“My loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people I represent, not to a President nor to a Party. That’s how our Founders expected our Republic to work.”
~ Rep. Thomas Massie
By Taylor Hudak
Most politically aware Americans will have heard of the contentious and expensive upcoming Republican primary race of incumbent Representative Thomas Massie. Even average Americans, including those outside the state of Kentucky, would find it difficult not to notice the extensive media coverage and publicity surrounding this primary election.
Thomas Massie has been serving as an elected Representative of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District since 2012. Well-known for his quick wit, commitment to local agriculture, pro-liberty stance, and willingness to be the “odd guy out” when it matters most, Rep. Massie has had a national impact on the political scene in the United States. As an engineer and inventor with two degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)—and as a farmer, husband, and father of four—Thomas Massie has a diverse knowledge base and skill set, making him relatable to Kentuckians and an admired Member of Congress nationwide.
On May 19, 2026, he will face one of his most high-profile primary elections yet. Its outcome will have significant implications not only for Kentucky politics but for the American political system as a whole.
Massie’s opponent—whose stance on the issues is relatively unknown—refuses to debate him and looks likely to be a “rubber-stamper” politician, but he has the Trump-backed billionaire machine behind him. This small army of powerful millionaires and billionaires, with no connection to the state of Kentucky whatsoever, is quite eager to max out on one-time donations to Massie’s challenger, while also pouring a fortune into anti-Massie super PACs and ad purchases.
One might wonder why such a significant effort is being taken to influence the outcome of a primary election in small-town, rural Kentucky. The truth is, this campaign reflects a fundamental struggle observed in societies throughout history—the will of the people versus the influential elite.
Very soon, the people of Kentucky will make their voices heard, not only by casting their vote, but by symbolically sending an even bigger message to Washington.
Will Kentuckians be easily fooled by the dirty tricks of the billionaire class seeking to destroy America? Or will they put their best interests first and resist manipulation and trickery?
Thomas Massie's America First – A Documentary by Tom Woods & Dan Smotz
Thomas Massie’s America First – A Documentary by Tom Woods & Dan Smotz
Throughout his career, Rep. Thomas Massie has championed issues related to agriculture and farming, anti-surveillance, free speech, anti-interventionism, and more. While Massie has voted with President Trump’s MAGA agenda 91% of the time, his recent efforts to keep U.S. troops out of the Middle East, his refusal to pass large spending bills, and his refusal to approve an unprecedented spy bill—all initiatives supported by the President—have effectively put Massie on the radar of the powerful MAGA donor class.
Rising Tensions
Rep. Massie has consistently delivered on conservative policies and supported President Trump during all three presidential races. Despite this, tensions between the two men have been brewing for years.
The disagreements between Trump and Massie can be traced back to March 2020, when Massie insisted that Congress convene for a roll-call (in-person) vote on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While Massie argued that Congress needed to show up and be on record for the vote, this frustrated the President, who saw Massie’s actions as an effort to stall the $2 trillion spending bill. The CARES Act did eventually pass—Rep. Massie was one of only two House Republicans to oppose it. Following the vote, President Trump called Massie “a third-rate grandstander.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Massie has always maintained a sense of humor regarding the President’s criticisms. In response to Trump’s comments, Massie jokingly said that he wished he could have at least been called “a second-rate grandstander” and that he was glad to be in the President’s prayers after Trump made disparaging comments about him at the National Prayer Breakfast.
By 2022, the relationship between Massie and Trump appeared to be on the mend, when Trump, who was no longer president at the time, endorsed Massie for his upcoming primary election. But the reconciliation was short-lived as the relationship soured just a few months into Trump’s second term.
In March 2025, immediately following Rep. Massie’s “no” vote on the Continuing Resolutions budget (the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025)—a major spending bill that would add to the nation’s deficit—the President posted to social media that Rep. Massie “should be primaried.” Prior to the vote, Rep. Massie received a subtle threat on social media from Trump’s 2024 campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, in which he said “tick tock Tommie,” alluding to Massie’s time in office being short-lived. Rep. Massie responded to LaCivita stating, in part:
“Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me….”
This brief exchange would foreshadow what was to come, as later that year LaCivita would go on to co-manage the anti-Massie super PAC, MAGA Kentucky (MAGA KY).
Trump’s Revenge
Throughout 2025, as several bills came before Congress for a vote, Rep. Massie remained consistent with his values and stated policy goals. He voted against proposals that would increase the national deficit and voted against bills that would unnecessarily entangle the U.S. in military conflicts abroad, while advancing legislation to ensure the timely release of the Epstein files.
Specifically, Rep. Massie voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in May 2025 despite President Trump’s plea to House Republicans to support the bill. On June 17, 2025, Rep. Massie pushed to restrict U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran War by introducing the Iran War Powers Resolution, which would have required the President to receive congressional approval before engaging in additional military action in the Middle East.
Just two days after Massie introduced the Resolution, on June 19, 2025, the MAGA KY anti-Massie super PAC was launched. Media reports at the time confirmed that the purpose of MAGA KY was to unseat Rep. Massie and that Trump allies Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio were leading the effort. A few days later, the U.S. Air Force conducted Operation Midnight Hammer, attacking three Iranian nuclear facilities. This marked a major escalation of the conflict, potentially dragging the United States into the war. Rep. Massie posted to social media his disapproval of the military action. In another post, he stated that it was unconstitutional. At the time and still today, Americans view a U.S. war with Iran very unfavorably.
In early July 2025, Rep. Massie voted against the Big Beautiful Bill in its final passage vote. He cited several concerns with the bill, notably that it would “increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term.” Less than two weeks later, on July 15, Rep. Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California introduced a discharge petition to force a House vote on a law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act—HR 4405, to mandate the release of the Epstein files. One week later on July 22, President Trump criticized Rep. Massie yet again in a post to TruthSocial, describing Massie as an “Embarrassment to Kentucky.” Trump added that he was “looking for someone good to run against (Massie), someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!”
The “Central Casting” Candidate
President Trump endorsed former Navy SEAL officer and farmer Ed Gallrein as a primary challenger to Rep. Massie even prior to the official launch of Gallrein’s campaign on October 21, 2025.
According to his campaign website, Gallrein was born and raised in Kentucky. The website describes “Ed’s priorities” as “Fighting for President Trump’s and the Republican Party’s America First Agenda to restore our nation to greatness.” It also lists priorities including the economy, the border, gun rights, protecting the unborn, and ending the woke agenda.
However, a website sponsored by Thomas Massie for Congress suggests that Gallrein is a potentially socially liberal candidate with a questionable record. The website specifically highlights Gallrein’s previous employment with “a company that trains other businesses and executives on how to implement DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] programs” and observes that this company (Vistage) “pushed a film to their clients promoting transgender ideology.”
