After Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the lone House Republican to vote against the continuing resolution (CR) on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump continued his verbal rebuke.
This time, Trump pointed directly to the hypocrisy of the fiscal hawk Massie having voted for a CR during the Biden administration.
"So Massie can vote for Debt Ceiling AND Budget to be put into the Trump Administration, making them both the Republicans' problem and responsibility, but can't give us a simple Continuing Resolution vote allowing us the time necessary to come up with a 'GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL???'" Trump lamented in a Tuesday night Truth Social post. "Republicans only 'NO' Vote."
"GRANDSTANDER!"
In addition to calling Trump's claim on the CR vote under former President Joe Biden "very misleading," Massie had responded to Trump's attacks Tuesday in a video before his vote, noting he is standing for Trump's agenda and against Biden spending levels — proving he's "consistent" not hypocritical.
"This is not Trump's agenda; this is Biden's spending agenda. This is a CR that extends Biden spending levels," Massie said in an eight-minute video posted to X. Massie further noted that a past law signed in 2022 requires a 1% cut to pass a CR, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is ignoring that by classifying this alleged CR as a budget omnibus through September.
"He's violating at least the spirit of the law and maybe even the letter of the law by ignoring the 1% cut," Massie added, lamenting the waste, fraud and abuse being uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency are effectively signed off on through September, too.
Massie did get one notable defender of his fiscal responsibility in former Texas Rep. Ron Paul — the father of fellow fiscal hawk Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
"Here we go again," Ron Paul posted to X on Tuesday night. "Remember back in 2020, when Congressman Thomas Massie heroically stood up against the $2 Trillion COVID spending."
"Back then, President Trump called Massie a 'third-rate grandstander' and a 'disaster for America.' Massie was correct. He was primaried for standing firm and was victorious in the election."
Paul continued, "The COVID spending helped to usher in the inflation that we're still dealing with today…not to mention all of the fraud."
"Once again, Congressman Massie refuses to support reckless Republican spending and debt; and once again President Trump seeks to primary Massie after comparing him to Liz Cheney (!) If Congress was composed of hundreds of Thomas Massie's, we wouldn't be trying to claw our way out of the abyss right now."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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