors” admit — Massie puts the figure at “closer to $30 trillion.”
Massie’s vote against the President’s bill has been met with MAGA anger. Commenters objecting to Massie’s resistance have weighed in with scolding like: “You’re not a team player” and “Now ain’t the time to grand stand.” (This week Trump, not coincidentally, called Massie a “grandstander.”)
The Kentucky congressman’s lonesome stand is receiving support from libertarians, including commenter Patrick Webb, who replied that in 15 years, “everyone who supported this bill will pretend to be shocked—as if they had no idea and that nobody warned them. They’ll be praising Thomas Massie the same way they now praise Ron Paul. Get ready for the “Massie was right” chants 15–20 years from now, when it’s too late to do anything about the warnings he’s giving today. Shame.”
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