Beyond the list of priorities on Gallrein’s campaign website, not much information is available on his positions or policy objectives. A review of his campaign social media account and local media coverage suggests that Gallrein intends to support the President’s agenda without question. According to one local report, Gallrein was “hand-picked by the President” to run against Massie.
Meanwhile, Massie, who has experience running in several primary and general elections, says that his opponent’s unengaged campaign approach has been unlike that of any other candidate he has run against in the past.
Massie said during an address at the Grant County Republican Party’s Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner earlier this month:
“The problem with Washington, D.C., is that you got people that stand at podiums like this and make you all kinds of promises, and then they go up there and go along to get along, and they forget about all the promises. I’m running against a guy whose main thing is he will promise you he will go along to get along. I don’t think we need a rubber stamp.”
A Former Never-Trumper?
While Gallrein is now a registered Republican, which is required to run in a Republican primary in the state of Kentucky, that has not always been his affiliation. In fact, Gallrein has changed his voter registration several times. This was first revealed in a Thomas Massie for Congress advertisement, and then later independently verified by local media, which obtained the voter registration documents.
The report confirmed that Gallrein changed his voter registration from Republican to Independent on May 16, 2016, shortly after it was announced that Trump would be the Republican nominee for president. Gallrein remained a registered Independent until June 18, 2021, when he changed his voter registration back to Republican just a few months after Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States.
Despite his unconventional and lackluster approach to campaigning (one media account suggests Gallrein has no policy positions and no “ground game”), this is not Gallrein’s first attempt to unseat an incumbent. In 2024, he ran for the Senate in Kentucky’s 7th District primary. As part of that election cycle, Gallrein participated in a Q&A-style open forum with his opponents, including incumbent Sen. Adrienne Southworth and Aaron Reed. All three candidates provided opening statements and answered questions focused on farming, agriculture, and economic and industrial development.
Gallrein lost the election to challenger Aaron Reed, who eventually won the general election. Gallrein received 38.3% of the vote, incumbent Sen. Adrienne Southworth received 22.4%, and the winner, Reed, received 39.3%.
It is worth noting that then-Sen. Southworth was reported to have often found herself at odds with the Republican Party over claims of election fraud. In addition, during her time as Senator, she proposed a bill in February 2021 that would have prohibited mask requirements. She also proposed legislation to prevent Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
At the end of 2024, Gallrein participated in a radio program on Kentuckiana’s Morning News, in which he discussed geopolitics with a focus on drones. He also provided his insights on the war in Ukraine.
Any (Warm) Body Will Do
In March of this year, President Trump visited a Verst Logistics contract packaging facility in Hebron, Kentucky, to speak about the coal industry, the conflict in Iran, and the economy. During the event, President Trump criticized Rep. Massie, calling him “the worst person” and “a complete and total disaster.” He then went on to praise primary challenger Ed Gallrein. “He’s like central casting…. Give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie. And I got somebody with a warm body,” said President Trump. A few moments later, he called Gallrein to the podium.
In a brief address to the crowd, Gallrein stated, “Mr. President, I will stand with you and the party to put America First and Kentucky always. Mr. President, I hope the fake news get this—Tom Massie stands with the ladies of The View. Tom Massie stands with the ladies of The View. Mr. President, we stand with you.”
President Trump in Kentucky to endorse Ed Gallrein , the GOP primary opponent of Rep. Thomas Massie Clip
President Trump and primary candidate Ed Gallrein address a crown in Hebron, Kentucky
By the final quarter of 2025, Gallrein had raised $1.2 million, and since then he has raised significant funds from individual donors, PACs, and other organizations to unseat Massie. Rep. Massie has also received funds from individual donors, pro-Massie PACs, and organizations aligned with his ideals. But an examination of the funding and the advertising content may reveal clues as to who and what wants Rep. Massie out and why.
The Billionaires’ Dirty Tricks
A key point featured in much of the local and national reporting on this high-stakes primary election is the unprecedented fundraising and spending to bolster Gallrein. A significant portion of the funds is being spent on local advertisements to portray Massie in a negative and misleading manner.
According to a local news report dated February 5, 2026, Gallrein (at the time of publication) had raised more than $1.2 million, with only $32,000 (about 2.6%) coming from Kentucky donors. The report went on to state that Gallrein was also bolstered by the MAGA KY political action committee, which received $2.75 million from donors outside the state of Kentucky. The numbers have only increased since then.
The following photo of the Independent Expenditures for KY04 for this 2026 election cycle lists the various PACs, funds, and organizations involved in the Massie and Gallrein primary election.
Misleading Ads and False Equivalencies
The largest organizations in opposition to Rep. Massie and in support of his opponent, Ed Gallrein, include MAGA KY and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Political Action Committee and its super PAC, the RJC Victory Fund.
As mentioned above, MAGA KY was launched in June 2025 by President Trump’s allies, former campaign manager Chris LaCivita and pollster Tony Fabrizio.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) processed data reports, the main funders of MAGA KY include America 21 PAC (donating $750,000), the Preserve America PAC linked to Miriam Adelson (donating $750,000), hedge-fund manager Paul Singer (donating $1 million), and billionaire hedge-fund manager John Paulson (donating $250,000).
The RJC, and affiliate organizations like its RJC Victory Fund super PAC, are also buying ads against Rep. Massie, which criticize him for his anti-interventionist stance. One ad, in particular, posted to social media by the RJC X account, attacks Massie for his opposition to the war in Iran, claiming he “stands with Iran and radical leftists.”
The above post was “community noted,” with several readers providing context and clarification about the ad’s misleading assertions. The community notes reiterate that Rep. Massie supports a legal vote on Iran war escalation, which is consistent with the U.S. Constitution. They also state that Massie is opposed to all foreign aid, not just to Israel. Whereas the ad criticizes Massie for not voting to support President Trump’s border wall and other immigration measures, Massie supports sensible immigration and border policies but opposes E-Verify due to privacy concerns.
In a similar vein, a 2025 ad paid for by MAGA KY claimed that Massie stands with Democrats and the Ayatollah (the Supreme leader of Iran) because he is opposed to U.S. military aggression in Iran.
According to an April 2026 report on NBC, citing AdImpact (an advertisement tracking firm), “Of the more than $12.4 million spent on ads in the race through Monday [April 13], $6.8 million had come from Gallrein or outside spending groups airing commercials to boost him or attack Massie.”
One of the ads, paid for by MAGA KY, criticizes Massie for voting against President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The ad claims Rep. Massie voted against Trump’s border wall and opposed Trump’s plan to ban taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for children. However, such provisions were lumped into the Big Beautiful Bill, which also included provisions related to Big Tech that Rep. Massie did not support. In addition, Rep. Massie has always maintained that the Big Beautiful Bill could add more than $4 trillion to the national debt, which is one of several reasons why he did not vote to pass it.
It is worth noting that just hours after the final Epstein document release on January 30, 2026, Rep. Massie posted to social media the following:
“A superPAC funded by Israel-first billionaires Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer, and John Paulson, who himself appears in Epstein’s black book, bought another $800,000 of TV ads against me.”
