Thomas Massie
Representative for Kentucky · Republican · United States
“However, I think the Americans, the American party, wants us to work on that. They want to know why it takes one-half week's pay to fill up their pickup truck. It shouldn't take that much. One-half of it is due to this stupid war that we shouldn't be involved in.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I have worked for the small inventors to make it a level playing field so that the little guys can compete, so that their patents won't get stolen by the big guys. I have been doing that for as long as I have been in Congress. I got a bipartisan bill passed here recently, just this spring, to improve the reporting of the NICS database.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“It is your leadership, Mr. Speaker. I think that is kind of a misnomer, an oxymoron. Our leaders have not been doing a very good job if we are looking at the rate of inflation, the debt, and the price of fuel. We call them leadership up here, Mr.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The months where you do come to work, Mr. Speaker, there are 3 weeks, but we call a week 4 days, and 4 days, well, we wouldn't have to travel on our own time, so 4 days is actually 2 days because we needed a day to get here and a day to go home, and 3 weeks is a month if we feel like working that month.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Now, listen, there are some things I know I am not going to get a lot of agreement on across the aisle, but these are things I work on and I am passionate about, and that is the right to keep and bear arms. I introduced a bill called the National Constitutional Carry Act.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“We have enough votes. The uniparty has enough votes on this bill. We will let you vote how you want on this bill because we want you to come back because you are a good soldier. You do what you are told. You are compliant, and we like that. That is what a lot of people up here are faced with.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
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“It is to keep the Epstein Files Transparency Act from getting the 218 votes on the discharge petition, ripening over 7 days, and passing before the election, thereby making the Senate be accountable in the weeks leading up to the election. Oh, my gosh. We can't have that. We can't have Senators called to task while they are stumping and spreading their campaign promises. Oh, no, we can't put them on the spot like that and ask them if they are going to vote for transparency and justice for the survivors. That is why they cut two weeks off the calendar. Isn't it ironic that I was called not a fully participating Member of Congress? I am the one who most wants to be here those two weeks. {time} 1340 They got canceled. I said they would probably cancel them. We were told, oh, nope. That is a ludicrous idea.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“It does not apply to a law that was passed by both Chambers and signed by the President. Even if it did, the law itself pierces through the previous law. That is what any judge in this country, if they looked at it on the facts, would agree to. New laws override the old laws. I am not an attorney, but as a fully participating Member of Congress, I do serve on the Judiciary Committee. I know the simple concept that a new law overrides the old law. The judges know that, too. That is why this next bill is so important. That gets me to why--we are going to take these--at first, it was: we are just going to cancel two weeks off the calendar. We know why that happened. We know why that happened.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The Epstein Files Transparency Act, the first version that this fully participating Member of Congress ushered through this body and through the Senate and got the White House to sign against their will, the first bill says that the DOJ has to give us and the public, internal memos, documents, and emails concerning decisions of whether to prosecute or not prosecute and whether to investigate or not investigate. That is at the heart of this issue. Why did our government fail us? Who was it at DOJ or FBI that decided to create two tiers of justice? We want to see those internal discussions. What does the Attorney General argue now? Oh, I am sorry. We are going to exercise our deliberative process privilege. Well, here's the problem: that is a FOIA term of art, Freedom of Information Act term of art.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“So the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, would make that happen, would allow for that to happen. It does something else that is important. The survivors need closure. This Attorney General will not share those files with the survivors, the files that were generated on their behalf. We call them survivors because some are no longer alive. I am talking about the victims who are still alive, who survived the trauma and the shame, and were subjected to horrible things by these men. These brave women, we are giving them standing in court to get their own damn files, that they can't get now. For some of them, it was so traumatic they can't even remember what they told the FBI at the time. That is important. We also give standing to Members of this body.