The FY2026 budget resolution cleared the House by just three votes — the slimmest margin of any budget vote in the current Congress. Every Republican No vote came with a story. We pulled the roll call, cross-referenced it with campaign finance records, and mapped it against each member's district.
The Full Vote Breakdown
| Party | Yea | Nay | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 215 | 3 | 2 |
| Democrat | 0 | 209 | 4 |
No Democrats voted in favor. All opposition to passage came from within the Republican caucus — a pattern that has defined the razor-thin GOP majority throughout the 119th Congress.
The Three Republican No Votes
Three members of the Republican caucus voted against their party on this resolution. Here's a breakdown of each:
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY-04)
Massie, a libertarian-leaning fiscal conservative, has voted against every budget resolution that increases the deficit. His No vote was expected — he has opposed deficit spending regardless of party. His top campaign donors include small-dollar individual contributors and libertarian-aligned PACs. He represents a safe rural Kentucky district with consistent R+30 margins.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05)
Spartz cited specific concerns about mandatory spending projections and the lack of entitlement reform language. She has been one of the more unpredictable votes in the current majority, breaking with leadership 14 times in the current session. Her Indiana district is more competitive — R+8 — and she faces a primary challenge in 2026.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC-05)
Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, opposed the resolution as insufficiently conservative on discretionary spending cuts. He pushed for deeper reductions before the vote. His top three PAC donors are affiliated with the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, and defense contractor interests — a contradiction that Norman has not publicly addressed.
What This Means Going Forward
A three-vote margin is not a governing majority. Republican leadership is now in budget reconciliation negotiations with no room for further defections. Speaker leadership has privately warned members that another No vote from the same group would collapse the entire fiscal framework for the year.