An April 13 report published in Daily Caller reveals that in the first quarter of 2026, Rep. Massie raised more than $2.5 million. “Of Massie’s 20,665 donors in the first quarter, approximately 76% were first-time contributors while 993 donors from Kentucky contributed a total of $190,399, including 401 from his 4th Congressional District.”
Additionally, the report reveals, Rep. Massie’s campaign acquired “$4,932,036 from 32,809 total donors, including 1,545 Kentuckians who have contributed close to $312,000.”
As if the differences between the Gallrein and Massie campaigns were not clear enough, according to Track AIPAC, Rep. Massie has not received any funding from AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), whereas Gallrein has received upwards of $6 million.
Additionally, newly published reports show that AIPAC has resorted to its pro-abortion super PAC, United Democracy Project, which has bought hundreds of thousands of dollars in ads against Massie to run in the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston areas.
As recently as April 18, the Thomas Massie for Congress X account revealed that Trump-aligned mega donors Adelson and Singer had purchased $508,000 in super PAC TV ads against Massie. The RJC purchased $541,965 in anti-Massie ads.
A Closer Look at Gallrein’s Support
A list of the donors to Ed Gallrein for Congress may be accessed here. The information is available on the FEC website. All of the top donors ($3,500) listed are primarily based outside the state of Kentucky in California, New York, and Florida.
Among the high-profile or well-known donors who have contributed to Gallrein for Congress are Jerry and Alexis Bednyak and author Dora Mossanen (known as Dora Levy Mossanen), according to the FEC.
Jerry and Alexis Bednyak are a husband-and-wife duo who frequently donate to political campaigns, including this year, specifically to Democratic candidates running in the Illinois House primaries. Jerry Bednyak is also a large donor to AIPAC and is listed as one of the top donors for the year 2023-2024, donating $100,000.
The Bednyak Foundation supports several causes, including immigration and refugee rights, according to a donor profile on the website of service agency JCFS Chicago. Their biography describes the couple as a “driving force in Chicago’s philanthropic community.” It states that the Bednyak Foundation recently made a generous donation to “HIAS Immigration & Citizenship Welcome Campaign, which provides refugee families with the resources and assistance necessary for a successful transition to the United States.” The couple’s interest in HIAS (“an international Jewish humanitarian nonprofit”) stems from Jerry Bednyak’s background as a Ukrainian refugee who, through HIAS, immigrated to the U.S. in 1979. The couple’s profile states that after the Ukraine war began, they “looked to make an immediate impact by supporting boots-on-the-ground efforts, including a donation to HIAS in anticipation of an influx of Ukrainian refugees.”
Another high-profile Gallrein for Congress donor is author Dora Mossanen. She donated the maximum $3,500 to the campaign. Mossanen is a best-selling author based in Los Angeles, California. According to her website, she was born in Israel and moved to Iran at a young age with her family before relocating to Los Angeles.
There are several committees and/or PACs that support Rep. Massie. As shown in the image depicting the independent expenditures for KY04 (2026 Cycle), these include Kentucky First PAC, Defeating Communism PAC, Make Liberty Win, Hold the Line PAC, and MOSHANGUSA FREE SPEECH.
With the entire Establishment, including Trump allies, aggressively supporting Gallrein, Rep. Massie has also frequently asked for and relied upon many small individual donations.
Wide Awake Media – Marjorie Taylor Greene urges Kentucky voters to re-elect Thomas Massie…
Former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia encourages voters to support Thomas Massie with donations
“Welcome to the snake pit, baby!”
While the Establishment’s donor class has used its power and influence to impact a primary election through financing and a presidential endorsement, one may be left to consider if and how this has affected local Republican leaders and organizations.
On February 6, 2026, local Republicans, including supporters of Rep. Massie, were witnesses to a rather aggressive incident in what was meant to be an informative yet relaxed evening.
Massie delivered a speech at Kentucky’s Oldham County Lincoln Day Dinner, which is a fundraiser for county Republican parties. While in the middle of his speech, the event emcee, Kentucky Speaker of the House David Osborne, abruptly ripped the microphone away from Massie. Rep. Massie was in the middle of commenting, “If you are a Congressman, you work not for the Speaker of the House, I work for you [pointing to the audience]!” Then Osborne snatched the microphone.
DISGRACEFUL! Oldham County GOP snatches Mic from Thomas Massie.
According to some reports, based on different recordings of the incident, someone in the audience can be heard immediately shouting, “Welcome to the snake pit, baby!”
In the video that circulated, Rep. Massie can be seen calmly walking away. He then left the venue, and in solidarity with his supporters who left the event as well, met with them for drinks at a nearby Mexican restaurant.
Following the event, as reported at WHAS 11, the Oldham County Republican Party posted to Facebook stating that all speakers were given clear instructions on the speaking arrangements, including the allowed duration of their remarks. The post went on to state, “Senate candidate Nate Morris, Congressman Thomas Massie, and congressional candidate Ed Gallrein all went over their allotted time…. Every candidate for office was held to the same standard.”
Afterwards, Massie posted to his Facebook page reflecting on the event and his role as a Congressman in Kentucky’s 4th district:
“It was an honor to be among a full house of GOP activists at the Oldham County Republican Party Lincoln Dinner. Special thanks to the supporters I met from Louisville College Republicans and Turning Point. I will always represent, answer to, and work for Kentucky’s 4th District, no one else.”
Massie also shared with local media that while Speaker Osborne might have disdain for him, he was not upset with Osborne over the incident. Massie added that Speaker Osborne may have animosity toward him for his support of pro-liberty candidates elected to the state legislature. Later, when asked by reporters if there was any truth to Massie’s statements, Speaker Osborne said, “I have no idea who he supports and doesn’t support.”
Since the incident, Rep. Massie has participated in several speaking and community engagements, which have all reportedly gone smoothly and successfully. The events typically attract local media coverage, and Massie often shares photos on social media in which he is connecting with the voters and answering questions. Meanwhile, his opponent, Ed Gallrein, is nowhere to be found.
A Habitual “No-show”
While Gallrein did attend the Oldham County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner on February 6, that was an anomaly for him and his campaign.
Despite several attempts by Massie’s team to arrange a debate, Gallrein has repeatedly refused or failed to attend any debate or discussion with Massie. At a debate scheduled April 18 in Erlanger, Kentucky, hosted by the Commonwealth Policy Center Kentucky (CPCK), Gallrein was a no-show. Instead, Rep. Massie spent approximately 90 minutes taking questions from the audience.
The Thomas Massie for Congress X account posted in part, “If he won’t debate me in a local library, how could he possibly advocate for you in Congress?”
On the same day, Rep. Massie attended a town hall event held by Kentucky’s Campbell County Republican Party. The forum allowed Republican candidates facing election this May to speak and engage with the voters. Once again, Gallrein failed to attend.
