I’m a Republican and I think the One Big Beautiful Bill is a betrayal | Opinion

Cowards. That’s the only word that fits Senate Republicans who voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill. Each and every one of them campaigned on fiscal responsibility and waved the banner of limited government. Then when push came to shove, all but three folded.

While White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insists this is “one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation that has ever made its way through Capitol Hill,” that rings hollow and has echoes of then-President Barack Obama’s “If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan.”

There is nothing fiscally conservative about a bill that expands government spending, deepens deficits, piles on $4 trillion more in debt and accelerates the insolvency of Social Security and Medicare. And, what happened to the DOGE cuts? Was it all just political theater — an illusion of fiscal discipline — while Washington went right back to business as usual?

Fiscal conservatism didn’t just die — it was pushed off a cliff by the very people who once claimed to defend it. I won’t blame Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski whose 2004 campaign I ran. She saw an opportunity to deliver for her state and took it. That’s smart politics.

GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against the bill. The other Republican senators traded principle for political survival. It wasn’t just cowardice; it was a risky political gamble.

First, there is Elon Musk. By threatening to campaign against any member of Congress who voted for the bill and floating the idea of forming a third party, Musk could alter the political landscape and make it more difficult for Republicans in tight races to win.

Then there is the problem of selling this monstrosity to the American people, many of whom were already skeptical of the legislation. Of course, Republican leaders will focus on the benefits of extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and increased funding for immigration enforcement. But here’s the simple truth: You can’t take health care away from working families and expect them to vote for you.

Democrats have been rudderless since November, and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in the Democratic primary last month triggered full-blown panic among some.

Now, Republicans have handed Democrats a lifeline — an albatross to hang around the necks of every GOP candidate in 2026.

Before we get too excited about painting Mamdani as a socialist nightmare — pointing to his calls to raise the minimum wage, tax the rich, impose price controls, and redistribute wealth — Republicans need to face the uncomfortable truth that Trump and some MAGA senators have floated the same populist nonsense.

That brings me to two lawmakers who have had enough, Sen. Tillis and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, both of whom recently announced they won’t seek re-election.

Once freed from the looming threat of a Trump-backed primary challenger, they found the courage to speak out — honestly, directly and without fear. While the primary system itself is undeniably broken, their retirements stand as some of the most powerful arguments for term limits we’ve seen in years.

Let’s be honest. Most members of Congress aren’t legislating anymore. They’re not focused on solving real problems or defending the Constitution. They’re posturing, grandstanding and playing to cameras. Every move they make is driven by the need to survive the next election.

When the signers of the Declaration of Independence wrote, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” they meant it. That consent loses meaning when elected officials remain in office for life, fearing the wrath of a president more than the will of the people they were sent to serve.

Term limits won’t fix everything, but they would break the cycle. They would force members to focus on governing instead of campaigning and restore a measure of accountability.

This Independence Day, let’s do more than celebrate our freedom. Let’s renew our commitment to it. Let’s remember that our Founding Fathers staked everything on a simple but revolutionary idea: that individual rights are God-given, liberty is sacred, and the power of government must rest squarely in the hands of the people.

This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM.