We can always count on Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to do the wrong thing. He’s been a grumpy cat for months now, ever since President Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against him, which led the North Carolina Republican to abandon his bid for another term. Tillis was already becoming a thorn in the side of the Trump White House before that, especially with his antics that nearly derailed the Secretary of War nomination of Pete Hegseth and halted the full-time appointment of Ed Martin as D.C. Attorney.
Now, with parts of the SAVE America Act being mulled for inclusion in reconciliation 3.0, Tillis vows to bring hell on Earth in the Senate to stop it (via The Hill):
Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), a retiring Republican who has become one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration in his party, delivered harsh words for President Trump’s top-priority voter ID legislation on the Senate floor Thursday morning, saying he would stall it if the legislation came again to the Senate.
“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said, nearly shouting, on the Senate floor.
Tillis has suggested before that he’ll block efforts to pass that bill if given the chance. But his speech Wednesday comes as the House debates a party-line package that includes some provisions of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, an election security bill that Trump wants Congress to pass before anything else. Versions of the bill have already failed to pass the Senate multiple times.
Tillis, clearly incensed, argued it would be impossible to put the provisions of the bill into practice even if Congress did manage to enact it, with so little time before the November elections.
Independent reporter Sara Gonzales asked why Tillis opposes this bill. He appeared quite irritated by her question.
Sara Gonzales questioned Sen. Thom Tillis on his vote against the Save America Act and nearly $700K in donations from industries tied to cheap illegal labor. Tillis appeared irritated and walked away during the hallway confrontation. https://t.co/5vhjPr5KRm
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 14, 2026
RINO Thom Tillis is so MAD about me calling him out for voting AGAINST the Save America Act that he’s talking about me on the Senate floor! 😂 pic.twitter.com/epfoZA89e1
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) July 16, 2026
Pass the bill. Protect our election. This isn’t hard, Senator.
