Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has said no too many times for President Donald Trump’s liking.
The Kentucky Republican makes no qualms about breaking from his party or its leader, having been the lone Republican “no” in multiple votes, including Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership reelection in January.
In keeping with his own tradition, Massie says he is a firm “no” on this latest spending bill, which House Republican leadership put forward over the weekend and the chamber will take up for a vote Tuesday afternoon. Congress will need to pass this or similar legislation to keep the government funded and operating past Friday.
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“Unless I get a lobotomy Monday that causes me to forget what I’ve witnessed the past 12 years,” Massie said in a post on X Sunday, “I’ll be a NO on the CR this week.”
Trump fumed in a social media post blasting Massie for his defiance.
“HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED,” the president wrote on Truth Social Monday evening. “I will lead the charge against him. He’s just another GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble, and not worth the fight.”
Who is Thomas Massie?
Massie, 54, has represented Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, encompassing the state’s northern area just below Cincinnati, since 2012.
A staunch fiscal conservative, Massie has opposed budget bills in the past over objections that the legislation would not sufficiently address the government’s growing deficit.
He has been known to wear a pin on his lapel showing the constantly upticking federal debt number.
Not his first time facing threats
Trump has accused Massie of grandstanding before.
In 2020, when the Kentucky Republican forced members of Congress to return to Washington for an in-person vote on a COVID-19 relief package, Trump called Massie a “third rate Grandstander,” as well as “disaster for America.”
Trump also called then for Massie to be forced out.
Yet despite being a recurring thorn in the president’s side, Kentucky Republicans showed no appetite for a replacement, and Massie sailed to an easy victory in his 2020 GOP primary.
“Look, I’m in the incumbent protection program here,” Speaker Johnson said in press conference Tuesday morning, when asked if he would support Massie in 2026. “I consider Thomas Massie a friend. He’s a thoughtful guy. I guess he’ll tell you he’s doing what he thinks is right on this. I just vehemently disagree.”
Massie could have company in the opposition
If Massie stays a “no,”Johnson cannot afford to lose any other member of his caucus.
And while the Kentucky congressman appears to be the most set in his opposition, other House Republicans have floated their own concerns about the speaker’s spending bill.
“I like the fact that we’re saving money,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told USA TODAY Monday. “I love that. But I don’t like the fact that we’re giving it to the Pentagon, war pimps just always get the money.”
Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi and Riley Beggin, USA TODAY
