By Lauren Burke
North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis Admits “Money Isn’t There” for Medicaid Will “Betray a Promise” Trump Made on the Senate floor on June 30.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis spoke against President Trump’s budget bill that will kill health care coverage for 17 million Americans.
“What do I tell 663,000 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore, guys?” Sen. Tillis asked the chamber.
“It is inescapable. This bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made,” Tillis said, referring to the fact that Trump claimed the bill would not make certain cuts to health care.
“I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed. Supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,” Tillis said firmly on the Senate floor.
Though the bill is likely to pass, a few Republicans who have a majority in Congress are beginning to confront the reality of the numbers and how many people in their districts and states will lose their health care coverage.
The budget bill is likely to be voted on this week. North Carolina is among several states, along with Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas that will be impacted by the cuts.
Over the last 48 hours, President Trump attacked Tillis after the North Carolina Republican announced he would vote against the package.
The next day, June 29, Sen. Tillis announced he would not seek re-election The announcement sets up an opportunity to pick up a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Tillis spoke on how he conducted his analysis using a group from the left and a group from the right and government data.
Sen. Tillis’ words represented a rare rebuke by a Republican member of the Senate. Only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has remained consistent in his opposition to Trump’s budget bill. The legislation will balloon the debt by trillions.
Tillis’ involvement in public service began by serving as the PTA president of his daughter’s high school and as a member of the Town of Cornelius Board of Commissioners.
In 2006, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives and was selected by his peers to serve as Speaker of the House from 2011 to 2014.
He was elected as U.S. Senator in 2014.
Tillis notes that he was unable to afford college after high school and took a minimum wage job as a warehouse records clerk. After working his way up the ladder he earned his degree at the age of 36.
