Senator Thom Tillis gives as good as he gets

 

Trump attack on Powell causes Senate Republicans Tillis and Murkowski to threaten to block his future nominees to the Fed

Good. 

Powell investigation: Drumbeat of Republican opposition grows on Capitol Hill

Every Republican in the U.S. Senate drank the koolaid this morning and voted for the current policy baseline, including Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, you name 'em, they voted for it

I'm speechless.

The roll call vote is here. 

Using their magic eraser, the Trump tax cuts will cost $0 going forward. 

 

Words have a meaning, and Real Clear Politics wants you to think Donald Trump intimidated Senator Thom Tillis to disappear

NC GOP Senator Tillis Announces Resignation After Clash With Trump

Fox News is almost as bad:

 Thom Tillis announces retirement from Senate after clash with Trump 

The truth: ... The North Carolina Republican announced on Sunday that he would not seek reelection in the 2026 cycle. ...

Thom is still there, hopefully to vote Nay again today on Trump's big, ugly charade of a reconciliation bill, and will be there for eighteen more months, and there's not a damn thing Trump can do about it.

He will be a potent second potential Nay vote in the US Senate on everything with Rand Paul. 

 

Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina will not run again in 2026 after voting to stop Trump's reconciliation bill

 Tillis won’t run for reelection in North Carolina 

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Sunday announced he will not seek reelection to the Senate next year, firing a political shock wave into the midterm cycle after he said he would oppose President Trump’s mammoth tax package. ... 

 

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin folds like a house of cards, switches his Nay vote to Yea to advance reconciliation bill to the Senate floor for debate

 Trump megabill narrowly advances in Senate despite two GOP defections

Senate Republicans on Saturday narrowly voted to advance a sprawling 1,000-page bill to enact President Trump’s agenda, despite the opposition of two GOP lawmakers.

The vote was 51-49.

Two Republicans voted against advancing the package: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposes a provision to raise the debt limit by $5 trillion and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who says the legislation would cost his state $38.9 trillion in federal Medicaid funding.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) changed his “no” vote to “aye,” and holdout Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) also voted yes to advance the bill. 

The bill had suffered several significant setbacks in the days and hours before coming to the floor, at times appearing to be on shaky ground.

The vote itself was also full of drama. ...

Flashback to May 25 when Johnson said he had enough votes in the Senate to stop the bill:

GOP senator says resistance to Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' could stop it in the Senate

President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson are hopeful for minimal modifications in the Senate to the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" passed by the House last week, but one Republican senator said there's enough resistance to halt the bill unless there are significant changes.

"The first goal of our budget reconciliation process should be to reduce the deficit. This actually increases," Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, urging deeper spending cuts than those in the bill to reset to a "reasonable, pre-pandemic level of spending."

"I think we have enough to stop the process until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit," Johnson said. ...                                                

Didn't even have him!

 

Ceding tariff authority to the executive was the Congress' way of escaping the political consequences of fulfilling their responsibilities under the constitution, but that may be changing

 The phenomenon is mirrored in the states by the enthusiasm for referenda, aka ballot measures, which are promoted as democracy but are in fact simply a reflection of elected representatives' desire to escape the consequences of their votes.

"Hey, don't look at me, that's what the people wanted".

 

7 GOP senators sign on to bill to check Trump’s trade authority 

Seven Republican senators, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the Senate’s president pro tempore, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the former Senate Republican leader, have signed on to a bipartisan bill that would require Congress to approve President Trump’s steep tariffs on trading partners.

Grassley and McConnell have joined five other Republicans — Sens. Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Todd Young (Ind.) and Susan Collins (Maine) — in supporting the Trade Review Act of 2025. ...

It would require that new tariffs sunset after 60 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution approving them.

And it provides a pathway for Congress to cancel tariffs before the 60-day period expires by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.

Trump has already threatened to veto the bill. ...

Trump last week announced reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries and territories by invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

 

Yeah, that saying everything is an emergency business has got to go, too

 

 

A few GOP senators are not happy with Trump on Ukraine

 Republicans press Trump to resume military, intelligence aid to Ukraine 

 ... Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) ...

... Susan Collins (R-Maine) ...

... One Republican senator who requested anonymity called the threat to deport thousands of Ukrainian refugees excessively “punitive.” ...

... Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he doesn’t support the decision to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine. “I disagree with it,” he said. ...

 

The Republican Party is infested with 123 members of the House and Senate who want tens of thousands more foreign workers let in to take US jobs

Story.

• Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
• Sen. James Risch (R-ID)
• Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)
• Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
• Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
• Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO)
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
• Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
• Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
• Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
• Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
• Sen. James Lankford (R-OK)
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
• Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
• Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
• Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
• Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
• Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)
• Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
• Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
• Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD)
• Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI)
• Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH)
• Rep. John Curtis (R-UT)
• Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN)
• Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA)
• Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC)
• Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AZ)
• Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI)
• Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
• Rep. Van Taylor (R-TX)
• Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)
• Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
• Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
• Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL)
• Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA)
• Rep. Darren Soto (R-FL)
• Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
• Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO)
• Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS)
• Rep. Peter King (R-NY)
• Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS)
• Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN)
• Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL)
• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ)
• Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
• Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA)
• Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA)
• Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
• Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA)
• Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC)
• Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA)
• Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC)
• Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL)
• Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA)
• Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI)
• Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)
• Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS)
• Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH)
• Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH)
• Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX)
• Rep. David Joyce (R-OH)
• Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH)
• Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS)
• Rep. French Hill (R-AR)
• Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV)
• Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH)
• Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO)
• Rep. Billy Long (R-MO)
• Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH)
• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)
• Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
• Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY)
• Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)
• Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
• Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH)
• Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR)
• Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)
• Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)
• Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA)
• Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
• Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
• Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO)
• Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS)
• Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC)
• Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH)
• Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
• Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN)
• Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI)
• Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
• Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT)
• Rep. David McKinley (R-WV)
• Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
• Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH)
• Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI)
• Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
• Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX)
• Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL)
• Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN)
• Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
• Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)
• Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL)
• Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA)
• Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA)
• Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL)
• Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)
• Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX)
• Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
• Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)
• Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL)
• Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX)
• Rep. John Carter (R-TX)
• Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID)
• Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH)
• Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)

VP Mike Pence overcomes Republican Jeff Flake alliance with Democrats to advance nomination of Thomas Farr to NC US District Court post vacant since 2005

Trump judicial nominee clears hurdle after Pence breaks tie

The judgeship is just one of 136 current federal court vacancies. Authorized positions in 2018 are north of 860.

Senators typically veto nominees they don't like in their jurisdictions by returning a negative blue slip on the individual.

North Carolina is a playground for Supreme Court intervention in representation decisions involving race through the 1965 Voting Rights Act, making judicial appointments there radioactive. Both US Senators from North Carolina have been Republicans since 2014 when Tillis defeated Hagan. Burr was re-elected in 2016. 

McConnell reportedly set to bring full repeal bill like HR 3762 to a vote in the Senate

Here and here for the story.

There were 52 "Yeas" for the HR 3762 Obamacare repeal bill in the Senate on December 3, 2015 out of 54 Republicans, which Obama subsequently vetoed. It was the only repeal bill ever to reach Obama's desk:

Alexander of Tennessee

Ayotte of New Hampshire (seat lost to Democrats in 2016)

Barrasso of Wyoming

Blunt of Missouri

Boozman of Arkansas

Burr of North Carolina

Capito of West Virginia

Cassidy of Louisiana

Coats of Indiana (Todd Young)

Cochran of Mississippi

Corker of Tennessee

Cornyn of Texas

Cotton of Arkansas

Crapo of Idaho

Cruz of Texas

Daines of Montana

Enzi of Wyoming

Ernst of Iowa

Fischer of Nebraska

Flake of Arizona

Gardner of Colorado

Graham of South Carolina

Grassley of Iowa

Hatch of Utah

Heller of Nevada

Hoeven of North Dakota

Inhofe of Oklahoma

Isakson of Georgia

Johnson of Wisconsin

Lankford of Oklahoma

Lee of Utah

McCain of Arizona

McConnell of Kentucky

Moran of Kansas

Murkowski of Alaska

Paul of Kentucky

Perdue of Georgia

Portman of Ohio

Risch of Idaho

Roberts of Kansas

Rounds of South Dakota

Rubio of Florida

Sasse of Nebraska

Scott of South Carolina

Sessions of Alabama (Luther Strange)

Shelby of Alabama

Sullivan of Alaska

Thune of South Dakota

Tillis of North Carolina

Toomey of Pennsylvania

Vitter of Louisiana (John Neely Kennedy)

Wicker of Mississippi.

There were two Republican "Nays":

Collins of Maine, who is still there

Kirk of Illinois, who lost his seat to the Democrats.

Now out of 52 Republicans in the Senate we have 48 votes this time for repeal that we had last time, plus 3 Republican freshman in the Senate to pressure to vote for repeal, which would bring the total to 51, assuming Collins of Maine again votes "Nay".

We'll see if they have the guts.

Ex-Bush Establishment Republicans swarm to Marco Rubio like flies to a rotting corpse

Lavishly reported here about the candidate who so far is nothing but a loser:

Throughout Monday, a string of ex-Bush backers from across the country gravitated to the Florida senator, including former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). In South Florida, Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Curbelo and former congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart — all of whom had backed Bush — also announced their support.

