Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), fresh off announcing his retirement, wasted no time torching bridges on his way out, going haywire on President Donald Trump’s widely supported “Big, Beautiful Bill.” In a tirade on the Senate floor, Tillis slammed Trump’s staff and dismissed key provisions of the bill aimed at securing the border, reducing taxes, and restoring law and order.
On Sunday, Tillis blasted President Trump’s megabill, accusing it of betraying the president’s original promise to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. He claimed that amateur advisors around Trump misled him by failing to explain that efforts to cut waste would unintentionally eliminate the “Provider Tax” program, a key funding mechanism. Tillis argued this mistake undermines Trump’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.
“This bill will BETRAY the very promise that Donald J. Trump made in the Oval Office or in the Cabinet Room when I was there with finance, where he said, we can go after waste, fraud, and abuse on any programs!” Tillis said.
“Now, those AMATEURS that are advising him – not Dr. Oz, I’m talking about White House health care experts – refused to tell him that those instructions that were to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, all of sudden eliminates a government program that’s called the Provider Tax,” his rant continued. “We have morphed a legal construct that admittedly has been abused and should be eliminated into waste, fraud, and abuse!”
🚨 BREAKING: Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) goes HAYWIRE on President Trump’s bill after announcing retirement, SLAMS Trump’s staff
“This bill will BETRAY the very promise that Donald J. Trump made in the Oval Office or in the Cabinet Room when I was there with finance where he… pic.twitter.com/TBWGiBCOGf
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 30, 2025
As a result, Trump revealed that he would be meeting with primary opponents for Tillis in the coming weeks.
“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,” Trump wrote in a Saturday Truth Social post. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
After Tillis announced his resignation, Trump celebrated the news, calling it “Great news.”
“Great News! ‘Senator’ Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “For all cost-cutting Republicans, of which I am one, REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected. Don’t go too crazy! We will make it all up, times 10, with GROWTH, more than ever before.”
Tillis was expected to be one of the most at-risk Republicans facing re-election next year.