Rep. Massie’s campaign team continues to attempt to arrange a debate with Gallrein. While they have not yet been successful, Gallrein has made one thing very clear—that he will “stand shoulder-to-shoulder” with President Trump. Contrast this approach with that of Rep. Massie, who reads the bills and studies the issues to deliver results for the people of Kentucky.
The Issues
Throughout Rep. Massie’s congressional career, he has worked on a variety of issues to improve the lives of his constituents while keeping the federal government in check. From farming and agriculture to ensuring transparency with the release of the Epstein files, Rep. Massie has achieved results for Kentuckians and the American people. Below is a list of several of Rep. Massie’s most well-known policy objectives and key initiatives.
Agricultural and Farming Initiatives & Food
As a farmer himself and a legislator who has championed issues related to food security and accessibility, Rep. Massie introduced the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act in 2015. It would allow consumers to buy local meat directly from local farmers using custom processors or slaughterhouses.
Congressman Thomas Massie's mention of Frank Niceley
Rep. Thomas Massie shares the origins of the PRIME Act and explains the basics of the bill
In an interview from 2018, Rep. Massie shared his intentions for the bill stating, “I wanted to create a space, a safe harbor for farmers to sell to consumers that aren’t corporate farms and aren’t corporate processors.” To prevent large companies from using the bill to circumvent regulations, Massie continued, he decided to implement a geographic limitation (instead of a product limitation). “If you are going to buy meat from your neighbor, as long as the two of you live in the same state, why should the federal government be involved?”
Since its initial introduction in 2015, the bipartisan PRIME Act has been reintroduced a few times and was most recently proposed in the House on July 24, 2025 (HR 4700). According to a press release related to the most recent proposal, HR 4700 would allow the states to “permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores.”
In April this year, Rep. Massie’s PRIME Act was incorporated into the 2026 Farm Bill and will be voted on in the House imminently.
Rep. Thomas Massie Is on the Brink of Securing a Huge Win for Small Farmers
Rep. Massie shares new update on the PRIME Act
Under existing law, custom slaughter of animals is exempt from federal inspection regulations but only if the meat is slaughtered for specific purposes including personal use. Thus, if farmers and ranchers want to sell individual cuts of their meat, they must first send the animal to a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse, which is often a time-consuming and costly procedure given that there are only a limited number of USDA-inspected slaughterhouses and many are located far away from farms and ranches.
In addition to the PRIME Act, Rep. Massie has advocated for a return of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork, which used to require retailers to disclose the origins of the meat on the packaging. COOL was introduced in the 2002 Farm Bill but its requirements for beef and pork were later repealed under President Obama in 2015. Rep. Massie was one of eight Republicans who voted against the repeal.
Trump Has Not Restored Country-of-Origin Labeling for Meat—Does That “Make America Great Again”?
Rep. Massie explains how the COOL law was repealed
In October 2025, President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins confirmed plans to purchase more beef from Argentina. Rep. Massie was critical of the plans for several reasons, including that without country-of-origin labels, Americans would not be able to know if they were purchasing Argentinian beef.
That same month, Rep. Massie co-sponsored the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025 (H.R.5818). He argued that labeling would allow Americans to know if beef comes from America, Argentina, or elsewhere, making it possible for them to vote with their dollars by purchasing American-labeled beef. Currently, all beef is labeled “USDA,” giving the consumer the impression that it originates from the United States—but it may not. Rep. Massie argues that this hurts local farmers given that most Americans would purchase American-raised meat over foreign meat.
Outing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
Rep. Massie is well-known for being one of the few congressmen and the only Republican to not accept money from the largest pro-Israel political action committee in the United States, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
In an interview with Tucker Carlson in 2024, Rep. Massie recalled his experience with AIPAC lobbyists, sharing many details not previously known to the public. Massie stated that from the start of his political career, AIPAC sought to turn people against him through a whisper campaign in which they were told not to support him. This was due to Massie declining to write a research paper for AIPAC.
Massie went on to describe the involvement of evangelical churches and “Christians United for Israel” in the AIPAC smear campaigns. At the time of the Carlson interview, Massie stated that he is not anti-Israel, that he has not voted to sanction Israel, and that he had not been critical of Israel until it killed 1 percent of the civilian population of Gaza.
During the interview, Massie also shared that before AIPAC had a super PAC, they had a 501c(4) and used it to run “educational advocacy” ads against him. After that, he never allowed AIPAC lobbyists into his office again. Prior to this, Massie had had an open-door policy and would explain to the lobbyists that he was a libertarian-leaning Republican who opposed unnecessary wars and did not support foreign aid for any country. He also let them know that he was for free speech.
According to Massie, in the 2024 election cycle, AIPAC spent $400,000 against him. In the fall of 2023, AIPAC spent $90,000 in TV and Facebook ads, equating him with “the squad” (a group of progressive Democratic congresswomen, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Presley).
Rep. Massie also revealed that each congressperson, on the Republican side, has an “AIPAC person” with whom they often consult. In an interview with Theo Von in 2025, Rep. Massie shared more details about AIPAC lobbyists and their tactics.
Thomas Massie Talks Aipac, Spies and Pressure from Lobbyists
Rep. Massie appears on This Past Weekend with Theo Von
Transparency and Anti-Surveillance
On the evening of April 16, 2026, and into the early morning hours of April 17, Congress convened to vote on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) 702 renewal. At 2:00 in the morning, the House unanimously passed a bill extending FISA by two weeks until April 30. Thus, the House was able to stop the passage of FISA, with the extension providing additional time to negotiate a new version of the bill.
President Trump strongly encouraged Republicans to support the FISA provisions. Just two years ago, however, Trump urged Congress to end the FISA program, given that it had been used against him.
Prior to the vote, Rep. Massie was one of several Republicans to announce that he would vote no on the new FISA bill, citing that it was unconstitutional. Following the vote, Rep. Massie posted to X again, stating that both versions of the bill would allow for unwarranted spying on Americans.
On the day of the vote, Rep. Massie gave an interview in which he described FISA Section 702. Massie shared that under U.S. law, the federal government does not need a warrant to spy on foreigners but it does need a warrant for U.S. citizens. However, section 702 of FISA allows authorities to enter the database of information that has been collected in pursuit of foreigners to search for information on Americans (data absorbed in pursuit of foreigners). According to the Constitution, they would need a warrant to do this.
Massie remarked that FISA was used against Trump, it was used under President Biden, and it is now being used again during Trump’s second term:
“These are the actors who are still in the deepest parts of government regardless of whether it’s a Republican or Democrat in the White House…. They’re using it in ways that Americans don’t even know about and that even Congressmen don’t even know about.”
Rep. Massie described his three proposed amendments to the bill, which he also posted to social media. However, his proposed reforms were immediately rejected by Speaker Mike Johnson and thus not allowed to proceed to a vote.
