Posted on 04/29/2026 7:43:09 AM PDT by TBP
Breaking: Ed Gallrein (Thomas Massie’s opponent) has received government benefits for claiming to be 100% physically disabled, while also claiming to do demanding full-time farm work on his family’s operation.
Gallrein received two PPP loans during COVID, including one used to pay himself for farm work. His campaign frequently shares photos and stories highlighting his supposed active involvement in farm labor. On the Bill Cunningham Show, he cited “farm work to do” as the reason for skipping a debate with Massie.
Real full-time farm work is physically demanding and inconsistent with what most people would expect from someone receiving full disability benefits. This raises serious questions about consistency, transparency, and accountability—especially amid growing scrutiny of disability and Medicaid fraud nationwide. If elected to Congress, how does Mr. Gallrein plan to address these issues?
My initial documentation includes an affidavit signed by Gallrein stating he is 100% disabled and qualifying for special property tax rates.
I submitted the following questions to the Gallrein campaign:
- Given that farm work is physically demanding, I would like to understand the nature of Mr. Gallrein’s disability. Is it physical, mental, or both?
- If the disability is physical, how is Mr. Gallrein able to perform the demanding tasks associated with operating a farm? Alternatively, has the campaign overstated his day-to-day involvement in farm operations?
- If the 100% disability rating stems from a mental health condition, how would this affect his ability to serve effectively in Congress? Members of Congress routinely face high-pressure situations, intense media scrutiny, and debates. Would such a condition impact his capacity to represent constituents under these circumstances?
- Has Mr. Gallrein’s disability played a role in his decision to cancel appearances at several Lincoln Day dinners? Has it also factored into the campaign’s decision not to participate in a debate or forum with Congressman Massie?
The campaign responded that his rating is “100% physical—physical only,” but that he works the farm anyway “because in Kentucky, that’s what you do when there’s work to be done.”
This response still leaves important questions unanswered about how a 100% physical disability squares with the manual labor he publicly claims to perform.
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Two More Years of Massie....UGH
Through grit and determination, which seems to be completely foreign to Massie.
Guy has been an obvious fraud from the beginning
It’s both sad and amusing to see how much money the establishment has wasted promoting this jackass just to watch him get smoked in the primary
lol check your meds man they ware way off
If he would be able to represent Americans in Congress, he should at least be able to manage a from-home customer service job, even if just for a government.
You have that backwards.
One of the best we have. Not a listless vessels like so many of them.
When I moved to the Ozarks in the 70s, there were lots of guys on disability. They helped make ends meet by cutting, splitting, hauling and ranking firewood.
100% disabled means you can't work. Yet he's working.
Sounds like SSD needs to send a private investigator to film his “farm work”. I’m 100% disabled and I couldn’t do any meaningful work, unless it was from the cab of a tractor. And even that would be marginal as my feet don’t always do what I tell them.
CC
This is my shocked face.
Do hillbillies hold grifting gubmint benefits against a guy?
Shoot that might make the guy more qualified by the standards to which they elect officeholders.
I don’t think this will matter. People are trying to make this into “learing center” type fraud, but I fail to see what the big deal is.
“If Special Ed is 100% disabled, how is he even able to do farm work?”
The 100% disability can be confusing. A veterans with a 100% VA disability rating can work, specifically if they have a 100% Schedular Rating (permanent or temporary). There are no income restrictions for schedular ratings. Conversely, if rated 100% via Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), you cannot work in “substantially gainful employment” (income must be below the poverty level). The article is not complete enough to determine the type of farm work he is doing. If he can drive a tractor or a harvester, it’s not the same as using a shovel or hand moving hay bails. And, again, as long as the pay is keeping him below or at the poverty line, he can do it. That’s for 100% Schedular (Permanent & Total - P&T).
There is another called 100% Schedular (Temporary) which is often granted after surgeries or for specific, treatable conditions. Working is allowed, but it may trigger a reevaluation if it suggests improvement.
If you are 100% because the VA considers you “unemployable,” you can only work in a “protected environment” (e.g., family business, sheltered workshop) as long as your income remains below the federal poverty line.
So he may not be working in a job that challenges his disability or enough pay to go over the line.
wy69
I agree - Massie seems to be one of the most consistently disciplined people in Congress on why he does what he does and says what he says. The media does not correctly report his positions and allows it to present as a split as a RINO with Trump. Massey was most likely representative to oppose every Biden effort (tied with Chip Roy). He was a TEA Party original.
The reality in my opinion is he is principled and that is being used to bog down Trump’s agenda - Massie’s arguments are in fiscal nature only. I think he is right. Trump is also right; but Trump is playing the ‘Deal or No Deal’ version of politics that leaves a lot of things undone or entrenched further.
Trump is in a difficult position - dealing with principled people in an attempt to accomplish his goals demonstrates how corrupt and broken the system is that exists. Leadership in the House and Senate is what is needed to help principled people in Congress and achieve the President’s goals. But, I feel that is a bridge too far for who is in control of things.
If they can do all that, how can they legitimately claim disability?
From lots of news reports, disability claims are a pretty common scam. I know that when I applied for Social Security, I was the only one with grey hair in the waiting room.
add to list ... Useless words in 2026
Free
Disability
Needy
Do you really think Ed is gonna win the primary?
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