In an interview with The New American on October 22, Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) delivered a powerful critique of Washington’s globalist economic policies and unconstitutional governance, offering practical legislative solutions rooted in constitutional and America First principles.
The discussion began with the Trump administration’s decision to bail out Argentina with $40 billion and purchase Argentine beef, a move President Donald Trump said “will bring our beef prices down.” Representative Massie warned that flooding the U.S. market with foreign beef “hurts U.S. farmers” and undermines domestic agriculture. He argued that “there are better solutions to bringing the price of beef down in the supermarket without hurting our farmers.” His twofold solution: Reinstate Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) and pass his PRIME Act (H.R. 4700).
COOL and PRIME
COOL allowed consumers to know where their meat originated from. However, it was repealed by Congress in a Republican-passed omnibus bill that Democratic President Barack Obama signed into law on December 18, 2015. Now, instead of bearing such labels, all beef is stamped “USDA,” misleading shoppers into believing it is from the United States. “People think that means USA,” Massie said, “but when that Argentine beef shows up at the supermarket, it’s likely nobody will know where it came from.” Reinstating COOL would let consumers “put America first” by choosing domestic products voluntarily — something that the WTO previously ruled as being “discriminatory” toward Canada and Mexico. Massie rejects that logic, calling it “a really contrived argument,” and is currently working to introduce new legislation to restore the mandatory labeling for beef and pork.
His PRIME Act complements that effort by reducing the burdensome federal inspection rules that favor large corporate processors over small, local custom slaughterhouses. His proposed bill would allow farmers and butchers to sell directly to local consumers under state supervision rather than federal oversight, helping to decentralize the food supply and strengthen rural economies. “Right now, we have scale prejudicial regulations. If you’re a custom slaughterhouse and you butcher, let’s say eight animals a day, you have the same compliance overhead as the Oscar Mayer wiener factory that’s butchering hundreds, if not thousands, of animals a day,” Massie said.
Unprecedented Recess; Fighting Disinformation
The conversation then shifted to the ongoing government shutdown. Massie criticized the House of Representatives’ current recess during the government shutdown, which he said was “unprecedented,” and accused Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of delaying the swearing-in of a newly elected member of Congress (Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona) in order to block a discharge petition to release the Epstein files. The petition would require the release of all of the government’s files regarding Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his client list (while protecting the names of the victims).
The interview also covered Massie’s efforts to stop the government from propagandizing Americans. Massie highlighted his bill to repeal the 2013 Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, which legalized domestic government propaganda. Originally banned after World War II, taxpayer-funded propaganda was reinstated under the “Tea Party” Republican House in 2012 and signed into law by President Obama. “They inserted a little provision into the National Defense Authorization Act,” Massie said. “I don’t think any president should have this power.” His new bill would restore the prohibition on propaganda, preventing agencies such as the little-known U.S. Agency for Global Media — which supervises Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia, among others — from targeting American citizens with federally funded disinformation.
Truly Constitutional
Despite his consistent constitutional voting record — holding a 99-percent lifetime Freedom Index score — Massie was labeled a “RINO” by President Trump in a screed posted October 17 on Truth Social. With his usual calm, Massie responded: “Two things can’t simultaneously be true. You can’t vote for every one of these big giant bills, and at the same time get 100% on defending the Constitution, because the bigger the bill gets, the more likely it is to infringe on the Constitution.”
Whether fighting foreign entanglements, corporate welfare, or domestic propaganda, Congressman Thomas Massie remains steadfast in his defense of liberty, free markets, government transparency, and constitutionalist governance. His example is a reminder that true conservatism is not fealty to a president, it’s fidelity to the Constitution. You can watch the half-hour-long video interview here at TheNewAmerican.com, or here on Rumble.
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