WASHINGTON — Only seven members of the House of Representatives voted against a bill that would guarantee back pay for workers when the partial government shutdown ends, and one representative was Kentucky's own Thomas Massie.
Massie, a Republican representing Kentucky's fourth district, defended his decision on Twitter, retweeting Michigan Rep. Justin Amash.
"It makes shutdowns more likely to happen and more likely to last longer," Amash said in defense of his no vote on Twitter.
Massie quoted the tweet, saying he voted no because of this exact reason.
Massie continued to defend his decision on his Twitter, saying that a law to pay all future government salaries during shutdowns moves the entire government payroll from discretionary to non-discretionary spending.
"Today’s bill was fundamentally flawed and dangerous," Massie said.
Some Twitter users questioned Massie's argument, asking why payrolls are not mandatory spending in the first place, and Massie responded saying it is not the current Congress' role to bind future legislatures with contract.
Massie also argued that if the government had full shutdowns, including TSA and air traffic controllers off work, the government would come to an agreement faster.
While Massie and Amash agree, most of their colleagues did not. The bill passed the House 411-7 Friday after passing the Senate Thursday. Senate majority leader and Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said President Trump told him he would sign the bill when it gets to his desk.
Massie has criticized his colleagues on both sides of the aisle throughout his tenure, even calling out former Speaker Paul Ryan after the GOP health bill to replace Obamacare failed, changing his vote from no to "hell no."