Rubio also picked up supporters who previously stood in the sidelines of the race, like former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

On the donor side, in addition to Kilberg, former ambassador Francis Rooney, who gave more than $2 million to a pro-Bush super PAC through his holding company, is now with Rubio. So is financial industry executive Muneer Satter, who also made a big investment on behalf of Bush.

New York attorney Phil Rosen, a major Republican fundraiser, said he has spent the last two days on the phone with former Bush donors now eager to join the Rubio effort.

“They have a lot of disappointment about Jeb, but they are ready to put full steam ahead for Marco,” said Rosen, who said he has gotten commitments from 15 top Bush bundlers. ...

Rubio’s backers concede that a loss in his home state to Trump would likely be a fatal blow.

The Republicans' biggest traitors on immigration amnesty: Mike Enzi, Mitch McConnell, Thad Cochran, Shelley Capito

The biggest traitors on immigration are Republicans Mike Enzi of Wyoming, who got an "A" grade from NumbersUSA for his anti-amnesty views, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Thad (tell-me-what-to-do) Cochran of Mississippi who received "B" grades. Capito, who got a "C", was a crapshoot, as was Daines. Daines came through for us, Capito did not.

Based on such grades it looked last November like we had 14 newly elected/re-elected anti-amnesty Republicans in the Senate and 9 pro-amnesty (Louisiana had yet to be decided). Based on last Friday's vote in the Senate, however, we have 14 anti-amnesty, just not the same 14, and 10 pro-amnesty Republicans beginning new Senate terms as a result of the November 2014 election (individuals in red more or less surprised with their votes based on pre-election evaluations; expect them to surprise in the future, too).

Anti-amnesty:

Sessions of Alabama
Sullivan of Alaska
Cotton of Arkansas
Perdue of Georgia
Risch of Idaho
Ernst of Iowa
Roberts of Kansas
Cassidy of Louisiana
Daines of Montana
Sasse of Nebraska
Tillis of North Carolina
Inhofe of Oklahoma
Lankford of Oklahoma
Scott of South Carolina.

Pro-amnesty:

Gardner of Colorado
McConnell of Kentucky
Collins of Maine
Cochran of Mississippi
Graham of South Carolina
Rounds of South Dakota
Alexander of Tennessee
Cornyn of Texas
Capito of West Virginia
Enzi of Wyoming.

Americans elect 9 senators liberal on illegal immigration, but 14 for strong borders and against amnesty

Americans elected the following Republicans last night who are for strong border security and against amnesty for illegal aliens:

Sessions (AL), Cotton (AR), Perdue (GA), Risch (ID), Roberts (KS), McConnell (KY), Cochran (MS), Daines (MT), Tillis (NC-may be strong), Inhofe (OK), Lankford (OK), Scott (SC), Capito (WV) and Enzi (WY).

A grades from NumbersUSA: Sessions, Risch, Roberts, Lankford, Scott, Enzi

B grades: Cotton, McConnell, Cochran, Inhofe

C grades: Daines, Capito

no grade: Tillis

True reformer: Perdue

Republican control of the Senate may well mean immigration amnesty

Most Republicans running for still-in-play US Senate seats are endorsed by the pro-immigration-amnesty US Chamber of Commerce. Consider those listed below without NumbersUSA high rankings or recommendations in parentheses to be sympathetic to amnesty when it comes time to vote on immigration reform, despite what they may say to get elected. The US Chamber doesn't endorse lightly these days, and it wants more cheap labor in this country, which comes at the expense of already unemployed and underemployed Americans.

Endorsed by the US Chamber:

Mitch McConnell in Kentucky (B+)

Thom Tillis in North Carolina

Thad Cochran in Mississippi (B+)

Tom Cotton in Arkansas (B+)

Joni Ernst in Iowa

Scott Brown in New Hampshire (D+)

Steve Daines in Montana (C+)

Corey Gardiner in Colorado (F-)

Mike Rounds in South Dakota

Shelly Moore Capito in West Virginia (C+)

Dan Sullivan in Alaska

Pat Roberts in Kansas (rated A+ by NumbersUSA)

Ed Gillespie in Virginia

Jim Oberweis in Illinois (used to be opposed to amnesty, but not now)

Terri Lynn Land in Michigan

Mike McFadden in Minnesota

Monica Wehby in Oregon

Not endorsed by US Chamber:

Ben Sasse in Nebraska

David Perdue in Georgia (rated "true reformer" by NumbersUSA)

Bill Cassidy in Louisiana (rated A- by Numbers USA)

Endorsement uncertain:

Jeff Bell in New Jersey

Allen Weh in New Mexico