Thomas Massie, a U.S. Congressman representing Kentucky’s 4th district since 2012, shared a series of tweets on June 10, 2025, analyzing the deficit impact of the Build Back Better (BBB) plan through four graphs. Massie, who succeeded Geoff Davis in Congress and holds a degree from MIT, presented his perspective on the fiscal implications of the BBB.
In his first tweet “Four graphs of deficit impact of BBB.” posted at 12:35:14 UTC, Massie discusses the initial graph which compares the deficit impact of passing BBB against a baseline scenario where no action is taken. According to this graph, implementing BBB would add $500 billion to the deficit annually for three years without ever reducing it compared to allowing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) to expire.
Following up with another post “Second graph: “But wait…” at 12:35:15 UTC, Massie introduces a second graph that incorporates potential additional tax revenue from an assumed booming economy over ten years. Despite this optimistic projection, he states that it would still result in an additional $400 billion added to the deficit each year for three years.
In his third tweet “Third graph: “Wait…” at 12:35:17 UTC, Massie presents a third graph suggesting that if assumptions are made about making the 2017 tax cuts permanent by 2025 while also considering temporary tips and seniors’ tax cuts towards the deficit—set to expire in three years—the plan would continue adding billions to the deficit over this period.
Massie’s commentary provides insight into his fiscal concerns regarding federal budget policies and their long-term economic implications. As a representative from Kentucky’s 4th district with a background in engineering from MIT, he brings analytical rigor to these discussions.
