{"id":2406448,"date":"2025-02-25T11:52:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-rep-thomas-massie-warns-republican-bill-makes-deficit-worse-as-mike-johnson-asks-for-prayers\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:56:14","slug":"gop-rep-thomas-massie-warns-republican-bill-makes-deficit-worse-as-mike-johnson-asks-for-prayers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-rep-thomas-massie-warns-republican-bill-makes-deficit-worse-as-mike-johnson-asks-for-prayers\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Warns Republican Bill Makes Deficit &#8216;Worse&#8217; as Mike Johnson Asks for Prayers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-rep-thomas-massie-warns-republican-bill-makes-deficit-worse-as-mike-johnson-asks-for-prayers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2406448&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>As the \u2064upcoming budget vote approaches, discord arises among House republicans, who face pressures due to narrow margins for dissent. Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky publicly criticized\u200d the proposed budget for exacerbating\u2064 the \u2064federal deficit, asserting that if it passes, the deficit will worsen. He also voiced concerns regarding provisions for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-emergency-waiver-lifts-restrictions-in-ethanol-gasoline-in-desperate-attempt-to-lower-prices\/\" title=\"EPA Emergency Waiver Lifts Restrictions in ... Gasoline in Desperate Attempt to Lower Prices\">corn-based ethanol<\/a> in the \u2063budget, which\u200c he claims drive up food\u200c prices. \u200bHis criticism refers back \u2064to policies initiated during previous administrations \u2062and the ongoing push for ethanol by the current governance. With Speaker Mike Johnson preparing for a critical floor vote on this budget reconciliation\u2014which is vital for \u2063funding former\u200d President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda\u2014Massie\u2019s stance exemplifies the tensions within the party. There are fears\u200b that a couple of dissenting votes could derail the resolution, prompting Johnson to request prayers for support in securing the necessary votes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>As another budget vote looms, Republicans who have little margin for dissent to pass anything in the House are quarreling with one another.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky took to X to slam the budget as moving in the wrong direction on the ballooning federal deficit.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better,&rdquo; Massie wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894160543734288780\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894160543734288780?\">February 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  &ldquo;Using corn to make fuel increases the price of food. This is not disputed,&rdquo; Massie continued in a follow-up <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894356303239164170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Yet some Republicans are insisting on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">keeping costly ethanol provisions<\/a> of the Democrat &lsquo;green new deal&rsquo; in the Republican budget reconciliation plan,&rdquo; Massie wrote.<\/p>\n<p>As noted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/general-news-4ef599997c1f4a7db5283c14d25de7b4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, the impetus to use corn-based ethanol came from President George W. Bush in his second term and gathered steam under the Obama administration. As noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2024-02-22\/biden-grants-gasoline-policy-shift-to-boost-ethanol-in-corn-belt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/remember-11000-keystone-xl-jobs-biden-killed-back-thanks-huge-trump-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden administration<\/a> further sought to further boost the production of corn-based ethanol.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Using corn to make fuel increases the price of food.<\/p>\n<p>This is not disputed.<\/p>\n<p>Yet some Republicans are insisting on keeping costly ethanol provisions of the Democrat &ldquo;green new deal&rdquo; in the Republican budget reconciliation plan.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894356303239164170?\">February 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  In looking for a higher authority, Massie consulted Grok, an AI chatbot linked to Elon Musk and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894360938314100769\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted the reply on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I asked Grok if ethanol subsidies and mandates increase food prices. Here&rsquo;s Grok&rsquo;s answer: Ethanol mandates and subsidies can indeed push up food prices, and here&rsquo;s how it plays out,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I asked Grok if ethanol subsidies and mandates increase food prices. Here&rsquo;s Grok&rsquo;s answer:<\/p>\n<p>Ethanol mandates and subsidies can indeed push up food prices, and here&rsquo;s how it plays out. In the U.S., the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires blending ethanol&mdash;mostly made from&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/1894360938314100769?\">February 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Massie&rsquo;s criticisms came as Speaker Mike Johnson prepared for a floor vote on a budget reconciliation that would help fund President Donald Trump&rsquo;s agenda.<\/p>\n<p>House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/senate-passes-3-5-trillion-dem-budget-resolution-party-line-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republicans<\/a> currently have a three-vote majority over House Democrats due to vacancies in the Republican ranks. If Massie votes against the budget reconciliation, one more vote against it would sink the resolution.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a prayer request. Just pray this through for us, because it is very high-stakes, and everybody knows that,&rdquo; Johnson said Monday, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/5161537-johnson-prayer-request-trump-agenda-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There may be more than one&rdquo; Republican member opposed, Johnson responded. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ll get there. We&rsquo;re going to get everybody there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a couple of folks who just have lingering questions, but I think all those questions can be answered and we&rsquo;ll be able to move forward,&rdquo; Johnson said. The Hill listed Massie and Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana as two fiscal conservatives opposed to the plan.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mike-johnson-confirms-worst-biden-didnt-actually-know-signing-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Johnson<\/a> indicated that he was planning for a possible loss, saying that to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-strip-gop-amendments-in-passing-budget-resolution\/\" title=\"Democrats Strip GOP Amendments in Passing ... ...\">budget resolution passed<\/a>, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got a whole playbook, but I&rsquo;m not going to tell you that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As another budget vote approaches, Republicans with limited room for disagreement are arguing among themselves. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie criticized the budget on X, claiming it worsens the growing federal deficit. He stated, &#8220;If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.&#8221; Massie also pointed out that using corn for fuel raises food prices and expressed concern over some Republicans wanting to maintain expensive ethanol provisions from the Democrats&#8217; &#8220;Green New Deal&#8221; in their reconciliation plan. His comments come as Speaker Mike Johnson prepares for a vote on a budget that supports President Trump&#8217;s agenda, with House Republicans holding a slim majority amid potential dissent from fiscal conservatives like Massie and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2406449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/johnson-massie.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9647,6203,34218,33196],"class_list":["post-2406448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-deficit","tag-gop","tag-mike-johnson","tag-thomas-massie"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/johnson-massie.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2406448"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406452,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406448\/revisions\/2406452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2406449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2406448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2406448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2406448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}