Regarding the expansion of FISA to include Wi-Fi, Rep. Massie provided the following example during the interview to illustrate how targeting Wi-Fi unlawfully puts many Americans at risk:
“If Al-Qaeda is in Kentucky and at the McDonalds (using the McDonalds Wi-Fi), ok, you do want to spy on them, but you should need a warrant to spy on the 99.99% of the people who are Kentuckians there at the McDonalds (using the Wi-Fi).”
In 2014, Rep. Massie co-sponsored the Massie-Lofgren Amendment, which consisted of two parts. First, it prohibited “warrantless searches of U.S. persons’ online communications and data” and secondly, it prohibited “government agencies from pressuring companies to build encryption ‘backdoors’ in products or services for surveillance purposes.”
According to a fact sheet associated with the bill, at the time that it was drafted in 2014, under FISA Section 702, “some agencies such as the NSA [National Security Agency] search massive databases of online communications, including emails, files, and photos of U.S. persons, without first obtaining a probable cause warrant.”
That same year, in 2014, Rep. Massie requested transparency regarding the 28 redacted pages of the “Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001.”
The following year, in 2015, Rep. Massie introduced a bipartisan bill, the Surveillance State Repeal Act, which would repeal the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act. The press release quoted Rep. Massie as stating:
“The Patriot Act contains many provisions that violate the Fourth Amendment and have led to a dramatic expansion of our domestic surveillance state…. Our Founding Fathers fought and died to stop the kind of warrantless spying and searches that the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act authorize.”
Anti-Interventionism
Rep. Massie has consistently voted against unwarranted intervention in other nations. He has proposed bills to prevent further escalation of war, and most recently, in June 2025, submitted a resolution to restrict U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran War alongside Rep. Ro Khanna. It has been widely reported that President Trump’s main motivation for supporting a primary challenger against Rep. Massie is due to Massie’s stance on the Iran War and his proposed Iran War Powers Resolution. Again, it was just two days after Massie proposed the resolution that the MAGA KY super PAC—run by Trump allies with the purpose of seeking to unseat Massie in a primary election—was launched.
On April 16, 2026, the Iran War Powers Resolution failed to pass the House by one vote. Rep. Massie was the only Republican to vote in favor of it. The resolution would have required congressional approval before further military engagement in Iran, thus upholding the U.S. Constitution.
Rep. Massie has also rejected military aid and military spending for the war in Ukraine. In March 2019, he was the only Member of Congress to oppose the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act (H.R. 596), a bill that prohibited U.S. federal agencies from recognizing Russia’s “claim of sovereignty over Crimea.” The House passed the bill 427-1. In March 2022, Massie was one of three House Republicans to vote against the Supporting the People of Ukraine Resolution.
Additionally, Rep. Massie has been an opponent of the use of sanctions. In November 2016, he was the only House member to vote against an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act. The following year, in July 2017, he voted against the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (H.R.3364).
Rep. Massie joined several signatories in an open letter to President Trump during the president’s first term in April 2019, advocating for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria within the next six months. Rep. Massie was the only Republican to oppose the Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, which included $1 billion in funding for Israel’s defenses.
The National Debt, Excessive Spending, and the Federal Reserve
Rep. Massie is very conscious of the U.S. debt and is well-known for his U.S. national debt tracker—a wearable clock that updates the national debt in real time.
Rep. Thomas Massie, the Inventor of the Debt Clock Pin
Rep. Massie speaks with Catherine Austin Fitts about his debt clock pin
With this in mind, Massie typically votes against frivolous spending bills, including the recent 2025 Continuing Resolutions budget, or the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025. As already noted, he also voted against the Big Beautiful Bill, citing AI concerns and concerns that it would add to the U.S. national debt, among numerous other issues. Rep. Massie’s opposition to these spending bills put him at odds, once again, with President Trump.
Congressman Thomas Massie: No to the Budget
Rep. Massie speaks to reporters after the House vote on the Continuing Resolutions 2025 budget
Rep. Massie has been a critic of the Federal Reserve. He proposed the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015, and in May 2024, he proposed the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act (HR 8421) as well as introducing another version of the bill in March 2025, the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act (HR 1846).
Medical Freedom
Rep. Massie opposed draconian measures during and after the height of the Covid-19 crisis. Notably, in March 2020, Rep. Massie demanded an in-person, roll-call vote on the CARES Act, the $2 trillion spending bill supported by President Trump. Massie was one of only two House Republicans to oppose the bill.
Leading the effort, Rep. Massie was one of 17 congressmen to file a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its air travel mask mandate in March 2022. The lawsuit, Massie et al. v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made two main points. The first was that none of the statutes and regulations cited by the CDC as justification to mandate masks on airplanes gave sufficient authority for the CDC to implement the mandate. The second claim argued that even if Congress gave CDC the authority to issue a mask mandate, it would violate the non-delegation doctrine.
In 2021, Rep. Massie was one of three congressmen to sue then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for fining him $500 for not wearing a mask while on the House floor.
Rep. Massie introduced legislation to end the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for individuals seeking U.S. citizenship. According to a press release, the bill would have prevented the use of federal funds to “administer, implement, or enforce” the vaccine mandate. Massie proposed a similar bill in early 2023 to end the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for international visitors to the U.S. At that time, in 2023, the mandate was still in effect despite the Covid-19 national emergency declaration no longer being in effect.
Rep. Massie introduced the PREP Repeal Act to End “Medical Malpractice Martial Law” in July 2025. The bill would “fully [repeal] the liability shields and compensation fund provisions under the PREP Act, restore civil remedy rights under federal and state law for those harmed by pandemic products, ensure applicability to current and future lawsuits, including pending appeals, [rescind] unused federal funds set aside for PREP Act-related injury claims.”
Second Amendment Rights
Rep. Massie has consistently advocated for the right to keep and bear arms. He delivered testimony before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on April 16 this year.
As mentioned in his testimony, Rep. Massie formed the Second Amendment Caucus nearly a decade ago. He has used that venue to bring in individuals like Alan Gura, the lawyer who argued District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago, two Supreme Court cases the attorney won in favor of the Second Amendment. The Caucus also educates on issues related to gun rights.
Rep. Massie introduced the Safe Students Act (H.R. 7415) in April 2022, which would repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) of 1990. The proposal would also allow state and local governments as well as school boards to implement their own firearms policies.
In February 2025, Rep. Massie reintroduced the SAFER Voter Act (HR 1643), which “reduces the minimum age—from 21 years to 18 years—at which an individual may obtain a handgun from a federally licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, importer, or collector.” The bill would repeal the federal restriction.
In March 2025, Rep. Massie introduced the NICS Data Reporting Act of 2025 (HR 2267). The bill would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report the data (race, sex, and ethnicity) of individuals who are prevented from purchasing a firearm due to a background check performed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). During his testimony, Massie said the bill would be presented before the House the following month, as it unanimously had passed the Judiciary Committee.