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Ro Khanna, Teresa Leger Fernandez, and I wrote another bill. What it does is simple. It says, Mr. Attorney General, if you refuse to prosecute the co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the rapists, the pedophiles, the ones who financed it, and the ones who covered it up--if you refuse to do it at Epstein island, in New York, Florida, or New Mexico, this bill is going to give the files to the State attorneys general in the various States so that they can prosecute these crimes. I have talked to the attorney general of New Mexico. Guess what. There are crimes that occurred at Zorro Ranch for which there is no statute of limitations. We can still bring these pedophiles to justice. He is ready to do it, but the Attorney General of this country will not cooperate with the attorney general of that State.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I think that is a pretty big coalition. It was more than just getting the files released. My colleague, Ro Khanna, and I held the biggest press conference that has occurred in Washington, D.C., in at least a decade, for as long as I have been here. Is that something a not fully participating Member of Congress would do? I don't think so. Why did we do it: to give a voice to the survivors. We gave them a venue to speak to you, the people in power--the people who were hiding the files at the DOJ, at the FBI, at the U.S. Attorney's Office. For the first time ever, we gave them a voice. We gave them a platform. They were brave. They stepped up. They told their very tragic and sad stories. They compelled the rest of this body to do the right thing, after resisting for so long. That gets us to where we are now on the Epstein files.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The ones that have been released have been overly redacted, in contravention of that law. What would a fully participating Member of Congress do if he got a law enacted against the will of the President, against the will of the Speaker, against all odds, and then the chief law enforcement officer of the country will not follow the law? What would a fully participating Member of Congress do? Well, I think he would do what I did. I wrote, along with Ro Khanna and Teresa Leger Fernandez--by the way, when did it become a dirty word to work across the aisle? When did that become forbidden? I thought that was supposed to be a good thing, to form coalitions. Oh, Massie, you know, he can't get anything done. He can't get people to agree with him. Madam Speaker, 427-1 was the vote on the Epstein files. Come on.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The President himself signed that bill. He had earlier said it would be a hostile act to even support that bill. What came of it: 3 million files released. Now, we have yet to see justice here in the United States, but we watched a British ambassador to the United States lose his job. He was sacked. We saw a prince of England lose his title. We saw the former Prime Minister of Norway arrested and convicted--maybe not convicted yet, but arrested. We saw the Minister of Culture in France receive the same fate. CEOs and presidents of universities resigned--over a hoax? Somebody should have told them it was a hoax, because that is what we were told, that it was a hoax. Folks, it wasn't a hoax. There are still 3 million of those files that are being withheld at the Department of Justice.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I got that 218th signature, and the bill that Ro Khanna and I coauthored became law. Every Member, except for one Member of this House, voted for our legislation that they had criticized for months. If it was so bad, why did they all vote for it? That bill went to the Senate. It passed by unanimous consent. If you ask the Senators, can you pass one of our House bills, what will they say? Well, we will see if we get it on the docket. That is going to take at least 3 days. We have got to get a 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster, and so it is going to be a while. How long did it take them to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act? They passed it before it got there. It left this House, and on the walk between the House and the Senate, they made a unanimous consent to pass that bill as soon as it got there. Nobody objected.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“What happened a couple of weeks ago is that I introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II discharge petition. I predicted that the House would take days off the calendar in order to avoid a vote on this again. {time} 1330 If you remember a year ago, we had the Epstein recess, I call it. My colleague, Ro Khanna, and I had been very successful in collecting names. We were just two signatures short of 218 on a discharge petition, and the leadership of this body recessed this body for weeks to avoid swearing in one Member who would have been the 218th vote. I was here. I was ready to work, to be a fully participating Member of Congress. Well, the Speaker saw otherwise. The leadership here saw otherwise, and they kept Congress shut down for weeks. We came back.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, roughly 3 weeks ago, the Speaker of the House said: ``Let me tell you how stupid Thomas Massie's comment is.'' An article said that Johnson said that ``Republicans are here to work'' and will remain in Washington throughout September, according to the House calendar. He goes on to say: ``That is a nonsensical statement by someone who is not participating as a full Member of the Congress, and it is really sad that he doesn't.'' Well, I am here today to let you know that I am a full participating Member of the House of Representatives. In fact, when other people want to go home, I am here to work. I am here to get justice for the Epstein victims, the survivors. I am here to get the price of food and fuel down for our constituents. We have solutions. We just refuse to pass them.