President Donald Trump expressed disappointment Thursday in Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick after he voted “no” on the Big, Beautiful Bill, according to Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese.
Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill officially passed the House Thursday and will now advance to his desk. Fitzpatrick and Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky joined Democrats in voting “no.” Joining the president on his trip to Iowa for a July 4 celebration, Trump told Reese he is “disappointed” in Fitzpatrick for opposing the legislation.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called for a vote on the budget legislation Wednesday to get the bill to Trump’s desk by July 4. Late Wednesday evening, however, four Republicans joined Democrats in voting “no” against the bill. Johnson kept the vote open as GOP lawmakers were seen negotiating with fellow party members opposing the legislation.
Among the initial four Republican representatives to temporarily halt the bill from moving forward were Fitzpatrick, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, according to NBC News. By Thursday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the floor for over eight hours, before the vote officially became 218 to 214 to approve the bill, with Massie and Fitzpatrick ultimately joining Democrats.
In response to his pushback against the bill, Fitzpatrick released a statement on his website, calling out the Senate’s amendments to Medicaid along with other provisions made that “altered the analysis for our PA-1 community.”
“I voted to strengthen Medicaid protections, to permanently extend middle class tax cuts, for enhanced small business tax relief, and for historic investments in our border security and our military,” Fitzpatrick wrote. “However, it was the Senate’s amendments to Medicaid, in addition to several other Senate provisions, that altered the analysis for our PA-1 community.”
“The original House language was written in a way that protected our community; the Senate amendments fell short of our standard. I believe in, and will always fight for, policies that are thoughtful, compassionate, and good for our community. It is this standard that will always guide my legislative decisions,” Fitzpatrick added.
In the weeks leading up to the final push through the House, Massie, among a handful of GOP lawmakers, had been vocal about his opposition to the bill. During the U.S.’ peak tensions with Iran, Trump called out the pushback against the bill in June, saying he would primary the lawmaker during election season.
“MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague! The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard. MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Kentucky lawmaker told the Daily Caller Monday that he would be open to voting “yes” if a “skinny” version of the legislation were to be approved, saying the bill doesn’t substantially cut enough government spending. Following his final push back against the legislation Thursday, Massie told reporters “It wasn’t beautiful enough for me to vote for it.”
Fitzpatrick’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: State Department photo/ Public Domain)
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