MAGA politicians are lining up to blast President Donald Trump’s latest “horses--t” idea.
Trump has indicated a willingness to bail out Spirit Airlines, which has filed for bankruptcy protection twice in less than a year, in November 2024 and August 2025. The unconfirmed plans would reportedly see the government lend the business up to $500 million before taking a 90 percent stake.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is also the Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, previously called the idea “absolutely terrible.” He has now doubled down, urging Trump to reconsider.
“It is a terrible idea; corporate bailouts are a mistake,” the major Trump ally told Semafor. “The federal government doesn’t know a damn thing about running a budget airline—so I hope that this ill-conceived idea is put back on the shelf.”
Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy agrees. The MAGA lawmaker, who was brave enough to break with Trump on his war of words with the pope earlier this month, even called out Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has reportedly lobbied the president to back Spirit.
“Right now, we can’t pass gas around here, much less a bill doing a Spirit deal,” said Kennedy, adding that “Lutnick is giving the president incredibly bad advice.”
Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, who wore a tie with pictures of Trump’s face on it to February’s State of the Union address, even let rip. “Where does it end? I mean, next thing you know, we’ll be bailing out football teams. I’m not a big fan of it,” Nehls, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said.
Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Colombia-born populist who once called Trump a “lunatic,” said he does not think “it’s unreasonable to have a conversation” about the airline’s future, particularly given the potential for job losses.
“It’s 14,000 jobs, and maybe the federal government should help that one out,” Trump told CNBC in an interview earlier this month.
However, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said the move is tantamount to “rewarding failure.” The Kentucky lawmaker and vocal Trump critic explained the bankruptcy process, touting its merits and contradicting Trump’s job-loss claim along the way.
“What happens if they go bankrupt is, somebody buys their planes; somebody takes over their leases at the gates; and somebody hires their employees and their pilots who are trained,” he said. “But the shareholders who failed to address a bad business model lose out—and they should.”
Other, more moderate Republicans thought the idea was bad. Outgoing GOP Sen. Thom Tillis called it “horses**t.”
“My God: 10 percent stake in Intel, five to 10 percent stakes in three or four mining companies, ‘golden share’ of U.S. Steel—and now a half-a-billion dollar stake in Spirit Airlines,” the frequent Trump critic said of federal forays into private business.
“I don’t really want to help Spirit,” Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said. “Maybe I don’t get it. But Spirit is one of the worst in terms of how they treat their customers.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has made a habit of disagreeing with Trump, did so again. “This would be a really bad idea. I don’t think you want the government owning airlines,” he told Semafor Tuesday. He added that he would “share [that] view” with the Trump administration if officials enquired about his thoughts.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she “doesn’t get” why Spirit is being favored over other struggling airlines.
The ultra-low-cost carrier, which relies heavily on cheap fuel to keep its ticket prices low, has been scrambling to stay afloat after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2025. Trump’s war in Iran has sent fuel prices spiraling for companies and everyday Americans at the pump.
Other airlines have been hit, too. Frontier, Avelo, and other budget carriers are angling for federal cash in return for warrants that could hand the U.S. government an equity slice in the airlines, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A White House official told Semafor that the criticism is “premature.” “The Trump administration has not released any concrete plan on potential federal assistance for Spirit Airlines,” they said.
