Congressional Cowards is a weekly collection highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—regardless of how disgraceful or lawless his actions.
After weeks of bellyaching that Donald Trump’s “One Massive, Stunning, Invoice” added an excessive amount of to the deficit and did not make sufficient draconian cuts to Medicaid, Home Republicans all caved and voted for the shit sandwich of a finances that rips well being care away from tens of millions of People, will go away tens of millions of low-income households hungry, makes school costlier, and cuts clear power investments—all to solely partially pay for tax cuts that profit the richest few.
A number of Republicans within the right-wing Home Freedom Caucus, who hours earlier had panned the laws as a deficit-exploding dud, rotated and voted for the invoice within the early hours of Thursday morning—all as a result of their Expensive Chief threatened them with main challenges in the event that they did not fold, saying voting in opposition to the invoice could be the “final betrayal.”
Home Freedom Caucus members claimed they voted for the laws due to last-minute adjustments GOP management made that slashed Medicaid funding and phased out clear power tax credit extra rapidly. These tax credit had been handed by Democrats within the Inflation Discount Act and have created jobs, a lot of them in states Trump carried in 2024.
“This morning, Members of the Home Freedom Caucus delivered the votes essential to advance President Trump’s agenda after securing important wins in making the reconciliation invoice probably the most conservative model doable—rather more conservative than the unique Home GOP proposal in January that will have achieved a measly $300 billion in deficit discount,” the Home Freedom Caucus stated in a press release, taking a victory lap for a invoice that can add at the very least $3.8 trillion to the deficit over the subsequent decade, freaking out bond traders who not view the US as a secure place to take a position their cash.
No member caved tougher than Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who for days had been warning of the harm the deficit-increasing laws would do to the financial system, solely to vote for the invoice Thursday morning.
Roy had tanked the invoice in a Home Funds Committee listening to final week, however he voted for the invoice in the long run.
“We moved the needle lots within the final 72 hours, ” he instructed CNBC on Thursday,
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania had additionally been noncommittal within the days earlier than the vote, arguing the laws added an excessive amount of to the debt.
“I get uninterested in listening to ‘nobody actually cares concerning the debt,'” Perry wrote in a put up on X on Monday. “Sure. Sure they do.”
However you guessed it—Perry caved after the Trump assembly.
“I by no means stated I used to be a no, however I stated I had considerations,” Perry instructed CNN. “Now that we’ve the textual content, we will undergo it.”
Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee had additionally squawked about not voting for the invoice however in the long run did simply that, telling that he’s sad it will increase the finances,
“I do not like that one bit, however I do not know what the opposite possibility is true now,” he whined.
The truth is, that’s the excuse different GOP lawmakers made as properly, together with Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, who stated the Home Freedom Caucus gave in as a result of that they had no different alternative. A lot for sticking to their convictions on the deficit.
“I feel that there is a second the place you simply sort of take a collective pause and say we have achieved lots, and so we simply have been—we have been heads down on this battle for thus lengthy,” Burlison rambled to CNN.
The one Republicans who caught to their convictions had been Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio, who each voted no due to the quantity the invoice provides to the deficit. And each could now pay a political value for that, as White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Thursday that Trump desires to recruit main challengers to oust them from Congress.
The invoice now heads to the Senate, the place hard-line Republicans are voicing related considerations concerning the laws’s impression on the federal deficit, whereas others are complaining concerning the invoice’s Medicaid cuts.
They declare they will not cave.
“Within the Home, President Trump can threaten a main. These guys wish to preserve their seats, I perceive the stress. He can’t stress me that means,” Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin instructed Punchbowl Information.
Within the immortal phrases of Marcia Brady: “Positive, Jan.”
