Rep. Amash slams President Trump for siding with Democrats on spending

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President Donald Trump has shaken up standard political rules in Washington D.C. He doesn’t pull any punches and speaks his mind without politically correct polish. For this, some on the right have praised him for not playing by the rules of the mainstream. While his mouth and demeanor may not play by the rules, his policies in a number of ways have fallen short of any substantial gains for liberty.

More recently, he has once again shown his lack of seriousness in draining the swamp. Instead of tackling the issues Washington D.C. has, he’s grown more connected. Now he’s cutting deals with Democratic leadership to increase spending and raise the debt limit.

Undoubtedly, the basic sell here will be aiding the hurricane victims. While helping those in need is a noble cause, there needs to be discussion about how to achieve this without further burying ourselves in debt.

President Donald Trump clearly felt otherwise.

Congressman Justin Amash slammed the President’s deal in a recent tweet:

The Pelosi-Schumer-Trump deal proves not much has changed in Washington: more spending, more debt, little debate, and no accountability.

Congressman Amash is one of three Republican congressmen who opposed a relief package to aid hurricane victims. He, alongside colleagues Andy Biggs and Thomas Massie, opposed more spending that wasn’t offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

Similarly, Senator Rand Paul offered an amendment in the upper chamber that would put forth spending cuts elsewhere to ensure the hurricane relief packages were paid for.

Essentially, while President Trump ran on the platform of draining the swamp, he’s merely just become another creature in the swamp.

The point about paying now for spending was made by Congressman Amash in a different tweet:

More Congress should provide disaster relief funding, and we should pay for it now instead of billing our children and grandchildren for it.

The Michigan Congressman is not wrong in his thinking here. If we are to help our fellow citizens, we should do so now by paying for it instead of billing later generations. Spend now and pay later has become the culture in Washington D.C. The result has been runaway spending and a multi trillion dollar national debt.

A national debt this size is embarrassing and unacceptable.

Clearly, the President felt trillions in debt is a lesser issue and additional spending doesn’t need to be offset with spending cuts now. It’s unfortunate that a President who sold himself on changing Washington D.C. has only opted to continue past traditions. Instead of paying for our spending, we’re spending more without an idea as to how we’ll pay for it.

The culture in Washington D.C. needs to change. We can absolutely improve our country and help our fellow citizen without further burdening our children with additional debt. The fact that we use the plural form of “trillion” when discussing our national debt should be a cause for alarm with anyone. President Donald Trump is quickly showing with his deals with liberal spenders in the Democratic Party that he is not alarmed and doesn’t care.

We need more of the likes of Congressman Justin Amash in Congress to hold runaway spenders accountable. President Trump has taken the wrong approach here in cutting deals to raise the debt ceiling and increasing spending.

Chris Dixon is a liberty activist and writer from Maine. In addition to being Managing Editor for the Liberty Conservative, he also writes the Bangor Daily News blog "Undercover Porcupine" and for sports website Cleatgeeks.

127 Comments

  1. Amash has spent the past 8 months trying to undermine this administration, taking every opportunity possible to attack Trump. He should learn a thing or two about loyalty before criticizing others.

  2. Be realistic. They’re not cutting anything by enough to not have to raise the debt ceiling, the debt ceiling has to go up to avoid some really bad stuff, and denying hurricane disaster relief would be extremely unpopular (in fact, even Amash supports paying for it).
    Trump spared congress months of “I know you are but what am I” and eventually raising the ceiling and passing the relief anyway. How embarrassing would that have been for the majority party?
    He let Republicans know if they don’t get their act together he will find other ways to act, and possibly do things they don’t like, thus (hopefully) motivating them to start passing his agenda.
    He let Democrats know he’s flexible and not some rigid and recalcitrant Justin Amash type of politician. And this may have all been part of getting them to compromise on something.
    This is 4 D chess. Amash’s little peanut brain can’t possibly comprehend the art of the deal.

    • Read the comment again, then tell me the last time congress significantly cut spending. It’s not just on Trump, it’s on Congress’s inability to cut spending. Trump knows it, congress knows it, I know it, you know it, everybody knows it.

    • It’s not just Trump’s problem, you’re absolutely right. It’s on Democrats and Republicans in Congress, current and previous. It’s also on Democrats and Republicans who have been in the White House.

      Fedzilla is a single machine.

  3. Gary Johnson was the most fiscally conservative governor in the country during his terms. I can guarantee that he wouldn’t have sided with the Dems. But your hero Trump did.

