Republicans: “Nobody Read the Damn Bill!”

Principles of Good Government 101, as taught by GOP champions — here are 16 sweet examples.

I know many of you expect me to criticize Republicans in this space.

But today — as Congress barrels toward passing Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” — I want to provide Republicans with a truly unfettered forum to share their solemn philosophy of government. Especially as it applies to sound legislative practice.

In their own words. No commentary by me. No snark. Just a faithful restatement of profound sentiment.

🧾 Taking a stand against the legislative tyranny of the rushed mega-bill

1. Sen. Josh Hawley (R‑MO)
Repeatedly condemned “a corrupt and broken process that leaves no room for debate.”

2. Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑TX)
Blasted the “absurdity” of voting on unread, unprinted legislation, calling it “a disgrace.”

3. Sen. John Thune (R‑SD)
Said: “We have tried to work with the Democrats to get them to come to the table and negotiate.”

4. Sen. Ron Johnson (R‑WI)
Protested rushed procedures and demanded that Senate staff read the full bill aloud.

5. Rep. Byron Donalds (R‑FL)
Said bluntly on national TV: “It’s a disgrace. Nobody here read the damn bill!”

6. Rep. Jim Jordan (R‑OH)
Declared: “This is what the swamp does — passes giant bills in the dead of night.”

7. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA)
Said she would’ve voted no had she known about a provision on AI oversight: “I didn’t know about it.”

8. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R‑CO)
Described the bill as “a steaming pile of unread paper” that was shared with no time for review.

9. Rep. Andy Biggs (R‑AZ)
Said flatly: “If I don’t have time to read the bill, I’m probably a no.”

10. Rep. Chip Roy (R‑TX)
Described the process as “legislative malpractice” and attacked leadership for “jamming through 10 bills... while we fly back,”

11. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R‑PA)
Described Congress as “looting, not legislating” after being handed mega-bills overnight.

12. Rep. Ralph Norman (R‑SC)
Criticized the process for providing the final bill text only hours before the vote: “That’s not transparency.”

13. Rep. Thomas Massie (R‑KY)
Condemned the bill as “2,000 pages passed without amendment, without transparency.”

14. Rep. Mike Flood (R‑NE)
Admitted he hadn’t read a major bill before voting for it: “If I had, I might have voted differently.”

15. Rep. Dan Bishop (R‑NC)
Tweeted in outrage over being handed a 5,593-page bill hours before the vote: “This is why Congress is broken.”

*16. Paul Ryan (R‑WI, former Speaker)…bonus example.
“I don’t think we should pass bills that we haven’t read, that we don’t know what they cost.”

This, of course, is just a sampling of Republicans’ pious indignation. A larger number of House GOP members told reporters they were shocked to learn what was actually in the bill they had just passed.

But enough about the years 2021 and 2022. (Except for the vintage Ryan gem I felt moved to add from 2009.) That’s when they spoke these words publicly.

Now, I confess this might strike some as a bit unfair. Let’s face it: times change. Going all the way back in U.S. history to the years 2021 and 2022 — when Democrats controlled the Presidency and both chambers of Congress — discounts the fact that values and philosophies evolve over time. Who among us even remembers those days?

The memories of prominent Senate and House Republicans don’t seem to extend that far back.

Or perhaps they do. But they just don’t care.

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