Representative Chip Roy criticized his party members for lacking “an ounce of self-respect” during an intense speech on the House floor Thursday, responding to their support for a bill that would increase the debt ceiling by trillions at the request of Donald Trump.
The congressman from Texas was among 38 Republican members who ultimately sided with Democrats in opposing the Trump-endorsed legislation, which aimed to raise the borrowing limit as part of a strategy to prevent a government shutdown starting Saturday. Roy made it clear that he would not endorse raising the national debt without significant cuts to government spending.
Following Trump’s criticism of Roy on social media for not aligning with the bill, which Roy claimed would have added $5 trillion to the national debt, the congressman continued to oppose the incoming president by expressing his frustrations with his GOP colleagues on the House floor.
“I am genuinely appalled by a party that promotes fiscal responsibility and yet has the audacity to present this to the American public as fiscally sound. It is utterly absurd,” he stated.
Previously, House Republicans had negotiated a continuing resolution with Democrats that postponed any action on suspending the debt limit.
However, after Trump’s major supporter and “first buddy” Elon Musk launched a tirade against the bill on social media—while disseminating misleading information about its content—Trump insisted that GOP lawmakers attribute the debt ceiling challenge to the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden.
The outcome was a scaled-back proposal that ultimately failed due to resistance from both parties.
“Yes, I believe this bill has seen some improvements compared to yesterday in certain areas, but to take yesterday’s version of the bill, congratulate yourself because it has fewer pages while increasing the debt by $5 trillion is completely foolish! And that’s exactly what the Republicans are doing,” Roy expressed.
He also noted that the legislation included $110 billion in spending that lacked proper accounting.
“You never have an ounce of self-respect,” he addressed his colleagues. “To campaign on a promise to balance the budget, only to come here and pass $110 billion in unaccounted expenses!”
Earlier that day, Trump had targeted Roy on social media, accusing him of “ obstructing… yet another Great Republican Victory.” In a subsequent post, he suggested that Roy should face a primary challenge.
During his remarks, Roy, who has been in office since 2019, reminded his peers, “I want to emphasize, this is Article 1,” a comment that many interpreted as a subtle reminder that the Constitution grants Congress—not the president—the authority to determine the federal budget.
