The 2 House Republicans Who Voted Against Trump’s Megabill
Two lawmakers, from Kentucky and Pennsylvania, were the only Republicans to vote against the bill on final passage.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) speaks as Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the House Committee On Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 10, 2021. Ting Shen/Getty Images
WASHINGTON—After nearly 24 hours in continuous session, the House of Representatives on July 3 finally passed a mammoth bill to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda.
A group of GOP holdouts had prevented the bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, from advancing overnight, but most were persuaded to support it after negotiations with leadership and Trump administration officials.
Ultimately, two members of the House Republican Conference—Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)—ended up voting against the bill.
The package passed with a vote of 218–214.
Well before a final vote on the bill, Massie had carved out a position for himself as its leading Republican opponent in the House.
Massie, a well-known libertarian and fiscal hawk, had argued that the bill would add too much to the fiscal deficit without offsetting spending cuts.
“Although there were some conservative wins in the budget reconciliation bill (OBBBA), I voted No on final passage because it will significantly increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates,” wrote Massie on social media after the vote.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) speaks during a campaign event with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Jan. 14, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had estimated that the bill would add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years.
The White House and Republican leaders disputed the scoring method used by the CBO.
Other Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus, a group of fiscal and social conservatives, had echoed Massie’s concerns but ended up voting for the bill on final passage.
Trump has been sharply critical of Massie over his objection to the bill and has threatened to back a primary challenge to the Kentucky Republican in the 2026 congressional election.
Massie, however, has received the backing of Elon Musk due to his opposition to the bill.
Fitzpatrick, by contrast, emerged as a last-minute opponent of the bill.
He is a former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and represents Pennsylvania’s 1st District in Congress, which is a competitive seat for both parties and has influenced his moderate positions on many issues.
The Pennsylvania Republican attributed his no vote to the Senate’s revisions to the bill, particularly its deeper cuts to Medicaid.
The Senate bill cut more funding for Medicaid than the House’s version, largely by limiting a provider tax that has been used by states to generate more federal funding for the health program.
“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,” Fitzpatrick wrote in a statement on his website.
The lawmaker was seen quickly leaving the House chamber after casting his vote.
Trump will sign the bill at 5 p.m. ET on July 4, Independence Day.
Arjun Singh
Author
Arjun Singh is a reporter for The Epoch Times, covering national politics and the U.S. Congress.