President Donald Trump left the script during the last speech in Pittsburgh with a strange attack on US representative Brian Fitzpatrick, one of two republicans from the house who voted against his signature of the national politics package.
Without the operate of his name, Trump accused the Moderate Republican of Bucks of disloyal for opposing his “great beautiful bill”, which became the law last month.
“I made him a great personal favor. As great as you can be related to death and life,” he said mysteriously on the stage at the University of Carnegie Mellon.
“Sure, he voted against us,” said Trump. “… so much about a favor.”
This comment emphasized that Fitzpatrick became occasional in Washington as one of the few Republicans ready to vote against Trump, the president who got used to the loyalty of GOP in Absolute law. Just over a year before the election in the middle of the five -time legislator, he claims that his voting against the Act of the Trump budget emphasizes his loyalty to voters of his purple district, which includes the Bucks and Sliver of Montgomery.
»Read more: Pennsylvania representative Brian Fitzpatrick is a lonely voice of GOP against a “large, beautiful bill”
The Independent Fitzpatrick series – although interrogated by some Democrats, who notice that they have not yet sunk one of the key bills of their party – can assist him win re -election in the suburban district of Swing during A year of high rate in which democrats attack him 1. Congress district headquarters. But it can also cause the rejection of Trump’s loyalists, especially if the president increases the volume of his frustration Fitzpatrick.
“Large personal favor”
Democratic Congress The Campaign Committee (DCC) jumped to the president’s commentary on making Fitzpatrick “Big Personal Piglet” in mid-July with a gust of e-mail By asking what “destructive blackmail” Trump can stick to Fitzpatrick and whether he will operate him to support the main claimant against him.
The history of the president’s commentary is really deeply personal, but far from the ominous, as described by several Republicans from Pennsylvania and confirmed Fitzpatrick.
In 2020, the older brother of Fitzpatrick, former US representative Mike Fitzpatrick, died at the age of 56 after the fight against cancer. Moving the deceased Congressman was that the National Cemetery of Veterans for the Bucks Function in Washington Crossing. It seemed that the older Fitzpatrick was buried there, but there was a punch of the ROTC Navy did not meet the required years of service.
The then speaker Kevin McCarthy, who served with Mike Fitzpatrick in Congress received the waiver of the Secretary for Veterans under Trump to make an exception to the deceased legislator. Thousands of people came to a two -day visit to pay tribute before his coffin was transported when he played Duda, to a military cemetery that helped to create.
Brian Fitzpatrick, which was first Deconed to fill in the place of his brother in 2016, he confirmed this account, but did not comment on Trump’s recent comments. The White House did not answer the request for comment.
“Regardless of the result or consequences”
Two days after Trump’s appearance in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick voted against the Act on resignation, including deep cuts in public broadcast and was pushed by the administration. The bill, like the budget package, has been transferred without the support of Fitzpatrick. His opposition to both bills caused a slight harm to Trump or GOP leaders, but again he distinguished him from the rest of the party.
As a speaker of the house, Mike Johnson (R., La.) And Republicans tried to vote for a budget account delayed on July 2, Fitzpatrick has already explained where he stood. And he didn’t move. Initially, he voted for the law on the house, but said that he opposed the deeper cuts to Snap and Medicaid added by the Senate And he had concerns about the latter influence on hospitals.
“I clearly explained to every level of the chamber leadership, including the speaker myself, long before voting that I was difficult in the language of the Senate, and that my voice was not for discussion or negotiations, regardless of the result or consequences,” said Fitzpatrick in a statement.
Voting can protect him from attacks that democrats rule against the Republicans who voted Unpopular invoice.
But his likely opponent next year, the Commissioner of the Democratic County Bob Harvie, said that Fitzpatrick is still responsible for the damage that the bill may cause, given that he supported the original bill, which adopted one vote before he objected to the final version of the Senate.
“He should have killing this Bill when he was home,” Harva said. “I don’t know if he is looking for his moment to be his John McCain,” he said, appearing McCain Voting 2017 which protected the law at an affordable price During the first term of Trump.
Harvie said Fitzpatrick is far from Maverick in his party.
“He does what his party allows him,” Harva said. “When they need his vote, he is there with them. When they don’t do it, they tell him that he can pretend to be independent.”
DCC, who has long been trying to tear Fitzpatrick and claims that they will exaggerate his bilateral Bona Fides, plans to hit him on the initial vote “yes”. The group has already begun to conduct advertising that blames him for hospitals losing funds.
