by WorldTribune Staff, June 29, 2025 Real World News
In a 51 to 49 vote on Saturday, the Senate advanced President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” toward a final vote as early as Monday.
Two Republicans, Sen. Thomas Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom TIllisTrump slammed Tillis, writing in a post to Truth Social:
“Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina. Even on the catastrophic flooding, nothing was done to help until I took office. Then a MIRACLE took place! Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!”
Tillis, who said he opposed the bill mainly due to its Medicaid reform provisions, announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.
“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said.
“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term,” Tillis, 64, said in a statement Sunday afternoon. He said his choice was between “spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington” or spending that time with his family.
“It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,” he said.
Tillis was assured of facing stiff competition in the 2026 Republican primary.
Trump said Tillis had a “big mistake” with his no vote on the tax and spending bill and added that he was “looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.”
Republican Rep. Greg Murphy is seriously considering running for Tillis’s seat, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Rep. Pat Harrigan is also eyeing a run, the Journal reported.
In May, Tillis was one of a few Republicans who derailed Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin for Washington’s top federal prosecutor, over the lawyer’s advocacy for J6 defendants. Trump later pulled Martin’s nomination and appointed him as U.S. pardon attorney instead.
Tillis, in his second term in the Senate, said: “I still look forward to continuing to serve North Carolina over the next 18 months. I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or ever campaigning for another election. I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.”
NC Sen. Thom Tillis, who crossed Trump on ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, won’t seek re-election added by Editor Two on June 29, 2025
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