I have obtained a letter sent by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to his Republican colleagues on Wednesday, warning that last week’s Senate reconciliation proceedings damaged the party’s chances of holding its majority in November by failing to shed a controversial program and sparking internal attacks on vulnerable incumbents.
In the letter, Tillis expressed frustration that Republicans missed a chance to eliminate the 1776 Fund, which he called a “political albatross” for members up for re-election. Instead, 41 GOP senators voted to protect the program. He also criticized the inclusion of two votes on the SAVE Act — legislation tightening voting rules — which he said had no business in a reconciliation package and triggered a “circular firing squad.”Tillis highlighted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who opposed the SAVE Act in line with her state’s voters, and noted attacks from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and others who publicly labeled Collins and several colleagues as “embarrassing,” “traitors,” and “accomplices” in a Democratic agenda.
Tillis argued the votes were forced at the request of President Trump despite being doomed to fail, harming in-cycle senators.He revealed that he had offered a side-by-side amendment to end the 1776 Fund payouts while directing $1.7 billion to a DOJ fraud initiative — a proposal he said had zero chance of disrupting the bill’s privilege but was rejected by a supermajority of Republicans.“Based on last week’s reconciliation experience, I hope we have learned a lesson that will not be repeated,” Tillis wrote. “In my opinion, last week’s vote was a net loss for in-cycle members… We cannot afford any more unforced errors like this between now and November.”The memo underscores growing tensions within the Senate GOP conference over strategy, messaging, and party unity heading into the midterm elections.
Here’s the letter:
