I’m sorry this post is so late, but I’ve spent most of my day working on two different service projects. Because my vision of America is a land where we help each other out. But I want to end the day acknowledging the service of one of my elected officials here in North Carolina: Senator Thom Tillis.

Friday night, Senator Tillis voted against moving the Budget Reconciliation Act (known as President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”) forward in the Senate. He was the only Republican Senator besides Senator Rand Paul, who had stated his opposition to the bill loudly and strongly from the beginning, to vote against the bill.

Senator Tillis explained his opposition to the bill:

“I will always do what is in the best interest of North Carolina, even when that puts me at odds with my own party. When Senate leaders of my party presented this bill, I did what every American should expect from their U.S. Senator: I worked to gather the facts and comprehensively analyze what the impact would be on the people I swore an oath to represent. 

“I did my homework on behalf of North Carolinians, and I cannot support this bill in its current form. It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities. This will force the state to make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services for those in the traditional Medicaid population. …”

He attached an analysis of just the Medicaid portion of the bill, which calculated North Carolina’s state budget and hospitals would lose $32 billion over the next decade due to the bill. To see the entire 8-page analysis, go to: https://www.tillis.senate.gov/services/files/41E71724-D0FE-43B7-98C0-0E7821013421

According to Fox News, Tillis said:
As he was leaving the Senate GOP’s closed-door lunch on Saturday, the North Carolina lawmaker said he has a “great relationship” with his colleagues, but that he could not support the colossal bill.

“We just have a disagreement,” he said. “And, you know, my colleagues have done the analysis, and they’re comfortable with the impact on their states. I respect their choice. It’s not a good impact in my state, so I’m not going to vote on the motion to proceed.”

While that seems very reasonable to me, President Trump did not see it that way. He posted the following on social media:

“Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History! At the same time, he is unable to understand the importance of a Debt Extension, which Republicans gave to the Democrats just prior to the November 5th Election, because of its significance, and how important it was for the future of the U.S.A. Sadly, the Democrat Politicians probably won’t reciprocate on a Debt Extension because they’re nasty people who actually hate our Country. Tillis is also willing to throw the very important Tobacco Industry in North Carolina, “out the window,” for reasons nobody seems to understand. He loves China made windmills that will cost a fortune, ruin the landscape, and produce the most expensive Energy on Earth.”

“I can’t believe that the Great People of North Carolina, a State that I love and won all three times, and a State that I just brought back with money, blood, sweat, and tears, from the recent tragic floods, when Sleepy Joe Biden let them DROWN, right up until the end of that Administration, without doing anything — I was given an A+ Rating for the job we did in bringing it back, and Tillis, despite being a Republican, was MISSING IN ACTION — North Carolina will not allow one of their Senators to GRANDSTAND in order to get some publicity for himself, for a possible, but very difficult Re-Election. America wants Reduced Taxes, including NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, AND NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY, Interest Deductions on Cars, Border Security, a Strong Military, and a Bill which is GREAT for our Farmers, Manufacturers and, Employment, in general. Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

I’ve read it multiple times, and even trying to be open-minded, I’m not sure what he is talking about through much of it. But what he isn’t talking about is the impact on Medicaid…which is the only issue Senator Tillis raised.

Later President Trump posted this:

 “Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against “Senator Thom” Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The next day, Senator Tillis announced he would not run for re-election. He expressed his gratitude that a boy who grew up in a trailer park had the honor to serve in the US Senate. He had a lot of positive words about his experience and his state. But he also had some negative words about national politics…

“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. … (note: Including among Democrats)

“Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail. After they get elected, they don’t bother to do the hard work to research the policies they seek to implement and understand the consequences those policies could have on that young adult living in a trailer park, struggling to make ends meet. …

“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 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.”

As one of those great people of North Carolina, I am very proud to have a Senator who refuses to bullied by President Trump and his party to vote for a bill that does not serve his state…or at least, the common people in his state. I love that he is calling out his colleagues to actually research what legislation will mean for their constituents instead of just following whatever President Trump says. And I love that he now feels free to call the balls and strikes (note: following his conscience).

To be clear, I don’t agree with many? most? of Senator Tillis’s political positions. So I’ve been sharing my opinions with him A LOT recently. And I don’t expect we will agree on many things over the next 18 months. So I will continue to share my views with him, and I expect our relationship will be one of continuing to disagree about many things.

Still, today I am VERY proud of how he is representing me and our state. May he inspire other legislators to DO THEIR JOBS and VOTE THEIR CONSCIENCE, NOT THEIR PARTY.