The passage of the budget reconciliation bill by the House of Representatives in the early hours of May 22 demonstrated once again President Trump’s ability to win the votes of Republican members of Congress. But there were two noteworthy exceptions.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were the only Republicans to resist Trump’s pressure and vote against his so-called “big, beautiful bill.” Both men deserve the country’s gratitude, even from those on the political left who would struggle to find much in common with these far-right conservatives.

Both men are comfortable with Trump's MAGA-world and both have voting records that put them at odds with Democrats. But in voting to oppose the tax bill, they demonstrated that their convictions are real and lived up to the ideal of an independent legislative branch capable of acting without a president’s direction.

Alongside a Republican party unwilling to balance the power of the presidency, Democrats have demonstrated an equally unproductive tendency to place loyalty to a party leader above their constituents and the country. The

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