In January 2025, Rep. Massie introduced the National Constitutional Carry Act, which ensures and upholds Americans’ right to carry firearms throughout the entire United States. Several years ago, legislation advanced that forced reciprocity among the states for concealed carry permits. While this made sense at the time, because in most states you needed a permit to carry a firearm, it no longer makes sense as 29 states currently allow permitless carry. Therefore, the National Constitutional Carry Act would extend this policy to all 50 states. Rep. Massie noted that the bill does not violate the 10th Amendment, as the ruling in McDonald v. Chicago determined that the states are bound to the Second Amendment, and thus the states are constrained by the right to keep and bear arms.
Epstein Files
Note: Solari published extensive information on the Epstein files, which includes Rep. Massie’s contributions to the release of the documents.
Rep. Massie, alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, introduced a discharge petition in July 2025 to force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which mandated the full release of the Epstein files. On November 19, 2025, President Trump signed the EFTA, and it became law. A full document release was required by December 19, 2025, yet the DOJ only released a small portion of the files on this date.
Thomas Massie – Our Epstein Files Transparency Act Is Now Law
Rep. Massie speaks about the Epstein Files Transparency Act
During the next several weeks, more files were released sporadically. On January 30, 2026, the DOJ released a large searchable database of files, in what the Department claimed was the fifth and final document release. Just one day later, on January 31, Rep. Massie posted to X:
“Within hours of the Epstein file release, a superPAC funded by Israel-first billionaires Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer, and John Paulson, who himself appears in Epstein’s black book, bought another $800,000 of TV ads against me. I’ll still win, but if I lose, it was worth it.”
A month later, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the Department’s handling of the file release. Rep. Massie questioned Bondi over her mishandling of the matter, in what culminated in a heated exchange.
Rep. Thomas Massie Shows Ag Pam Bondi That Les Wexner Was Listed as a Co-conspirator for Child Sex Trafficking
Rep. Massie holds then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to account over the redactions and handling of the Epstein files
In early April this year, the President fired Bondi from her position as Attorney General. Rep. Massie continues to urge full transparency on the files and accountability of those implicated in Epstein’s network.
Thomas Massie Explodes On DOJ Over Epstein Handling, Names People He Wants Prosecuted
Rep. Massie speaks on the House floor on the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files. Massie demands prosecution
Timeline
The following timeline spans Representative Thomas Massie’s congressional career from 2012 to the present. The timeline is organized into five sections:
- Thomas Massie’s introduction to politics (2012)
- Representative Thomas Massie’s Early Congressional Career (2013–2016)
- The First Trump Era (2017–2020)
- The Biden Era (2021–2024)
- The Second Trump Era (2025-present)
Author’s note: Sections I through III, featuring Rep. Massie’s early political career, are brief, while Sections IV and V are given emphasis and include additional entries and details. The chronology compiles some of Rep. Massie’s most notable legislative endeavors, milestones, and achievements.
I. Thomas Massie’s Introduction to Politics (2012)
January 2012: Thomas Massie announces he is running for United States Congress in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District following incumbent Republican Representative Geoff Davis’ announcement in December 2011 that he will not seek re-election.
April 2012: Then-Congressman Ron Paul endorses then-congressional candidate Thomas Massie.
May 15, 2012: Senator Rand Paul releases a video endorsing then-congressional candidate Massie.
July 29, 2012: Massie submits his resignation for his position as Lewis County Judge Executive to focus on his congressional campaign.
July 31, 2012: In an unexpected statement, Rep. Davis announces his immediate resignation, citing a family health matter. Thus, a special election must be held to fill the remainder of Rep. Davis’ term, which had been set to conclude in January 2013.
November 6, 2012: A special election is held for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to fulfill the remainder of Rep. Davis’ term. Massie faces Democrat challenger Bill Atkins and wins the election.
November 13, 2012: Thomas Massie is sworn in as a Republican Member of the United States House of Representatives by then-Speaker John Boehner.
II. Rep. Thomas Massie’s Early Congressional Career (2013–2016)
March 2014: Rep. Massie and 19 other lawmakers introduce the Milk Freedom Act and the Interstate Milk Freedom Act.
June 2014: Rep. Massie, alongside Rep. Zoe Lofgren, co-sponsors the Massie-Lofgren Amendment, which intends to prevent warrantless searches of U.S. citizens’ online data.
July 2014: Rep. Massie, alongside several other lawmakers, calls for the release of 28 pages redacted from the report titled, “Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001.”
December 2014: Rep. Massie votes against the United States–Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014. The bill would name Israel as an American strategic partner. The bill eventually passes and becomes law.
January 2015: Rep. Massie introduces the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015.
March 2015: Rep. Massie and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) introduce the Surveillance State Repeal Act, a bill that seeks to repeal the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act.
June 2015: Rep. Massie votes against the proposal to repeal Country of Origin Labeling requirements for meat (beef and pork).
July 2015: Rep. Massie introduces the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act.
May 2016: Donald Trump becomes the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
May 16, 2016: Ed Gallrein changes his voter registration from Republican to Independent. Gallrein remains a registered Independent for the next five years.
July 2016: Donald Trump is officially nominated as the Republican nominee for president.
July 2016: Rep. Massie states he has confidence in then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
November 8, 2016: Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States.
November 15, 2016: Rep. Massie is the only member of the House to vote against an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act.
III. The First Trump Era (2017–2020)
January 20, 2017: President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
February 7, 2017: Rep. Massie introduces a bill that would abolish the Department of Education (H.R.899 – To terminate the Department of Education).
July 2017: Rep. Massie votes against the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (H.R.3364), a bill that would introduce new economic sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. President Trump eventually signs the bill into law.
November 6, 2018: Incumbent Rep. Massie wins re-election with 62% of the vote against two challengers.
March 2019: Rep. Massie is the only member of Congress to oppose the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act (H.R. 596). The bill prohibited U.S. federal agencies from recognizing the Russian sovereignty of Crimea. The House passed the bill 427-1.
April 2019: Rep. Massie is one of several signatories of an open letter to President Trump indicating support of his decision to bring U.S. troops home from Syria and welcoming “the completion of this process within the next six months.”
March 27, 2020: Rep. Massie vows for a roll-call (in-person) vote on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion spending bill supported by President Trump.
March 27, 2020: President Trump criticizes Rep. Massie in a tweet, calling him a “third-rate grandstander.” In another tweet, President Trump calls Rep. Massie a “do nothing Kentucky politician.”
June 23, 2020: Rep. Massie wins the primary election against Republican challenger Todd McMurtry with 88% of the vote despite McMurtry’s attempts to portray Rep. Massie as disloyal to President Trump.
November 3, 2020: Rep. Massie wins the general election against Democrat Alexandra Owensby.
November 3, 2020: Joe Biden is elected President.
IV. The Biden Era (2021–2024)
2021
January 6, 2021: Protesters gather at and enter the Capitol building in Washington, DC, in protest of what many considered a stolen election in favor of Joe Biden.