    • Trump has focused more on the media attacks and attacking the Freedom Caucus , than pushing great ideas like Rand Pauls proposal for FREE MARKET solution to ACA. I really dont’ think trump wants Healthcare reform. He is on record saying he likes Socialist countries Healthcare and What did he do to move this to #FullRepeal?

    • I wrote this July 2016 why I study history. This is what their afraid of; Rich Man gave power to the people and equal playing field took on Monopoly businesses and Big Banks ended Monopolies; Teddy Roosevelt. (British Brexit) This take the sails out of a One World Financial Market that only benefits the financial system and a select few, the Establishment in Washington and Wall Street are pushing by Democrats and Republicans. Wake up America that would leads to One World Government. Study history Teddy Roosevelt, Donald J. Trump History repeats itself. Teddy Roosevelt stopped the One World Government but it was on its way back. Trump stopped it. I love history.

    • I follow politics. Its my hobby. I know whats been done. Most of Trump has been E.O. He has trashed some good people . Mainly the Freedom Caucus in the House and Rand Paul offered to work with him on the ACA offering solution that Trump could present but he never did, the solution was Free Market with Immediate repeal. REpeal to the TAX called healthcare. Trump is saber rattling When NK has been all acting badly all aong .He also made a deal to sell billions to Saudi Arabia to continue to war on poor little Yemen. ( Contstitution says the Congress declares war) He is continuing our 15 year war in Afghanistan What part do you disagree on? OH AND HE made a deal to run the govenment with the Democrats. the STAB in the back . Wasn’t he elected to get rid of the Democrat Policies. yet who does he run to to get something done the chief architects of Obamacare NUTTY NANCY. IM NOT IMPRESSED

    • He could have used those Good people and shamed the RINOS into performing but instead he trashed the good patriotis. TRUMP is and always will be a democrat. He just fooled a lot of people.

    • Mel Wallace I realize the One world gov. but how is Trump protecting us when he is using the party who would sell us into that system. They only ones in Congress who still believe in the Constitution are the Freedom Caucus and Senators like Rand Paul . there are about 6 senators out of 100 who vote for Constitutional principles there are about 40 in the house that isn’t very good.

    • Well there are common ground issues that benefit any supporter of liberty, like ending the drug war and taking the surveillance state.

      More unpaid spending is not one of them.

  4. Reagan had spending but not on infrastructure it was failing under him. Look what he did to Social Security took it out treasury bonds that could be sold on the open market.. Change it to special issue that can only be bought back by the government. Now the government owe Social Security over 2.7 trillion. Social Security does need to be fixed needs to be paid back.

  5. That’s what the federal government is for disaster relief and protect the public and Defence of the countryNot for social giveaway programs that should be handled by the states. Raising the debt ceiling is to pay for what the Republican Congress gave Obama.

    • Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power “To regulate Commerce. National disaster is part of Commerce.

      • If you can so far pervert the meaning of words that natural disasters are, “Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the
        several States, and with the Indian Tribes,” then you can justify anything at all.

    • Raising the debt ceiling isn’t necessary for disaster relief. They cut have cut spending elsewhere, which is what Amash’s point was.

      I don’t think it’s unreasonable that we not spend like Democrats.

    • Things the federal government owes you: The Bill of Rights and any Amendment that gives freedom and defense of the country and a stable economy. This is yours Social Security and Medicare you paid for it. Veteran’s benefit if you earned them. Federal government owes you nothing else. Constitution states everything go to the States. The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution which strictly supports the entire plan of the original Constitution for the United States of America, by stating that the federal government possesses only those powers delegated to it by the United States Constitution. Block grant back to the States.
      “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce. … The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.” — James Madison “Equal laws protecting equal rights…the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country.” — James Madison

  6. Had to make a deal with Democrats in order to aid people of Texas and soon Florida. He had no time for debates. Sometimes you have to deal with the devil. Unfortunately Mr Trump has many devil’s, especially on his own team

    • Well Mary since he gets no help from his own team he had to go to opposing team. People in Texas and now Florida needed financial assistance yesterday notb4years from now. If you follow even CNN and MSNBC you should be able to see how opposition discussion and investigation takes in our country, and I The end everyone loses

    • Trump should’ve thrown his support behind an amendment to offset spending with cuts.

      Rand Paul had the work done for him. Trump ran to Chuck and Nancy instead.

