Rep. Thomas Massie is unwilling to vote to extend the deficit, and his stance on the matter will doubtless be the thorn within the facet of Republican management for the foreseeable future.
Home Republicans narrowly advance plan for Trump’s agenda
The Home handed a GOP-backed price range plan for Donald Trump’s agenda, with three Republicans making a last-minute change to assist the invoice.
Home Republicans passed their budget resolution this week, with all however one Republican supporting the invoice in an enormous win for Speaker Mike Johnson. The only no vote, to little shock, was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Massie and I see eye to eye on comparatively little, although he and I’d name ourselves conservative. I disagree, for instance, along with his overseas coverage stances and America’s relationship with Israel. Nevertheless, I are likely to agree with him way more usually on the problem of presidency funding in regards to the deficit.
He and I’d most likely lower funding from totally different sources, however we are able to agree that the worryingly large budget deficit is a urgent subject and that Republicans are going together with the scheme to spend now and pay later, or by no means.
Massie has made it clear he’s unwilling to vote to increase the deficit, and his stance on the matter will doubtless be the thorn within the facet of Republican management for the foreseeable future. I’m glad someone is worried with it in Congress, even when Republicans have the votes to roughly ignore him.
Massie is the one Republican constant on the deficit
This isn’t the primary time Massie has opposed reckless spending. He voted against the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill in 2020 and against the government funding bill in December to keep away from a shutdown.
“Now we have no plan in anyway to stability the price range aside from progress, however what they’re proposing is to make the deficit worse,” Massie mentioned of Tuesday’s price range passage.
Massie is correct, the Republican price range adds $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the following decade, all as a result of they insist on upholding the Trump tax cuts whereas bypassing the normal price range course of. Tax cuts with out the correct spending cuts to stability them is downright irresponsible, and it is maddening that just one GOP Home member was keen to oppose it.
Massie does not oppose solely out-of-control spending but in addition the method by way of which Congress has arrived at that finish level.
Even earlier than Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s removing as Home speaker in 2023, Massie warned legislators of the chance that huge omnibus packages pose, and it is a massive a part of why he is been willing to dispose of Johnson as speaker.
Sadly, Republicans can afford for Massie to proceed his defections, as long as the remainder of the GOP holds the road.
Up till this level, Massie’s no votes have not derailed the Trump agenda, and it is unlikely that he’ll have a real influence on these votes.
Massie stays one of many few lone wolves in Congress
Whereas a lot of the GOP has change into beholden to President Donald Trump, even on points that go in opposition to conservative ideas, Massie has been going against Trump for years, impressively surviving main makes an attempt regardless of Trump calling for him to be thrown out of the social gathering at one level.
Massie is as near being a libertarian as there may be in Congress, and he has earned the notorious nickname of “Mr. No.”
Whether or not his no votes are honest or a part of his media technique is for the voters to determine, however I select to consider that his strategy to battle with the highest of the GOP is out of a real need to stability the price range. Evidently his constituency agrees, on condition that his deeply Trump-supporting district has continued to reelect him regardless of his antics.
No matter what I consider his politics, it is onerous to search out anybody else in Congress, notably somebody nowhere close to retirement, who acts with as little regard for the wrath of Trump than Massie does, and he deserves to be counseled.
I’m glad that at the very least one member of Congress genuinely cares concerning the deficit, even when it means he’ll be met with criticism from essentially the most highly effective man within the Republican Get together. I hope that Mr. No can persuade a few of his colleagues to say no themselves.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul College with a level in political science.
