Tillis becomes third GOP senator to oppose Trump' s big, beautiful bill
Source: The Hill
06/28/25 3:07 PM ET
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) announced after a meeting with Senate GOP leaders and colleagues Saturday afternoon that he will vote no on both the motion to proceed and final passage of the Republican megabill to implement President Trumps agenda because of deep cuts to federal Medicaid funding.
Tillis said he wants Senate Republican leaders to drop their plan to lower the cap on healthcare provider taxes and instead embrace the Medicaid language passed by the House last month, which would cut much less federal funding in the program.
Oh no. The data hasnt changed so I got to vote no, he said. The North Carolina Republican said Senate leaders should return to starting with the House baseline. Im going to vote no on motion to proceed and on final passage, he said.
Tilliss strong opposition to the bill is a significant development because two other Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.), have already said they will vote no.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5375176-thom-tillis-gop-senate-megabill-opposition/
The "test" (procedural) vote is basically a modified "cloture" vote which would happen before final debate and vote. The reconciliation allows the "51" for this cloture. "Concerned Collins" and "Hapless Hawley" had planned to let it go forward but with 3 others as "no" votes (SPAWN of Ron Paul, Rot Johnson, & Tillis), if there is another "no" out there (maybe Murkowsi?), they would need to make changes to get enough for a cloture.

leftieNanner
(15,991 posts)Senator Cassidy was a hard no on RFK jr too. Until he wasn't.
D. Spaulding
(286 posts)some kind of serious principles for the hometown, that they don't really have. I hope I'm wrong. But they'll probably accept some kind of empty promise, and then cave, so they can campaign on "standing up for (fill in the blank).
Iris
(16,477 posts)BaronChocula
(2,903 posts)Hellbilly Elegy Couchbanger can break the tie, if my math is right.
Fiendish Thingy
(19,805 posts)Mike 03
(18,513 posts)
MadameButterfly
(3,156 posts)they have a way of squeaking by. Only 3 dissenters allowed. After that, the twist arms, threaten, whatever they have to do.
BaronChocula
(2,903 posts)But what else can we do?
Fiendish Thingy
(19,805 posts)Guess they arent going to be canceled or rigged after all
mnhtnbb
(32,602 posts)against Tillis next year (Cooper is a Dem). Cooper is very well liked in NC and could be just the ticket to get rid of Tillis.
Iris
(16,477 posts)senseandsensibility
(22,692 posts)among the R's so that exactly the number of them that can vote no with it still passing are allowed to do so. Profiles in courage all the way around.
Cheezoholic
(3,037 posts)3825-87867
(1,445 posts)IF it should turn to a 49 no votes, Fetterman will make sure Johnson gets to break the tie.
Red Mountain
(2,120 posts)Just trying to grab a headline or two in his reelection bid.
Wants to appear 'moderate'.
Mike 03
(18,513 posts)I can't think of a single instance when he's defied Trump on anything. He's one of he worst.
Skittles
(165,498 posts)yes indeed
*note: I have always expected him to fold
republianmushroom
(20,412 posts)0rganism
(25,219 posts)F47 gets what F47 wants, or people "go through some things". Right now F47 wants that bill on his desk by Friday, and he's going to get it one way or another. He wants to brag about it throughout next weekend. None of the GOP want to be on his shitlist for having messed up this bigly propaganda moment.
You can bet Sen. Murkowski has received some very interesting phone messages over the last 3 days.
Irish_Dem
(71,638 posts)0rganism
(25,219 posts)Clarification: they'll go after any GOP senator who looks like a potential 4th wobbler.
At this point, they'd have to go out of their way to convince me otherwise, and I don't think they care enough to do that if they could.
...Aaaand she just voted for the bill.
Irish_Dem
(71,638 posts)We see Trump do it in public almost every day.
It is fact.
We can only imagine what the hell he does in private.
mdbl
(6,785 posts)
Irish_Dem
(71,638 posts)Like Sinema and Manchin.
BumRushDaShow
(155,467 posts)Mainly anything related to Israel and the ME. Almost everything else he has voted with (D)s.
He voted against moving the craven bill forward (cloture vote).
https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00329.htm
Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
Booker (D-NJ)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Fetterman (D-PA)
Gallego (D-AZ)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Hirono (D-HI)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kelly (D-AZ)
Kim (D-NJ)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lujan (D-NM)
Markey (D-MA)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Ossoff (D-GA)
Padilla (D-CA)
Paul (R-KY)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Rosen (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schiff (D-CA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Slotkin (D-MI)
Smith (D-MN)
Tillis (R-NC)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warner (D-VA)
Warnock (D-GA)
Warren (D-MA)
Welch (D-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Irish_Dem
(71,638 posts)LudwigPastorius
(12,802 posts)Translation: "Back up the Brinks truck, because my vote is going to cost ya."
RobertDevereaux
(1,999 posts)and slam the traitorous mothefucker square in the chops? Are you up to the task?
barbtries
(30,549 posts)Tillis voted no.
What I think is they get together with all the no votes and draw straws to see which one gets to actually vote no when the vote happens.
and i called his ass and thanked him. it was all performative.
patphil
(8,028 posts)But, we all know none of them really care about the American People.
The only problem could arise if 2 of them think they're casting the 3rd "No" vote, and the bill accidentally goes down 49 to 51.
Then they'd have to have a second vote to fix it.
The optics on that would be so embarrassing.