The News
One of the two House Republican fiscal conservatives who opposed President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending cuts plan is getting a near-daily barrage of intraparty attacks.
The other one has escaped the heat — so far.
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson, who succeeded House Speaker John Boehner in his seat nine years ago, has spent that time largely espousing libertarian values and defending Trump. The former Army ranger got ousted from the Freedom Caucus after he joined Trump in endorsing a primary challenger to its then-chair.
Davidson even introduced a bill last month that would direct the National Institutes of Health to study Trump Derangement Syndrome, a popular online diss against the left that he formally defined as “a phenomenon marked by extreme negative reactions” to the president.
That loyalty has helped him stay in the Trump administration’s good graces, even as he raises concerns over its data-merging, its Iran strikes — and its pricey megabill, which independent estimates say could increase deficits by as much as $2.8 trillion over a decade. Another thing that separates him from Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, his fellow “no” vote on the first House version of the bill: Davidson is open to voting “yes” the second time around.
“They know that I’ve negotiated in good faith; that I want to make the bill good; that I want to be there for final passage,” Davidson told Semafor Wednesday. “I’m not hostile to the administration, I’m simply trying to get us a good product here.”
The Senate’s still-changing version of the bill “actually is kind of encouraging to help align us all,” Davidson said. “I think they’re moving in the right direction.”
Davidson pointed to the Senate’s “more aggressive” proposed Medicaid changes, which would reap more savings than the House’s package: “So in the first three years of the bill, it gets way better.” He’s also called the Senate’s lower cap on state and local tax deductions “great work.”
It’s not clear whether those changes will remain intact as the Senate keeps working. GOP moderates are worried that the deeper Medicaid cuts could shutter some rural hospitals.
“It depends on what passes. Right now, they’re just talking about it,” Davidson said. “So we’ll see where they land.”
But Davidson’s openness to changing his vote when the bill gets back to the House is a boon to Republican leaders, who’ll need every bit of help they can get selling the Senate changes within the fractious conference. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Wednesday that the chamber could try for passage “as early as Tuesday.”
The Ohioan told Semafor that he’s “had a lot of dialogue with members of the Senate and some folks in the administration, trying to get a bill at the end that every Republican loves” — and it seems to be paying off.
One of those GOP senators who has talked the bill through with Davidson is Bernie Moreno, who sounded sympathetic to his fellow Ohioan’s perspective.
“Look, he has legitimate concerns about the debt — as should every Republican. And we’re going to cut as much debt as humanly possible,” Moreno said in an interview.
The White House argues that the legislation will create enough growth to eventually shrink deficits.
Know More
Asked whether Trump wanted to primary Massie and Davidson last month after they opposed the first version of the bill, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I believe he does, and I don’t think he likes to see grandstanders in Congress.” Since then, it’s been quiet.
Like Massie, Davidson raised concerns this week over the constitutionality of Trump’s strikes on Iran. Unlike Massie, he was careful to specify that his issues were with precedent rather than the president.
“I support President Trump’s goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and I commend the strength and precision of this strike,” Davidson said in a statement. “That said, freedom once surrendered is rarely regained.”
“If we’re serious about restoring a government limited by the Constitution, we must also restore the war powers framework our founders intended,” Davidson added. “While President Trump has legal precedent on his side, the legal reality underscores how far we’ve drifted from the constitutional order.”
Davidson subsequently cheered Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire as “IMPRESSIVE!!!” When that ceasefire was subsequently broken, he described the president as “rightly frustrated after his incredible efforts.”
When it comes to Trump’s megabill, his worries aren’t limited to the deficit. Davidson has also raised concerns over its preservation of clean energy tax credits and restrictions on state regulation of artificial intelligence. He called for the latter provision to be “removed and debated separately.”
But while Massie has at times appeared to relish his role as Trump’s chief House GOP antagonist, Davidson has a different perspective.
“I want to vote for the final product. I wanted to vote for the House product. But the objections are hard to argue with,” Davidson added.
“The only Congress we control is this one — so promising some future Congress is going to be great on spending, while we’re not great on spending, is a hard sell.”
Burgess Everett contributed.
Notable
- Davidson told Semafor earlier this month that the Trump administration’s efforts to merge agency data creates “a power that history says will eventually be abused.”