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I seek recognition for a question of personal privilege.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 legislative days after the resolution is properly noticed. Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the gentleman from Kentucky will appear in the Record at this point. The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at the time designated for consideration of the resolution. ____________________”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“Wherefore, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States Armed Forces, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law. Peter Brian Hegseth thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“This is not about the Houthis'' reestablish--``reestablishing deterrence which Biden cratered.'' {time} 1320 Thus, Secretary Hegseth knew there was no imminent threat to the United States, its territories or possessions, or its Armed Forces, as, had such a threat existed, there would have been no basis for him to state that: ``We can easily pause.'' Moreover, the only immediate risks identified by Secretary Hegseth concerned media optics and Israeli affairs rather than the direct affairs of the United States of America, the Nation to which his oath is sworn.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“We will have the exact same options in a month''; Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe stating: ``A delay would not negatively impact us and additional time would be used to identify better starting points for coverage on Houthi leadership''; Addressing the timing of Operation Rough Rider, Secretary Hegseth himself stated: ``We can easily pause''; and Addressing the Vice President's concerns regarding Operation Rough Rider's immediate commencement, Secretary Hegseth stated: ``VP, I understand your concerns . . . two immediate risks on waiting: One, this leaks and we look indecisive; two, Israel takes action first--or Gaza ceasefire falls apart''--and we don't get to start this war on our terms; I am sorry--``and we don't get to start this on our own terms. . . .”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“and we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so.'' Thus, revealing the motives behind the forcible removal of President Maduro, which extended far beyond the narcotics law enforcement rationale on which the operation was falsely predicated. {time} 1310 On January 3, 2026, Secretary Hegseth directed the United States Armed Forces into hostilities in and around Caracas, Venezuela, employing more than 200 United States Special Operations personnel on the ground and more than 150 aircraft and drones, including fighter aircraft, bombers, armed helicopters, and electronic warfare aircraft, supported by substantial naval force that included the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the Gerald R.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“On December 30, 2025, United States Southern Command attacked three vessels, approximately 400 nautical miles southwest of Ocos, Guatemala, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three persons and leaving eight others shipwrecked. Although the campaign had been underway for approximately 4 months, no recovery assets had been prepositioned to rescue survivors. Rescue assets did not arrive until approximately 45 hours after the strikes, by which time all eight shipwrecked survivors had died at sea. In doing so, Secretary Hegseth has endangered members of our Armed Forces in future military engagements by encouraging adversaries to subject American servicemembers to the same treatment.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“{time} 1250 Four, Secretary Hegseth, in the course of such strikes, oversaw orders resulting in the denial of quarter to and the failure to provide timely rescue for, shipwrecked survivors of initial strikes, including, on September 2, 2025, during the first strike of the campaign, the United States Navy attacked a seagoing vessel carrying 11 persons between the coast of Venezuela and nearby Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The strike destroyed and capsized the vessel. Approximately 45 minutes later, while two survivors clung to the wreckage, a second strike was ordered, killing both survivors. In doing so, Secretary Hegseth has endangered members of our Armed Forces in future military engagements by encouraging adversaries to subject American servicemembers to the same treatment.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“While doing so, Secretary Hegseth also oversaw orders denying quarter and failing to provide rescue, including secondary strikes against shipwrecked survivors who were hors de combat, and the abandonment of shipwrecked survivors at sea, thereby endangering members of our Armed Forces in future military engagements by encouraging adversaries to subject American servicemembers to the same treatment. By subjecting persons merely suspected of criminal conduct to lethal military force without judicial process, without congressional authorization, and without establishing a lawful basis for treating such persons or vessels as military targets, Secretary Hegseth arrogated to himself and the executive branch the roles of judge, jury, and executioner and asserted a unilateral power to determine who may live and who may die.”
