White House talking tough against Republicans who did not back spending bill

The House just passed Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” but not before having to sweat it out.

Three Republicans in the House did not support the bill, with two of them joining Democrats, and it still has to make its way through the Senate, where there is also resistance. But now the White House is talking tough against those not supporting the legislation.

House Dissenters

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) voted “no” on the legislation and immediately made their case for not supporting it on social media.

Davidson 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 stated his concerns on the House floor, 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?"

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to comment about the “no” votes and how Trump felt, she stated, "I don't think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress. What's the alternative? I would ask those members of Congress. 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.”

Senate Dissenters

The bill will now head to the Senate, where there is already resistance. And if the Senate changes the bill, it will have to go back to the House for approval again.

Currently, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has stated that he will not support the bill, adding, “I’ve told them if they’ll take the debt ceiling off of it, I’ll consider voting for it. We’ve never, ever voted to raise the debt ceiling this much. It’ll be a historic increase. I think it’s not good for conservatives to be on record supporting a $4 [trillion] or $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.”

As I am about to cover, the Trump administration has resorted to trying to bully Republicans who do not like various aspects of the bill, but Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is not backing down. He stated, “In the House, President Trump can threaten a primary, and those guys want to keep their seats. I understand the pressure. Can’t pressure me that way.”

I am already on the record saying that I do not support that tactic by Trump. We should not be governed by fear, but that is precisely what he is doing right now.

Betrayal

When someone does not agree with Trump or cave to his demands, he paints them as a traitor, a RINO, or both, and he is doing it again regarding this legislation. On possible dissenters of the legislation, the White House stated, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reflects the shared priorities of both Congress and the Administration.

“Therefore, the House of Representatives should immediately pass this bill to show the American people that they are serious about ‘promises made, promises kept.’ President Trump is committed to keeping his promises, and failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal.”

Every person who supports this bill has to live with the results, so I get pushing back if you don’t like something in there. While I do support most of what is in the bill, the overspending has me concerned and I can tell you flat-out I don’t support the no tax on tips proposal, and that would be a no-go for me if I had to vote on this legislation. I am not going to tell an American worker that just because he makes a $60,000 salary, he has to pay $12,000 in taxes when someone who makes $60,000 in tips gets to keep all their money.

These Republicans have real concerns because Trump ran on cutting the debt and eliminating budget deficits, and that is not what this legislation is right now. Again, most of what is in that bill I support, even the controversial changes to Medicaid, but I also believe the bill, as is, will cost Republicans, at the very least, the House in 2026, and possibly everything in 2028.