January 20, 2021: President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
June 18, 2021: Ed Gallrein changes his voter registration from Independent back to Republican after five years.
September 2021: Rep. Massie is the only Republican to vote against the Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, which included $1 billion in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome.
2022
March 2022: Rep. Massie is one of three House Republicans to vote against the Supporting the People of Ukraine Resolution.
March 2022: Seventeen Congressmen (including Rep. Massie) file a lawsuit against the CDC to end mask mandates for air travel.
April 6, 2022: Rep. Massie introduces the Safe Students Act (H.R. 7415) to repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (GFSZA), which prevents guns in school zones. The proposal would allow state and local governments as well as school boards to implement their own firearms policies.
May 10, 2022: Trump endorses Rep. Massie ahead of his primary election. According to a report in The Hill, Trump wrote in a statement:
“Congressman Thomas Massie is a Conservative Warrior for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District! […] An MIT graduate and a first-rate Defender of the Constitution, Thomas fights hard to Protect your Liberties, especially the First and Second Amendments, which are under siege by the Radical Left.”
May 17, 2022: Rep. Massie wins the primary election against three Republican challengers with 75% of the vote.
May 18, 2022: Rep. Massie votes against the Condemning Antisemitism bill (HR 1125).
November 8, 2022: Rep. Massie wins the general election with 65% of the vote.
2023
January 2023: Rep. Massie introduces the bill, End COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for International Air Travelers.
July 2023: Rep. Massie introduces the bill, End COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for People Seeking to Become U.S. Citizens.
April 2023: Rep. Massie endorses Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president for 2024.
August 2023: Ed Gallrein announces his candidacy for Senate in Kentucky’s 7th District. (This is unrelated to his current race against Rep. Massie.)
October 3, 2023: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is voted out as Speaker.
October 25, 2023: Rep. Mike Johnson is elected Speaker of the House.
November 2023: Rep. Massie votes against the Reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist resolution. At the time, Massie stated that while he agreed with the title and much of the language in the resolution, he voted no because it equated anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
2024
March 2024: Rep. Massie votes against HR 149, another Ukraine-related resolution.
May 1, 2024: Rep. Massie votes against the Antisemitism Awareness Act 2023 (HR 6090), which was first introduced in October 2023. The resolution affirms Israel’s right to exist, equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and adopts a broad definition of antisemitism.
May 14, 2024: Rep. Massie introduces the Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2024.
May 16, 2024: Rep. Massie introduces the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act (HR 8421). (Another version, also proposed by Rep. Massie, is introduced in March 2025.)
May 21, 2024: Rep. Massie wins the primary election against two challengers. Former President Trump does not endorse Rep. Massie in this election.
May 21, 2024: Ed Gallrein runs for Senate in the 7th District of Kentucky against incumbent Sen. Adrienne Southworth and retired Navy SEAL Aaron Reed. Gallrein and Southworth lose the primary to Reed, who goes on to win the general election.
October 25, 2024: Rep. Massie endorses then-candidate Trump for president and posts a statement to X in which he says, “Donald Trump will put Americans first by securing our liberties at home and preventing needless wars abroad. He will Make America Healthy Again by empowering small farmers and taking on special interests that have corrupted our healthcare system. He has even committed to freeing Ross Ulbricht who was wrongfully sentenced. For these and many other reasons, he has my full endorsement. I encourage conservatives, as well as independents and libertarians, to join me in voting for Donald J. Trump for President.”
In a later statement reflecting on his endorsement of then-candidate Trump for the 2024 presidential election, Rep. Massie posted to X the following: “When I endorsed Trump for President, he and I had a conversation in which he assured me he would free Ross Ulbricht. He even suggested I could include it in my endorsement statement, which I did. Many thanks to @angela4LNCChair of the Libertarian party for elevating this cause.”
V. The Second Trump Era (2025–present)
2025
January 21, 2025: Ross Ulbricht is pardoned by President Trump and released from prison.
January 23, 2025: Rep. Massie introduces the National Constitutional Carry Act.
February 7, 2025: Rep. Massie co-sponsors a resolution with several other lawmakers titled, No Kill Switches in Cars Act.
March 2025: Rep. Massie introduces the NICS Data Reporting Act of 2025.
March 4, 2025: Rep. Massie invites Ross Ulbricht as his guest at the State of the Union (SOTU) address.
March 5, 2025: Rep. Massie posts to X thanking President Trump for pardoning Ross Ulbricht. The post includes a photo of Ulbricht and Massie at the SOTU.
March 5, 2025: Rep. Massie introduces the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act.
March 10, 2025: In a post to X, Rep. Massie states he will not vote for the Continuing Resolution (CR) budget (the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025). He states, “Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found? We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight. Here we are in March, punting again!”
March 10, 2025: Chris LaCivita, a political consultant and President Trump’s 2024 campaign manager, retweets Rep. Massie’s post on the Continuing Resolution budget with the message “Tick tock Tommie.”
March 10, 2025: Rep. Massie responds to LaCivita’s post with the following:
“Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance.”
March 11, 2025: The House votes on the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025 (Continuing Resolutions budget). Rep. Massie is the only Republican to vote no.
March 11, 2025: President Trump posts to TruthSocial, stating that Rep. Massie “should be primaried.”
March 11, 2025: In a second post to TruthSocial, President Trump condemns Rep. Massie stating, “the Great People of Kentucky are going to be watching a very interesting Primary in the not too distant future!”
March 26, 2025: Rep. Massie introduces the Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act (H.R.2356) requiring the disclosure of additional citizenships for any candidate running for office.
May 20, 2025: President Trump attends a House Republican meeting at Capitol Hill to persuade the vote for his One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Prior to the meeting, a reporter asks President Trump if Rep. Massie is correct in characterizing the Big Beautiful Bill as increasing spending. He responds, stating that he does not think Massie understands government. “I think he’s a grandstander…. I think he should be voted out of office.”
After the meeting, according to a report in Politico, Rep. Massie tells reporters that he is unmoved by President Trump’s pitch on the Big Beautiful Bill and that he is aware of some of Trump’s comments about him. According to the report, Rep. Massie states that the President did a good job of pitching the bill and made an effort to appeal to him (Massie) personally, but he is still voting no.
May 22, 2025: Rep. Massie votes against the Big Beautiful Bill. He is one of only two Republicans to vote nay.
June 17, 2025: Rep. Massie submits a resolution to restrict U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran War. Rep. Ro Khanna joins as a co-lead of the Iran War Powers Resolution.
June 19, 2025: The MAGA Kentucky super PAC is launched, managed by Trump allies Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio.
June 21, 2025: The United States Air Force conducts Operation Midnight Hammer, in which three Iranian nuclear facilities are attacked.
June 22, 2025: Rep. Massie makes a statement against the military escalation on X, in which he states:
“When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war. I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war… so they can make war.”
