by George Ralsely
As the Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives finally came back into session to appropriate another tranche of $484 billion in coronavirus economic relief, one principled limited government constitutional conservative stood up to ensure their was a quorum of the House present to conduct business and to ask for a roll call vote – Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4).
Rep. Massie has made himself incredibly unpopular around DC by demanding that Congress follow the Constitution and its own rules while dealing with the fallout from the coronavirus epidemic and the attendant financial panic.
Although President Donald Trump launched a frustrated Twitter barrage at Massie for having the temerity to want the rules followed, we thought the President was aiming his ire at the wrong target.
In addition to being blasted by President Trump, Massie faced fury from his colleagues and received death threats from voters, all for demanding a formal vote on the bill.
“I was just standing up for the Constitution, and I did it in a professional manner that did not delay the bill,” Massie told FOX in a phone interview, adding, “This is the biggest transfer of wealth in human history.”
“Congress should show up to work if they’re telling truckers and grocery store baggers to show up to work. A congressman making $174,000 with health benefits should sure as hell show up,” Massie said.
“They were trying to avoid accountability,” Massie told Fox News, saying that some representatives were trying to hide from putting their name to such an expensive bill.
Undeterred by the threats and offers, Massie went to the floor of the House later that day and explained: “I came here to make sure our republic doesn’t die by unanimous consent in an empty chamber, and I request a recorded vote.”
“The tragedy of this bill is it’s a massive wealth transfer from the middle class to the moneyed class [rich investors and lobbyists]. Just going by the numbers — the most that somebody qualifies for is $1,200 under this bill… where’s the rest of that money going?”
What was even worse than the President’s Twitter tantrum was the reaction of the Uniparty’s Capitol Hill leaders: The floor leaders of both parties scrambled to stymie Massie. Within a few hours, they had established the rule of debate on the bill so that the Senate’s version of CARES could be approved without a roll call vote.
Yesterday, Rep. Massie was once again on the House Floor to demand a roll call vote and a quorum but this time he had allies in such limited government constitutional conservatives as Representatives Louie Gohmert and Dan Crenshaw. The way we see it, Rep. Thomas Massie is another frontline hero of this epidemic. Just as doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are trying to quell the coronavirus epidemic, Rep. Massie is on the frontlines trying to quell the epidemic of anti-constitutional government that is threatening the life of our Republic.
