GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Warns Republican Bill Makes Deficit 'Worse' as Mike Johnson Asks for Prayers
As another budget vote looms, Republicans who have little margin for dissent to pass anything in the House are quarreling with one another.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky took to X to slam the budget as moving in the wrong direction on the ballooning federal deficit.
“If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better,” Massie wrote in a post on X.
If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 24, 2025
“Using corn to make fuel increases the price of food. This is not disputed,” Massie continued in a follow-up post on X.
“Yet some Republicans are insisting on keeping costly ethanol provisions of the Democrat ‘green new deal’ in the Republican budget reconciliation plan,” Massie wrote.
As noted by the Associated Press, 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 Bloomberg, the Biden administration further sought to further boost the production of corn-based ethanol.
Using corn to make fuel increases the price of food.
This is not disputed.
Yet some Republicans are insisting on keeping costly ethanol provisions of the Democrat “green new deal” in the Republican budget reconciliation plan.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 25, 2025
In looking for a higher authority, Massie consulted Grok, an AI chatbot linked to Elon Musk and posted the reply on X.
“I asked Grok if ethanol subsidies and mandates increase food prices. Here’s Grok’s answer: Ethanol mandates and subsidies can indeed push up food prices, and here’s how it plays out,” he wrote.
I asked Grok if ethanol subsidies and mandates increase food prices. Here’s Grok’s answer:
Ethanol mandates and subsidies can indeed push up food prices, and here’s how it plays out. In the U.S., the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires blending ethanol—mostly made from…
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 25, 2025
Massie’s criticisms came as Speaker Mike Johnson prepared for a floor vote on a budget reconciliation that would help fund President Donald Trump’s agenda.
House Republicans 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.
“This is a prayer request. Just pray this through for us, because it is very high-stakes, and everybody knows that,” Johnson said Monday, according to The Hill.
“There may be more than one” Republican member opposed, Johnson responded. “But we’ll get there. We’re going to get everybody there.”
“There’s a couple of folks who just have lingering questions, but I think all those questions can be answered and we’ll be able to move forward,” Johnson said. The Hill listed Massie and Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana as two fiscal conservatives opposed to the plan.
Johnson indicated that he was planning for a possible loss, saying that to get the budget resolution passed, “I’ve got a whole playbook, but I’m not going to tell you that.”
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