In another statement, in reference to the U.S. attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites, Rep. Massie says, “This is not Constitutional.”
President Trump reacts to Massie’s posts by calling him “a pathetic loser…. The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard.”
July 3, 2025: Rep. Massie votes against the Big Beautiful Bill during a final passage vote in the House.
July 11, 2025: Rep. Massie introduces the PREP Repeal Act (HR 4388), which would repeal the liability shields of the PREP Act, among other objectives.
July 15, 2025: Rep. Massie, alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, introduces a discharge petition to force a House vote on a law (The Epstein Files Transparency Act — HR 4405), which mandates the release of the Epstein files.
July 22, 2025: President Trump criticizes Rep. Massie in a post, stating that Massie is an “Embarrassment to Kentucky” and that the President is “looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!”
July 24, 2025: Rep. Massie reintroduces the PRIME Act.
October 2025: President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirm potential plans for the U.S. to purchase Argentine beef.
October 18, 2025: President Trump endorses Ed Gallrein as a primary challenger against Rep. Massie (prior to the official launch of Gallrein’s campaign).
October 21, 2025: Ed Gallrein officially launches his campaign for the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to challenge Rep. Massie.
October 24, 2025: Rep. Massie co-sponsors Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef.
November 12, 2025: The discharge petition regarding the Epstein Files Transparency Act (HR 4405), introduced by Reps. Massie and Khanna on July 15, receives the final signature necessary for a House vote on the Act.
November 18, 2025: The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) passes the House.
November 19, 2025: The Senate passes the EFTA.
November 19, 2025: President Trump signs the EFTA, and it becomes law. The law requires that the files be released by December 19, 2025.
December 19, 2025: The Department of Justice (DOJ) releases only part of the files. In subsequent weeks, additional documents are released in waves.
2026
January 22, 2026: Rep. Massie delivers a speech to Defund the Auto Kill Switch. (See entry on February 7, 2025.)
January 30, 2026: The DOJ releases the fifth and largest batch of the Epstein files.
January 31, 2026: Rep. Massie posts to X, “Within hours of the Epstein file release, a superPAC funded by Israel-first billionaires Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer, and John Paulson, who himself appears in Epstein’s black book, bought another $800,000 of TV ads against me. I’ll still win, but if I lose, it was worth it.”
February 5, 2026: Kentucky Representative Andy Barr endorses Ed Gallrein.
February 5, 2026: President Trump calls Rep. Massie a “moron,” stating “there is something wrong with him” during his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.
The following day, in a response to the President’s comments, Rep. Massie says in a statement to Fox News Digital, “I’m glad to know I’m in the President’s prayers.”
February 6, 2026: During Rep. Massie’s speech at the Oldham County Lincoln Day Dinner (a fundraiser for county Republican parties), the event emcee and Kentucky Speaker of the House David Osborne abruptly rips the microphone away from Massie mid-sentence.
February 11, 2026: Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing concerning the Epstein files. Rep. Massie questions her over her mishandling of the Epstein files.
February 20, 2026: Rep. Massie introduces the No Immunity for Glyphosate Act.
March 11, 2026: President Trump visits a Verst Logistics contract packaging facility in Hebron, Kentucky, to speak about the economy and industry. During the event, President Trump criticizes Rep. Massie, calling him “the worst person” and “a complete and total disaster.” President Trump then goes on give his support for Rep. Massie’s primary challenger Ed Gallrein.
March 17, 2026: Former Attorney-General Pam Bondi is subpoenaed to testify at a deposition concerning the Epstein files scheduled for April 14.
April 2, 2026: Attorney General Pam Bondi is fired from her position as Attorney General and is replaced by Todd Blanche to serve as Acting Attorney General.
April 6, 2026: Rep. Massie speaks at the University of Louisville (UofL) in Kentucky at an event hosted by the College Republicans. The event is featured in a local news media report in which Rep. Massie reiterates the importance of obtaining congressional approval for the war in Iran. According to a report in the student newspaper, UofL College Republicans President Dyllan Tipton says the event brought in 125 attendees, including Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
April 9, 2026: Gallrein attends a campaign event for Rep. Andy Barr, who is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell. Rep. Barr also endorses Gallrein, who delivers a brief speech at the event. According to reports, Gallrein is “noncommittal” on engaging in a debate with his opponent, Massie. Meanwhile, Massie strongly welcomes a debate.
April 9, 2026: Ed Gallrein and other campaign members go to a Dairy Queen where Gallrein is then approached by customers. Gallrein gives an informal speech to a small group of people, and an attendee begins recording Gallrein. In the recording, one of Gallrein’s staff questions the person doing the recording and encourages them to stop. However, it is permissible under U.S. law to record people in public spaces.
April 10, 2026: Rep. Massie attends and speaks at the Kentucky’s Grant County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner. Gallrein is also invited and expected to speak, but he cancels at the last minute and cites having to attend a funeral.
According to reports, Rep. Massie is met with a friendly crowd and introduced by a local state lawmaker as an “archetype of conservatism.” During his speech, Rep. Massie clears up misconceptions about his voting record, stating, “I vote with the GOP, regardless of what you see on TV, 91% of the time. But in the 9% of the time, if they’re covering up for pedophiles, bankrupting the country or starting another war, I don’t vote that way.” Massie goes on to state, “I read the bills. I try to make the decision based on what is best. I try to do the things that I campaigned on…. And sometimes it means voting no.”
April 15, 2026: Rep. Massie posts to X, stating “I will be voting NO on final passage of the FISA 702 Reauthorization Bill if it does not include a warrant provision and other reforms to protect US citizens’ right to privacy. Yesterday I offered these 3 amendments to fix the program, but they were not allowed last night.”
April 15, 2026: Rep. Massie speaks before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Second Amendment rights.
April 16, 2026: Ahead of the vote on FISA 702, Rep. Massie posts on X that he will vote no on FISA.
Later in the evening on April 16 and during the early morning hours of April 17, Rep. Massie confirms that he voted against approving the new FISA 702.
April 23, 2026: Rep. Massie and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduce the Surveillance Accountability Act (SAA). According to a press release, the legislation requires a probable cause warrant prior to any search on U.S. citizens’ personal information, thus upholding the Fourth Amendment. Additionally, the bill includes a statutory cause of action, allowing individuals to sue for damages for violations of their Fourth Amendment rights.
April 25, 2026: Rep. Massie attends the Owen County Lincoln Day Dinner. According to a post by the Thomas Massie for Congress account, Rep. Massie was the only congressional candidate to speak at the event. Gallrein did not attend.
April 27, 2026: Rep. Massie speaks at “The People vs. Poison Rally” at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC.
May 19, 2026: Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District primary election will take place on this date.
The Solari Report will continue to provide updates on the latest campaign developments in the Republican primary election of incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie.
A playlist of videos featuring Rep. Massie may be viewed here.
