Republicans to reveal if they will advance tax hike on the wealthy
Republicans in Congress are expected to reveal legislation this week that could break with decades of party orthodoxy.
WASHINGTON – One of the few Republican lawmakers willing to buck Donald Trump received the cold shoulder from the president on Tuesday.
Trump visited Capitol Hill to rally support among House Republicans over a massive bill that would make the 2017 tax cuts permanent, boost defense funding and implement new requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, among other things. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is looking to pass the bill this week.
But Massie, a staunch fiscal conservative, has criticized the bill, suggesting on X that it would reinforce “Biden levels of spending” and cause “bigger deficits.”
When asked about Massie’s suggestion, Trump quickly fired back.
“No, I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government,” Trump told reporters. “I think he’s a grandstander, frankly… I think he should be voted out of office.”
Massie told reporters that he was not bothered after Trump called him out by name, according to Politico. He also wrote on X, “I usually don’t talk about private conversations in our GOP meetings but the rumors are true… President Trump said that although I have similar hair to @RandPaul , he thinks mine is better.”
Massie has broken from his party in the past. In March, he opposed a Republican-crafted spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Trump called for Massie to be primaried then.
“I will lead the charge against him,” Trump wrote in Truth Social at the time. “He’s just another GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble, and not worth the fight.”
Massie wrote on X then, ”POTUS is spending his day attacking me and Canada. The difference is Canada will eventually cave.”