Immediately following the razor thin House vote, Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr, who is also running for US Senate, applauded the bill's passage. He told Fox News the winners are "he people of Kentucky and the people of every state across this country who will now see their taxes reduced, the border secured, Medicaid more efficient and right sized for the people who need it."
Barr went on to describe the measure as "jet fuel for the economy." He also pushed back on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's projections, which say the bill will add $3.8 trillion to federal deficits.
This bill is a debt bomb ticking."Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)
"I do think that some of the estimates here are understating the growth effects," Barr said. "There is massive, massive pull forward in terms of the economic growth effects of this, the bonus depreciation immediately, the fact that we have this Made in America provision that will reward investment and onshoring."
Yet the pressure on deficits and tremors in the bond market were cited by Fourth District Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the two Republican "no" votes on the bill.
I’d love to stand here and tell the American people “we can cut your taxes and increase spending and everything will be fine.”
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 22, 2025
But I can’t because I’m here to deliver a dose of reality about the ticking debt bomb known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” pic.twitter.com/eLT5GwNj11
"This bill is a debt bomb ticking," he announced. "Congress can do funny math, fantasy math if it wants, but bond investors don't. And this week, they sent us a message. Moody's downgraded our credit rating."
A major concern for many in the Commonwealth is looming cuts to Medicaid.
Dustin Pugel with the left leaning Kentucky Center for Economic Policy said, "This would translate to an estimated $1.7 billion cut to Kentucky's Medicaid program, terminating health coverage for as many as 345,000 people across the state. Kentucky would see the second largest cut proportionate to our Medicaid program."
Pugel said the bill is going to foist uncomfortable questions on the Kentucky General Assembly, suggesting state lawmakers would be forced to raise taxes, cut other areas of the budget, or do away with food assistance benefits to nearly 600,000 Kentuckians.
The bill now moves to the US Senate, where all eyes in Kentucky will be on Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul — with the latter having echoed Massie's concerns about spending levels.