Two U.S. representatives from Greater Cincinnati were the only Republicans to vote no on a tax and immigration bill backed by President Donald Trump.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the U.S. House 215-214 early on May 22, with all Democrats and two Republicans − Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio − voting against it after a marathon all-night debate.
Trump met personally with the GOP conference that morning, urging them to stop pushing for more changes and get behind the bill.
Why Warren Davidson, Thomas Massie voted against the House bill
“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,” Davidson, a Troy Republican, wrote in a social media post.
Warren Davidson
Massie also took to social media to agree with Davidson. The representative from Northern Kentucky has recently been on the receiving end of Trump’s ire, with the president even calling for Massie to be voted out of office.
“If we were serious, we’d be cutting spending now, instead of promising to cut spending years from now,” Massie wrote in a post on X.
The proposal, which Trump has dubbed the “big, beautiful bill,” would enact Trump’s major campaign promises like eliminating taxes on workers’ tips and overtime and is likely to be one of the most significant pieces of legislation that will be passed during his second term in the Oval Office.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
While the bill narrowly cleared the House, fiscal conservatives expressed concern about the cost of the legislation, which is expected to add around $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
Apart from Massie and Davidson, three other Republicans did not vote in support of the legislation. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, voted present, which would have effectively been an opposition vote if the rest of the lawmakers had tied. Harris is the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, which sought greater cuts in spending in the package.
Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona and Andrew Gabarino of New York missed the vote entirely.
The bill would make permanent the tax rates from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, add new work requirements for adults enrolled in Medicaid expansion and allocate more than $140 billion toward Trump’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration, including funds for a border wall.
It will next go to the Senate, which has already made clear that it plans to make changes. If that happens, the two chambers would still have to hash out the details capable of winning majority votes before they can send it to Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
USA TODAY reporter Riley Beggin contributed.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Warren Davidson, Thomas Massie voted against Trump tax mega bill
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