House of Representatives15 September 2026Source ↗
“We want perpetrators of these crimes to be investigated and prosecuted, men like: Jes Staley; Leon Black; Les Wexner; David Copperfield; Lapo Elkann; Tom Pritzker; Glenn Dubin; Frederic Fekkai; Eduardo Teodorani; Jean-Luc Brunel, conveniently dead by suicide in prison; Daniel Siad, recently discovered dead in Paris; Ramsey Elkholy; and Prince Andrew, who committed sex crimes in the United States, too; and women like Leslie Groff, not a victim, who conspired with Epstein to traffic other women. Perhaps hearing these names will shame the Department of Justice into delivering justice. ____________________”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since the President signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the government continues to withhold over 3 million files. That is why we have introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, to bring the fight to the State courts, accountability to the Department of Justice, and closure for survivors.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“It is contributing to the high cost of living here in the United States. We would be better off spending this money taking care of our own veterans. Madam Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, this is a very simple amendment. I will just say it again. The monarchy of Jordan doesn't deserve the taxpayers' money from the United States. In 2021, King Abdullah II secretly purchased over $106 million in luxury properties in Malibu, London, and D.C. through 36 offshore shell companies while 16 percent of the Jordanian population lives in poverty. It has been said that foreign aid can be described as taking money from poor people in the United States and giving it to rich people in other countries, and that is what is happening in this instance. How much of this money is going to go toward more luxury properties for the King of Jordan? I would like to know that. There needs to be more transparency in this money and, frankly, it needs to end completely. We don't have the money. We are in debt.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I offer this amendment sincerely for the American people because the price of housing, the price of fuel, the price of everything is going up because our government, frankly, is spending too much money. We are borrowing money. We are printing money, and why are we doing this? Are we doing this to support our own infrastructure or our own veterans? No. A lot of this money goes overseas, and one of the recipients is the country of Jordan. I think we should end foreign aid to Jordan. As our debt approaches $40 trillion, it is more and more urgent. I have noticed that the money that we sent to Jordan has tripled since 2008. It started out at about $600 million, and now it is $2.1 billion. This is too much. We shouldn't be doing it. Jordan is a monarchy. They do not deserve the support of our democratic Republic of this country.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“American taxpayers should not be conscripted into funding the military adventures of Israel. Madam Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Chair, Israel has the strongest economy in the Middle East. Their debt per GDP is in much better shape than ours. They don't need our money. In fact, they have claimed recently they want to get off of the welfare. I am concerned that the other funding mechanisms they are talking about, or comingling, our technology and supply chains, we will have even less transparency than what is going on here today, so I am opposed to that as well. I am opposed to all foreign aid. I didn't pick on Israel here. I offered an amendment to defund Egypt and also to defunding aid to Jordan, which we will talk about in a little bit. I am particularly concerned this year about the foreign aid to Israel. There have been 70,000 casualties in Gaza, and I don't think we should be a part of that.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I heard a common refrain in my colleague's arguments there that, oh, don't worry, all this money is going to the military industrial complex. I have a problem with that. It is not a sustainable economy--buying weapons and letting people use them overseas on other people, oftentimes innocent civilians. I am not compelled by the argument that our job is to be here and enrich the military-industrial complex, now called the defense industrial base. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro). {time} 1340”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“They are the biggest welfare recipient of the United States and have been for many years. Madam Chair, $310 billion has been received by Israel from the taxpayers of the United States. That is in inflation-adjusted dollars since we have been giving them money. That is why I think this amendment is important. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, my amendment is simple. It strikes $3.3 billion of foreign aid to the country of Israel from the State Department funding bill. We have $39.4 trillion of debt. We have needs at home, which include our infrastructure, our roads and bridges. We have a shortfall in this fund. We have our locks and dams, and we are perpetually trying to figure out new funding mechanisms to come up with. We have homeless veterans. We are sending more money to Israel in this bill than we spend on homeless veterans in this country. Just to put it in perspective, there are 3,000 counties in this country, and if we divide that into $3 billion, that is $1 million from every county. This is not an insignificant amount of money that is going overseas. I think we should stop it. We should put them on a diet.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗
“Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.”
House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