WASHINGTON — When Consultant Thomas Massie heard that Home leaders needed to cross a $2 trillion stimulus measure to reply to the coronavirus with
WASHINGTON — When Consultant Thomas Massie heard that Home leaders needed to cross a $2 trillion stimulus measure to reply to the coronavirus with out a lot as a recorded vote, he swung into outraged motion.
He acquired into his black Tesla on Wednesday and started the drive from his residence in northeastern Kentucky to the Capitol, decided to object to its fast passage and demand that lawmakers present up in particular person — in defiance of public well being recommendation — to register their help or opposition.
“I got here right here to ensure our republic doesn’t die by unanimous consent and empty chamber,” he mentioned on the Home ground on Friday.
Mr. Massie, the libertarian whose contrarian streak has earned him the moniker “Mr. No,” in the end failed when Home leaders in each events united to deflect his stunt, assembling sufficient lawmakers within the chamber for a quorum and permitting the invoice to cross by voice vote in any case. It was headed on Friday afternoon to President Trump’s desk, the place it was anticipated to be signed, sending direct funds and jobless assist to taxpayers, assist to states and hospitals battling the illness, and authorities bailouts to companies battered by the disaster.
However placing down his one-man revolt required scores of Home members to scramble late Thursday to return to Washington from all corners of the nation, infuriated and terrified as they put their well being on the road amid a quickly spreading pandemic to grudgingly board empty flights or drive again to the Capitol.
Mr. Massie has by no means been one of many extra beloved members of the Home, however on Friday, he grew to become in brief order its most reviled consultant, bringing collectively Democrats and Republicans — who had spent days preventing bitterly over the financial assist invoice — round shared contempt for one man.
“Appears like a 3rd fee Grandstander named @RepThomasMassie, a Congressman from, sadly, a very GREAT state, Kentucky, desires to vote towards the brand new Save Our Staff Invoice in Congress,” President Trump wrote in his first of two Twitter rebukes, during which he recommended that Mr. Massie must be expelled from the Republican Celebration. “He simply desires the publicity.”
Not lengthy after, John Kerry, the previous secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee, took to Twitter himself to declare that Mr. Massie “has examined optimistic for being an asshole,” and will “be quarantined to stop the unfold of his large stupidity.”
“By no means knew John Kerry had such a superb humorousness!” Mr. Trump quipped in a uncommon displaying of bipartisan camaraderie. “Very impressed!”
A reporter occurred upon a bipartisan venting of spleen towards Mr. Massie within the driveway exterior the Capitol, during which Senator Dan Sullivan, Republican of Alaska, was overheard telling Consultant Sean Patrick Maloney, Democrat of New York, of the Kentuckian: “What a dumbass.”
“I can verify that @RepThomasMassie is certainly a dumbass,” Mr. Maloney tweeted, confirming the dialog.
Home leaders had deliberate to cross the mammoth authorities assist bundle by voice vote in an effort to permit fewer representatives to return to Washington, lowering the well being danger to lawmakers. However that technique will be simply stymied by only one vocal objector, and regardless of behind-the-scenes pleas delivered to the Kentucky Republican from members of his personal social gathering, Mr. Massie refused to decide to permitting it.
That meant Democratic and Republican leaders, betting that Mr. Massie would carry by way of on his threats, needed to urge their members to come back again to the Capitol to type a quorum, whilst public well being officers across the nation suggested towards journey and huge gatherings as a means of slowing the unfold of Covid-19, the illness brought on by the coronavirus.
They wager proper.
“The Structure requires {that a} quorum of members be current to conduct enterprise within the Home. Proper now, thousands and thousands of important, working-class Individuals are nonetheless required to go to work throughout this pandemic,” Mr. Massie said in a lengthy statement on Friday morning asserting that he would drive a vote. “Is it an excessive amount of to ask that the Home do its job, similar to the Senate did?”
A self-described constitutional conservative who has been identified to sport a tie bearing the Gadsden flag, Mr. Massie, 49, usually takes lonely stands. He routinely tweets contrarian takes utilizing the hashtag #SassyWithMassie. In 2014, Mr. Massie derailed a invoice the Home was about to cross by voice vote to award an honor to the golf legend Jack Nicklaus by demanding each lawmaker go on the document about whether or not they supported such a commendation.
Awarding a medal to Mr. Nicklaus, Mr. Massie argued, “shouldn’t be a superb use of our assets,” including that the golfer “didn’t die on the golf course.”
His unwillingness to bend on even the smallest problem has charmed a slew of highly effective conservative teams, together with the Membership for Progress and FreedomWorks. His closest buddies on Capitol Hill are Consultant Justin Amash, the Republican turned impartial from Michigan who can be a frequent invoker of constitutional precept, and Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.
Mr. Paul provoked the ire of his colleagues this week for persevering with to work within the Capitol whereas awaiting coronavirus check outcomes that got here again as optimistic. (Mr. Massie, in a nod to his friendship with Mr. Paul, for years sported a “Stand With Rand” decal on his Tesla.)
But that approach found few admirers on Friday. His primary race challenger, Todd McMurtry, who has accused Mr. Massie of being insufficiently supportive of Mr. Trump, eagerly seized on the president’s comments, saying he agreed with Mr. Trump’s assessment that Mr. Massie was “a catastrophe for America.”
Nor have been Mr. Massie’s colleagues — a majority of them older or with a pre-existing well being situation — amused. Many have been privately afraid of the well being dangers of touring. Shingles and lice, one senior Democratic aide mentioned, have been extra standard than Mr. Massie.
The usually affable Consultant Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, used Twitter to confront him, tagging Mr. Massie in his broadside.
“When you intend to delay passage of the #coronavirus aid invoice tomorrow morning, please advise your 428 colleagues RIGHT NOW,” Mr. Phillips wrote, “so we will guide flights and expend ~$200,000 in taxpayer cash to counter your principled however terribly misguided stunt.”
A handful of Mr. Massie’s allies defended him on Friday and immediately appealed to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Massie “is an effective man and a strong conservative,” Consultant Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, wrote on Twitter. “He believes within the Structure strongly.”
Mr. Gosar added: “We received’t at all times agree on technique or coverage. However he doesn’t warrant this dressing down. Thomas—Dangle robust brother.”
Consultant Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, told Mr. Trump on Twitter to “again off.”
“He’s defending the Structure right now by requiring a quorum,” Mr. Roy wrote. “There’s nothing third fee about that, @realDonaldTrump. I could miss vote if he forces roll name (flights) however it can cross.”
However the overriding sentiment amongst lawmakers on Friday could have been finest put by Consultant Peter T. King, Republican of New York, who additionally aired his grievances on Twitter, whilst he known as passage of the stimulus invoice a “Victory for America.”
“Massive variety of Congress Members needed to be in Home Chamber and danger an infection to themselves & others due to 1 conceited Member,” Mr. King fumed. “If anybody will get contaminated, blood is on @RepThomasMassie’s palms!”