The White House said President Donald Trump could support primary challenges against the two Republican congressmen who voted against his “big, beautiful bill” this week.
On Thursday, the legislation passed the House in a 215-214 vote, with Republican Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio voting against it.
Newsweek has contacted the two representatives via forms on their websites on Friday outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
In his continued effort to reshape the GOP in his image, Trump has called for loyalty and has punished those who deviate from his agenda.
Regarding Thursday’s vote, the White House press secretary has said the president may be open to backing primary challengers against Republicans who opposed the bill, signaling a growing intolerance for dissent within the party.
What To Know
When asked during a press briefing whether Trump believed the Republicans who voted against the bill should be primaried, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded: “I believe he does. I don’t think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress.”
Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, includes tax cuts, an immigration crackdown and added requirements for federal benefits eligibility.
The bill passed the House after weeks of internal Republican negotiations with holdouts, including some who wanted further cuts to Medicaid and others who expressed concerns about the effects of cutting federal programs on lower-income Americans.
Other Republicans, including Massie and Davidson, warned that the bill would significantly increase the national debt.
Massie described the bill on the House floor as a “debt bomb ticking.” He said, “This bill dramatically increases deficits in the near term but promises our government will be fiscally responsible five years from now.”
Davidson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: “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.”
Along with the two “no” votes, one Republican voted present and another two missed the vote.
What People Are Saying
Commenting on the Republicans who voted against the bill, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing: “‘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, and the president believes the Republican Party needs to be unified.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday: “Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill!”
What Happens Next
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he hopes to have the bill reach the president’s desk by July 4. Having passed the House, the legislation now heads to the Senate, where it needs a simple majority to pass but faces a complicated path.
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