Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) labeled the spending bill a “debt bomb ticking” on Thursday ahead of the House vote passing legislation along party lines following an all-night marathon session.
The bill includes language increasing the debt limit by $4 trillion. It would also extend Trump’s tax cuts from 2017, add other tax provisions and slash Medicaid funding. It now goes to the Senate.
“I’d love to stand here and tell the American people, we can cut your taxes and we can increase spending and everything’s going to be just fine. But I can’t do that because I’m here to deliver a dose of reality,” Massie, one of two Republicans to vote against the bill, 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,” he added.
“Where have we heard that before? How do you bind a future Congress to these promises? This bill is a debt bomb ticking,” he continued.
The lawmaker said Thursday’s House-approved bill would force the government to pay $16,000 of interest per U.S. family.
He estimated that under the bill’s taxing and spending levels, the national debt could swell by up to $30 trillion over the next decade.
“We’re not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic tonight. We’re putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg,” Massie said.
“If something is beautiful, you don’t do it after midnight,” he said before yielding.
Prior to the vote, Massie voiced his concerns on Wednesday, causing the president to lash out against the Kentucky representative, labeling him a “grandstander.”
“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he’s a grandstander, frankly” President Trump said at the Capitol when asked about Massie’s concerns the president’s legislative agenda will add to the deficit.
He later added that the lawmaker should be voted out of office.
Massie said the president’s criticism would not affect his position on the bill.
