Let's talk about Tillis opposing the budget reconciliation and the rest of the story....

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:01]Well, howdy there internet people. It's Belle again.

[00:00:06]So, today we're going to talk about Tillis opposing the budget reconciliation and the rest of the story.

[00:00:15]Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has told his fellow senators in no uncertain terms that he will not vote in favor of the budget reconciliation package this week.

[00:00:27]This sparked a lot of speculation about whether or not Republicans have the votes to push it through in the Senate.

[00:00:35]We need to be clear on something.

[00:00:37]Tillis doesn't seem to be wholly opposed to the package.

[00:00:41]He, like many Republicans, has issues with the money for Trump's ballroom for billionaires knowing that it's damaging to their image with the working class.

[00:00:52]Tillis called it a quote a major policy problem.

[00:00:56]>> [clears throat] >> There's probably also some concerns by some Republicans over the vote-a-rama, which is a process in which amendments can be added to a budget reconciliation package.

[00:01:10]That means that in an election year, Republicans can be forced into uncomfortable votes related to all the damage they've done to the working class since Trump took office.

[00:01:23]But while all that may be true, it doesn't seem like Tillis is opposed to the package as a whole on principle.

[00:01:31]It seems like he's just opposed to it being pushed this week.

[00:01:36]Why?

[00:01:38]It really seems connected to the fact that Senator John Cornyn of Texas has a primary runoff with Ken Paxton, who Trump has just endorsed.

[00:01:49]It seems like Tillis felt the rush to have the package pushed this week could hurt Cornyn's ability to campaign.

[00:01:56]Tuesday, May 26th is the runoff. And And being absent from the campaign trail could really damage Cornyn's chances.

[00:02:05]Senate Majority Leader Thune doesn't seem to care much about Cornyn's campaign trail concerns.

[00:02:12]And said they should strike while the iron is hot.

[00:02:16]Now, the push for delaying the vote a week seems more about helping Cornyn than a direct opposition.

[00:02:24]There's also another wrinkle developing.

[00:02:27]In addition to Tillis, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Rick Scott of Florida have all expressed varying degrees of opposition to the idea of including funding for Trump's ballroom for billionaires.

[00:02:48]That's actually more than enough to derail the whole package.

[00:02:52]While it's unlikely many Republicans vote to sink the package, there might be just enough who are vulnerable enough to risk Trump's wrath if they can push back the vote a bit.

[00:03:05]I wouldn't look for Republicans to actually try to defeat the package outright at this time.

[00:03:11]I'd look for them to try to stall and delay.

[00:03:15]With the Senate Parliamentarian trashing the current version of the funding for Trump's ballroom that he said would be paid for with private donations, there's already a little delay built in.

[00:03:28]Trump is pushing to can the Parliamentarian.

[00:03:31]Thune has reportedly said no, and publicly said, quote, "We're going through a process that we go through every time we have a reconciliation bill.

[00:03:42]And the people on both sides are mad at the Parliamentarian.

[00:03:46]That's been true.

[00:03:49]The longer this goes on without the package moving forward, the more likely it is that we'll eventually see it fail.

[00:03:57]I give it a 50/50 shot right now.

[00:04:01]Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.