Rep. Barr heads to Mar-a-Lago to huddle with Trump while Rep. Massie stays behind
Congressman Andy Barr will join a host of Republicans heading to Mar-a-Lago this weekend to huddle with President-elect Donald Trump to plot legislative strategy for passing a multi-faceted GOP bill that includes tax cuts, border security and energy production provisions.
Barr underscored that unity would be the most important ingredient for Republican success to advance conservative causes in the opening months of Trump’s second term.
“Unity is our leverage, unity is our strength,” Barr told WVLK radio on Monday.
The Mar-a-Lago meetings ahead of Trump’s inauguration will be divided into different subgroups, with members of the conservative Freedom Caucus getting facetime on Friday, House committee chairs going on Saturday and a broader section of House Republicans meeting on Sunday.
But one Republican who won’t be partaking in the meetings is Northern Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who defied Trump and his caucus just last week, casting the lone vote against Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House.
“Rep. Massie will not be going down to Florida for these meetings,” said John Kennedy, a spokesman for Massie.
It’s another example of the divergent approaches two of the state’s congressmen are taking to the new Trump tenure.
Barr is signaling he’s completely onboard with the president-elect’s agenda, even adopting Trumpian language to pass “one big beautiful bill” to make good on Republican promises to shrink the government, extend and deepen tax cuts for workers, businesses and homeowners and secure the southern border with increased funding for immigration control and deportations.
Massie, on the other hand, is a proud contrarian and maverick who defies his party on a litany of issues, increasingly viewing them as having strayed from the principles of limited government and fiscal restraint.
Massie has already flagged his opposition to an extension of Trump’s tax cuts given the national debt and has insisted that Republicans should adhere to the principle of hosting separate votes on different types of bills.
But on Monday, Barr said that a single omnibus approach would allow Republicans to achieve many of their stated goals without having to worry about Democratic support in the U.S. Senate.
It’s a process called reconciliation, allowing the new GOP Senate majority to bypass the usual 60 votes required in the Senate. If allowed by the parliamentarian, it could allow Republicans to pass much of their agenda inside a single sweeping bill.
“Getting this done in one bite would save them a lot of hassle this year,” said Republican commentator Scott Jennings on his podcast Monday. “I love the tidiness of it.”
But whether that strategy is feasible or needs to change in favor of a two-step or multi-pronged approach will sit at the top of the Mar-a-Lago meetings this weekend, which Barr said he was looking forward to.
In an interview with Hugh Hewitt Monday, Trump already began signaling flexibility in his legislative approach, placing more significance around the coming meetings with lawmakers.
“While I favor one bill, I also want to get everything passed. And you know, there are some people that don’t necessarily agree with it,” Trump said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rep. Barr heads to Mar-a-Lago to huddle with Trump while Rep. Massie stays behind."