For his part, Fitzpatrick said he voted in his district.
“The only people I report are the inhabitants of the first Congress District in Pennsylvania – they are my bosses, and I answer them and themselves,” said Fitzpatrick in a statement for Inquirer.
“ `Bold thing to do ”
There used to be dozens of moderates reminiscent of Fitzpatrick In Washington, often crossing the passage and accumulating a refined voting record. But this type of legislator is becoming more and more circumscribed because the electorate has become more polarized.
Fitzpatrick is one of only three Republicans In the Chamber representing the districts, which Trump lost in 2024, one of the other two US representative Don Bacon (R., neb.) Retires this year.
AND The first Congress District of Fitzpatrick is unique even among swing districts, with more rural, suburban and workers’ pockets-the microcosm of the state and the country.
“He must play a four -grade chess with constituencies and understand the impact of legislation and their influence on such a wide range of coalition,” said GOP consultant Matt Beynon, whose consulting agency worked with both Fitzpatrick brothers.
A successful in the middle of the period in the middle of 2026, Harvie has been well known in the county and for years can be the most challenging challenge for Fitzpatrick.
But Fitzpatrick still seems to have a wide charm. He collected Harvie 5-1, from the end of June. And even when the National Democratic Party is preparing to displace it, the democratic colleagues of Fitzpatrick in the chamber praise him for voting against Trump’s legislation.
“It was a bold thing”, US representative Tom Suzzi, AND New York Democrat, who co -chairing a bilateral solving of Kauck’s problems with Fitzpatrick.
“When you are in a difficult place that can go both ways, it makes you have to represent all your people … It forces you to rip your people more.”
US Rep. Ro khanna, California Democrat who grew up in Bucks, called the voice of Fitzpatrick, “principles” and He said that “he always considered him an independent mind, to earth and faithful to his values.”
“I would like a few more Republicans to join us,” he added US representative Brendan Boyle from Philadelphia, a Democrat ranking in the Chamber’s budget committee, which supervised most of the debate on the budget act.
Basic challenge?
As a relatively moderate Republican, Fitzpatrick is no longer foamed in more conservative GOP clubs in Bucks. After voting against the so -called “Big Beautiful Bill”, Maga Influcencercers and bottom -up organizers, like Scott PresleR went down in social media, ACALNIE with the recruitment of the main contenders to Fitzpatrick in 2026.
This approach can go back to the party, said Jim Worthington, owner of the Bucks Ferrious Ferrings Club and Trump’s longtime ally. Worthington, who has some significant misunderstandings with Fitzpatrick, said he still considers him the best arrows of the party in a critical place in more and more blue suburbs in Philadelphia.
“We cannot afford to lose this mandate, and the Democrats vote for the accusation of Trump every other week,” said Worthington, who noticed that the control of Republicans towards Fitzpatrick would probably be more intense if the law was not adopted.
Fitzpatrick has In the past, he handled more conservative pretenders.
“He knows his district better than anyone else,” said a Republican, a Republican who republican republican represents the Bucks Flachers. “He consistently overtook everyone on the ticket.”
Despite this, some Republican strategists are wondering if Fitzpatrick is additionally distanced from Trump, he can hurt him in universal elections when he needs support from the base.
“There is a good chance that Trump’s voters remain at home at Brian Fitzpatrick,” said one of the GOP strategies that did not want to be mentioned when criticizing a member of his party. “Unless Trump does not do something that signals them.”
Fitzpatrick and Trump did not agree in the past. Fitzpatrick was a lonely Republican of Pennsylvania, who confirmed the victory of former President Joe Biden in 2020, a former FBI agent, who spent on the spot Stationed Ukraine, is one of the strongest voices of support for Ukraine in Congress, consistently forcing the administration to do more to assist the country.
But Fitzpatrick avoided all public confrontations and as long as the enigmatic comment in Pittsburgh also largely.
But the debate on the law continues even after its passage. Within a few weeks, Fitzpatrick had an eye on legislation to undo certain provisions in the account package, a chase that could stimulate Trump even more.
He introduced a bilateral law on tax integrity from 2025 with a democratic representative Jared Golden. Bill would set a recent highest income tax rate $ 1 million for individuals. He is also working on a bill that would extend Biden’s IRA and other tax breaks that would extend Aca Premium tax breaks.
“I do not report to any page or any person in Washington,” said Fitzpatrick in a statement to Inquirer. “Regardless of what consequences are associated with this, I am prepared to accept.”
Due to the production error, an earlier version of this article, which was incomplete.
