A Libertarian Republican in the House is giving House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., credit for running a more inclusive House that allowed one of his bills to move in the chamber this week.
In contrast, he said former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, used to call him names.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., noted Wednesday that his bill to more fully audit the Federal Reserve passed out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week, and said that never could have happened under Boehner.
“I would have to say, it is run differently. I think Speaker Ryan is more inclusive than Speaker Boehner,” Massie said on CSPAN.
“Speaker Boehner called Ted Cruz a few names,” he added. “I didn’t go out and tell anybody in the media, but he’s also called me names.”
“And when somebody asked him why aren’t you moving Massie’s bill, he would say, ‘Well, because he’s a … whatever,'” Massie said.
But Massie said Ryan isn’t that way, and said movement on his bill to audit the Fed is proof. “That’s a first for me, and it would never have happened under John Boehner,” he said.
Massie noted that he was one of the few GOP lawmakers who didn’t vote for Ryan late last year. But he said it would be wrong to say things haven’t improved so far.
Still, he noted that Republicans as a whole need to understand that people aren’t happy with how things have been run, and said that frustration can be seen in the rise of Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
Massie noted that House Republicans don’t yet seem to understand the forces at work that ended up forcing Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., out of leadership.
“[T]he guys that were running the [GOP conference] meeting when I got here are not here,” he said. “And the fundamental disconnect is, in that meeting, we never speak about why those two men aren’t running the meeting anymore.”
He said dissatisfaction from voters around the country is what really lead to a change in leadership, and said the GOP needs to address those frustrations head on.
“Until my colleagues resolve the dissatisfaction of the American people with our job performance, they’re not going to be able to understand why Donald Trump is so popular,” he said.
Massie said as a delegate to the GOP convention, he would be casting a vote for Trump.