    • Chris he may have hd the support of Rand Paul, but little if any support from most of his own party. With all your insider info obtained from all those government reports you read, maybe you can enlighten us and let us all know how else he could have secured funds for Texas and Florida TODAY NOT 4 YEARS FROM NOW Politics is a nasty game and sometimes yo are forced to give in order to get

    • Passage or not doesn’t make it any more or less moral.

      Amash wanted the spending to be offset by spending cuts instead of just piling on the debt. That’s not unreasonable. It’s actually the fiscally responsible approach.

  7. Rand Paul proposed a clean Harvey relief bill and didn’t get the support . The crooks in the Congress wanted the pork that was attached to the Harvey relief. That is why Amash and Massie and Biggs (God Bless them ) voted against it. It wasn’t because they didn’t want the relief. they didn’t want all of the additional spending attached to it.

  8. Trump also working with The Dastardly Duo (Schumer and Pelosi) because he wants to raise the debt Ceiling. Do we really want more debt when it is currently 20 trillion? Come on People , take off your rose colored glasses.

    • Working with The Democrats is like purposefully getting snake bitten because you need your blood thickened when you could eat some greens and solve the problem instead of killing you.. INSANITY.

  9. The only problem with this narrative is that Republicans actually wanted to raise the debt ceiling more. Republicans should have said we are simply going to cut spending. No increase in debt.

  10. Well what’s he suppose to do , you all don’t seem to want to get things done or to even support him . The democrats could really care less , so he’s left with trying to find a way to get things done . Nothing’s going to change unless you people get your shit together . The dems will still stab him in the back , while the RHINO’s sabotage the republican party just for the sake of money . The debt right now must be raised to accommodate those Americans who need the help . So keep procrastinating , you’ll figure it out soon or a later .

    • And then what? Just casually add on to the trillions of debt we created that our children will have to pass on to their children?

      It has to stop somewhere. We can’t keep living outside of our means.

    • I like how whiners like Paul think that the ultimate philosophical principal is to just support Donald Trump the man – which is no philosophical principal at all. It’s just a demand that you be 100% loyal to a human being over all other considerations. You’d make a good sheep-citizen in a dictatorship Paul, but you’re woefully out of place and unprepared for the burdens of liberty.

    • Jim Remington I’m just a realist and apparently you don’t understand the principal of individuality . I can look at both sides of the street and see what’s happening . This isn’t about Trump , it’s about helping our fellow Americans . I guess you and Mr. Dixon could care less about those people who have lost everything . The debt must be raised to accommodate these people . Where do you think the billions of dollars are going to come from , let me know . My loyalty is to my country and I care less what you think . It’s people like you who tend to discriminate ones belief , therefore I guess you are burdening me of my liberty . Oh by the way Mr. Dixon the National Debt will still be here with your great grand childrens’ ,children . The debt will never be abolished until money is o longer currency .

    • How can you say I don’t care about those who have lost things? I didn’t say don’t help them. I just said be responsible about it and offset it with spending cuts in the budget.

      The taxpayer’s credit card has been run up enough.

    • Chris Dixon because your statement affects the debt . Your fear will not change a thing . Your great,great grandchildren will have to face this debt . Maybe you should word your statement differently .

  11. with the disasters that are happening in the USA now is not the time to play politics Mr Amash. the GOP has in its power to FIX things but you sorry bitches fail to even try…

    • It’s not playing politics to want responsible spending for the sake of our children. They’re already inheriting trillions of dollars in federal debt.

      Can’t really lump Amash together with the rest of his party because he’s in the minority.

      He’s an enrolled Republican, yes. But he often stands up to his own party.

  12. This would carry more weight if Amash hadn’t been attacking everything Trump did, right or wrong.

  13. If you assume a vote is “picking sides”, then Amash “sided” with the Democrats on the defunding Planned Parenthood vote and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Just saying.

    • This isn’t about sides, but issues. If our financial house is not in order, then everything else falls apart. This is why this issue is so important.

      Clearly Trump and his friends Chuck and Nancy don’t understand.

    • That would be….my point. The article above notes “siding with Democrats”. Neither Democrats or Republicans in general are adverse to spending money, they just want to spend it on different things. That being said, the debt ceiling is a silly way to try to hold the line on spending. It’s political theater that doesn’t solve any problems but allows some people to talk tough for their base.

  14. Why did the USA fight for freedom against the British, Hitler, and Saddam if America just ended up as a police state? All those American soldiers died in vain.

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