Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) was ridiculed Thursday on MSNBC over his budget bluster that ultimately falters as he falls in line with the party.
The bill before the Senate on Thursday deals with the funding for NASA and the new FBI headquarters. The Commerce, Justice, Science Committee devolved into chaos after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed an amendment that would mandate that the headquarters be put in Maryland, which was decided after an exhaustive bidding process. Trump's administration then decided that the agents would all be sent to the Reagan Building, which had previously housed USAID, a program that Trump had already cut.
The negotiations devolved into chaos as Van Hollen huddled with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who proved to be a key vote on the 2026 budget bill, despite her initial dislike for it and her desire to amend it before passing. She asked that the House correct all the issues in the bill, but they didn't.
Roy, a far-right conservative, has been outspoken about President Donald Trump's 2026 budget legislation, coined the "big, beautiful bill." The Congressional Budget Office reported that the bill will add trillions to the national debt, despite demands for cuts by deficit hawks.
"Are the republicans all on the same page about how they want to fund the government?" asked MSNBC host Katy Tur.
"No. Of course not," answered Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman. He assumes that there will be huge debates on spending and social policy. He predicted "a ton of intra-party fights on the Republican side."
"Are there going to be folks like Chip Roy saying, we need to cut more now that we've added more to the deficit in the big, beautiful bill?" Tur asked.
"Chip Roy is going to fold because that's what he usually does," said Sherman as Tur smirked. "But I think he's going to make a lot of noise about this. And so are other conservatives. But the argument I expect Donald Trump will make is we can't let the government shut down. And remember, Katy, I'll just say this, a government shutdown would be very painful for Democrats because Trump would make it painful. And what he would do, and remember, the Pentagon just got $150 billion in extra cash. So the military is funded, the military is flush with cash right now."
He noted it was the domestic programs that were about to be hit the hardest.
See the exchange below or at the link here.
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