The passage of President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" in the House of Representatives has sparked a heated debate among Republicans over America's mounting national debt. Reps. Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson put themselves squarely in the spotlight, refusing to back President Donald Trump’s celebrated “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
According to Fox News, Massie and Davidson took to social media on Thursday, May 22, to explain their “no” votes on the high-profile legislation, citing grave concerns over the nation’s $36 trillion debt crisis. Their opposition came even as the House passed the bill by a razor-thin margin, giving Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump a hard-fought legislative victory.
The bill, a sweeping package that advances Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, and defense, promises to cut $1.5 trillion in government spending. But critics, including these two Republican holdouts, warn it will actually swell deficits in the short term and fail to address the immediate fiscal crisis facing the United States.
Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio wasted no time clarifying their positions to constituents and colleagues alike. Davidson, voicing frustration just before the vote, made clear that promises of future spending cuts were not enough.
He stated, “While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we’re in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO.”
Massie echoed Davidson’s stance, emphasizing that serious action was needed immediately, not in some distant future. On the House floor, Massie delivered a sober warning about the bill’s fiscal impact, stating:
I’d love to stand here and tell the American people, ‘We can cut your taxes and increase spending and everything is going to be just fine.’ But I can’t do that because I'm here to deliver a dose of reality. This bill dramatically increases deficits in the near-term, but promises our government will be fiscally responsible five years from now. Where have we heard that before?
Despite the coordinated push for party unity from House leadership, the close vote and vocal dissent from Massie and Davidson highlighted the ongoing rift within Republican ranks over how to address the national debt.
The White House was quick to respond to the opposition. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Massie and Davidson’s votes, suggesting they should face primary challenges for bucking the party’s key agenda item. Leavitt pointedly asked, “Did they want to see a tax hike? Did they want to see our country go bankrupt? That’s the alternative by them trying to vote ‘no.’ The president believes the Republican Party needs to be unified.”
As Trump allies celebrated passage of the bill, Massie took to social media to fundraise off the backlash, writing on X, “The big beautiful bill has issues. I chose to vote against it because it’s going to blow up our debt. For voting on principle, I now have the President AND his press Secretary campaigning against me from the White House podium. Can you help me by donating?”
The political tension was further stoked by former Rep. Bob Good, who lost his seat after supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over Trump in the 2024 primaries. Good warned that “The Big Ugly Truth is that the Big Ugly Bill will push the Big Ugly Debt over $60 trillion,” underscoring how Trump’s critics within the GOP remain deeply concerned about fiscal responsibility.
For fiscal conservatives, the numbers remain alarming. Even with $1.5 trillion in planned spending cuts, the United States’ national debt stands at over $36 trillion, with the Treasury Department reporting an additional $1.05 trillion spent over government receipts in the current fiscal year. The House Republican leadership’s win, while celebrated, is viewed by some as a temporary reprieve rather than a lasting solution.
Massie, wearing his trademark national debt clock pin, described the legislation as a “debt bomb ticking,” painting a dire picture for those who believe the bill will do little to curb runaway spending.
According to Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus, the American public’s indifference to the deficit may be one of the greatest challenges facing lawmakers who want real reform.Rep. Thomas Massie said on the House floor: “This bill dramatically increases deficits in the near-term, but promises our government will be fiscally responsible five years from now. Where have we heard that before?”
Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson, two vocal House Republicans, stood apart this week as they voted against President Trump’s signature legislation, citing what they see as a looming fiscal crisis. Both lawmakers used social media to explain their votes, warning that the bill’s promises of future savings do not counteract the immediate reality of rising deficits and an ever-growing national debt.
The House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by a single vote, but the debate over how to address the $36 trillion debt is far from over. As President Trump and House leadership move forward, the fate of fiscal hawks like Massie and Davidson—and the voices of their supporters—will remain a key storyline as Republicans continue to wrestle with America’s debt and spending challenges.
