Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has been a thorn in the side of just about every other Republican the last few years, stubbornly trying to get them to make real and meaningful budget cuts and avoid adding more to the nation's already enormous debt of $34 trillion.
After Massie sided with Democrats against President Donald Trump's strike last week on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump blasted Massie and pledged on Sunday to go to Kentucky to campaign against him.
“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him. He is a negative force who almost always Votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be.”
Massie not only opposed Trump's strikes, he called on Congress to pass a joint war powers act resolution to prevent any further action by Trump.
“We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!) but, as usual, and despite all of the praise and accolades received, this ‘lightweight’ Congressman is against what was so brilliantly achieved last night in Iran,” Trump said. “Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes ‘NO’ on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul, Jr.), no matter how good something may be.”
He predicted that Massie would vote against the Senate version of the "big beautiful bill" and told his supporters to “drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!”
He then promised to support an effort to primary Massie and campaign against him.
“The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard,” Trump pledged. “MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one. Thank you to our incredible military for the AMAZING job they did last night. It was really SPECIAL!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Massie is admirable in his dedication to conservative ideals, but it seems like he has no idea of the political realities that make it very difficult to get a perfectly conservative bill through Congress.
It's all too easy to criticize current leadership and insist on legislation that will never make it through Congress; it's much harder to compromise and make a deal that will actually get enough support to pass both houses of Congress.
Trump prides himself on making deals, which requires give and take as well as flexibility.
The Senate removed many provisions of the bill that were popular with conservatives, including the ability of judges to impose nationwide restraining orders and injunctions and the repeal of the EPA's emission limits for cars.
The provisions were removed because the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, said that they violated the Senate's rules.
Some of the provisions could be restored to the bill if they are modified to better fit within the Senate's parameters.
