Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Thomas Massie

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

174 words · 15 sentences · 18 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 88 / 100

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

Claims 60%Positioning 11%The ask 13%Reasoning 13%Procedure 4%

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

Madam Chair, Claims · 42 wordsI offer this amendment sincerely for the American people because the price of housing, the price of fuel, the price of everything is going up because our government, frankly, is spending too much money.Off point We are borrowing money. We are printing money, Positioning · 19 wordsand why are we doing this? Are we doing this to support our own infrastructure or our own veterans?Positioning Claims · 18 wordsNo. A lot of this money goes overseas, and one of the recipients is the country of Jordan. The ask · 9 wordsI think we should end foreign aid to Jordan. Claims · 40 wordsAs our debt approaches $40 trillion, it is more and more urgent.¹ I have noticed that the money that we sent to Jordan has tripled since 2008.² It started out at about $600 million, ³and now it is $2.1 billion.⁴ Reasoning · 9 wordsThis is too much. We shouldn’t be doing it. Claims · 4 wordsJordan is a monarchy.⁵ Reasoning · 13 wordsThey do not deserve the support of our democratic Republic of this country. The ask · 13 wordsI think we should end the support to their country from our taxpayers. 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 · 84

3 of 4 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.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and why are we doing this?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Are we doing this to support our own infrastructure or our own veterans?”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 · 79

1 of 4 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.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I offer this amendment sincerely for the American people because the price of housing, the price of fuel, the price of everything is going up because our government, frankly, is spending too much money.”Speaks to general inflation and government overspending rather than the appropriations bill or the amendment before the House.

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 4 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“As our debt approaches $40 trillion”The U.S. national debt is approaching $40 trillion.search
2“the money that we sent to Jordan has tripled since 2008”U.S. aid to Jordan has tripled since 2008.search
3“It started out at about $600 million”U.S. aid to Jordan was about $600 million in 2008.search
4“now it is $2.1 billion”U.S. aid to Jordan is now $2.1 billion.search
5“Jordan is a monarchy”Jordan is governed as a monarchy.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15