Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Thomas Massie

Republican on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027 2026-07-15

203 words · 17 sentences · 20 clauses

Statement grade

A+

Average 96 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 5%Claims 70%Reasoning 12%Positioning 6%The ask 6%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam Chair, Procedure · 4 wordsmy amendment is simple.Procedure Claims · 101 wordsIt strikes $3.3 billion of foreign aid to the country of Israel from the State Department funding bill.¹ We have $39.4 trillion of debt.² We have needs at home, which include our infrastructure, our roads and bridges. We have a shortfall in this fund. We have our locks and dams, and we are perpetually trying to figure out new funding mechanisms to come up with. We have homeless veterans. We are sending more money to Israel in this bill than we spend on homeless veterans in this country.³ Just to put it in perspective, there are 3,000 counties in this country, ⁴Reasoning · 15 wordsand if we divide that into $3 billion, that is $1 million from every county. Positioning · 12 wordsThis is not an insignificant amount of money that is going overseas.Positioning The ask · 13 wordsI think we should stop it. We should put them on a diet. Claims · 16 wordsThey are the biggest welfare recipient of the United States and have been for many years. Madam Chair, Claims · 26 words$310 billion has been received by Israel from the taxpayers of the United States.⁵ That is in inflation-adjusted dollars since we have been giving them money. Reasoning · 9 wordsThat is why I think this amendment is important. Madam Chair, Procedure · 7 wordsI reserve the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 88

3 of 3 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “my amendment is simple.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This is not an insignificant amount of money that is going overseas.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I reserve the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 3 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 3 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 5

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“It strikes $3.3 billion of foreign aid to the country of Israel”The Massie amendment to the FY2027 State Department appropriations bill strikes $3.3 billion of foreign aid to Israel.search
2“We have $39.4 trillion of debt”US federal debt as of July 2026 was $39.4 trillion.search
3“We are sending more money to Israel in this bill than we spend on homeless veterans in this country.”The aid to Israel in this bill exceeds what the US spends on homeless veterans programs.search
4“there are 3,000 counties in this country”The United States has 3,000 counties.search
5“$310 billion has been received by Israel from the taxpayers of the United States”Israel has received $310 billion from US taxpayers, in inflation-adjusted dollars, since US aid began.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15