Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie reaffirmed where his loyalties lie. The congress member continues to state his opposition to the Republican shutdown of the United States government. On Twitter, the Representative explained his stance as it relates to farmers in the country. He also made sure to point toward the victims of Jeffrey Epstein as well. Massie has been pushing for a release of the Epstein Files for a while now. Republican leadership has pursued this shutdown rather than have a vote on releasing the information to the public.
“I stand with farmers. I stand with victims of Epstein,” Massie wrote. “I stand with soldiers against unnecessary war. I stand for medical freedom. I stand against inflation, wasteful spending, and foreign aid. I always put (America) first. and this upsets the swamp, but so be it.”
Of course, these comments riled up President Trump’s supporters on the platform, as he has drawn battle lines between himself and Massie on these issues. We are in yet another week of a government shutdown, with no end in sight. These kinds of ideological conflicts inch closer to having detrimental effects on the larger community in the United States. But, Massie isn’t going to compromise on these beliefs just yet. He’s filed multiple bills hoping to shortcut some parts of the shutdown that would affect workers, but most of the other Republican members of the chamber are not going to break rank with Speaker Mike Johnson. Maybe, even more pressing is President Trump’s ire for a lot of them.
Thomas Massie continues to defy GOP leadership
Just a little over a week ago, the Kentucky rep took to Twitter to accuse billionaires of trying to push him out of his congressional seat. Now, there weren’t any specifics tied to this claim. But, a lot of his followers seemed to agree with this line of thinking. His continued obstinance in the face of GOP pressure has earned him the attention of President Trump on social media. (Some would argue that this campaigning is exactly what Massie is talking about.)
Still, with such a narrow majority margin in both houses of government, the GOP cannot afford this strife in pursuing their agenda. Massie isn’t trying to hear any of it. A lot of times, he sounds like all he cares about is the release of the Epstein Files and justice for the victims contained within their pages.
Just more GOP drama
President Trump is advocating for voters to choose Ed Gallerin next year in Thomas Massie’s political contest. There’s no indication yet of that endorsement bearing fruit. We are still a long ways away from that season, but the intent is clearly there. For the moment, neither side seems to be willing to end the shutdown to achieve aims that would benefit tons of federal workers. There are also the people who rely on other essential government services in their everyday lives. So, that conflict has to be attended to if you’re going to avert real material displeasure among a large swath of voters.
The longer this shutdown remains in effect, the more discord among the Republican members of Congress seems to bear itself out in front of voters. Hardliners like Massey might get their way if they can stick to their guns over time. But, his own party has made it all but impossible to hold that ground for very long. Americans are getting to the point where these shutdowns will start to have a material effect for a large swath of people, and that’s not going to be good for Massey or the GOP at large as this situation develops.
(featured image: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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