FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nolan Fraver | NCFP Press Secretary 
[email protected]

RALEIGH, NC — The North Carolina Forward Party commends U.S. Senator Thom Tillis for his principled decision to vote “No” on President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” Citing serious concerns over deep cuts to Medicaid and the harmful impact the legislation would have on North Carolina families, Senator Tillis demonstrated the kind of leadership and integrity that transcends party lines—qualities the Forward Party champions.

In a speech made late Monday evening from the Senate floor, Sen. Tillis, a Republican currently serving as the senior senator from North Carolina initially elected in 2014, argued that the bill would threaten to take away insurance coverage for approximately 663,000 Medicaid expansion beneficiaries in North Carolina, or nearly one in sixteen residents across the state. This pronouncement preceded a warning to his Senate colleagues that Republicans were about to make a big mistake if their sprawling domestic policy bill passed, while also betraying Trump campaign promises not to cut Medicaid.

“What do I tell people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore, guys?” Tillis asked.

To justify his forceful denunciation of the bill, Sen. Tillis cited the independent research his office had conducted to assess exactly how changes to state-directed payments and new caps on medical provider taxes would affect his constituents—research that included contacting state legislative leaders, North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Josh Stein, and non-partisan hospital groups across the state. As a result of his efforts, Tillis shared that the state would likely see between a $26 billion and $32 billion total cut in federal support.

These prognostications fly in the face of what most voters, including a majority of Forward Party supporters, would like to see in laws passed by Congress. Recent polling from the FWD Formula—the Party’s data-driven, solution-focused framework designed to steer our state’s representatives to support issues important to their constituents—shows that 72% of our members strongly or somewhat prefer a public expansion of healthcare. This sentiment is directly at odds with the cuts proposed in President Trump’s bill.

In addition to the disastrous financial implications, Tillis also called attention to the rushed nature of the bill’s development, the lack of transparency in the legislative process, and the influence of unelected advisors to the President whom he referred to as “amateurs” who have no insight into how proposed provider tax cuts are going to be absorbed without harming people served by state-subsidized health plans.

This is not the first time Tillis has broken with his party and President Trump to take a principled stand and demonstrate his commitment to accountability over partisan loyalty. Earlier this year, he withheld support for Ed Martin, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., and an outspoken “Stop the Steal” organizer closely aligned with January 6 defendants. Martin was effectively blocked from confirmation due in part to Tillis’s refusal to back the appointment.

Despite pressure from party leadership and criticism from President Trump himself, Sen. Tillis stood firm on Monday, stating to reporters as he left the Senate floor: “I support the majority of [President Trump’s] agenda, but I don’t bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk, and this puts them at risk.”

His latest clash with proponents of the Trump agenda does not come without its consequences, however, as threats of a party-funded primary opponent meant to hinder his re-election efforts have been seen by many as the Republican Party forcing Tillis out of politics. This viewpoint was substantiated by his announcement on Sunday that the senator would not seek re-election in 2026, coming as a surprise to most pundits across North Carolina and the nation.   

Despite this news, Tillis’s repudiation of the Big Beautiful Bill demonstrates his close alignment with the views and priorities of the Forward Party. In fact, more than 75% of Forwardists recently surveyed via social media said they supported Tillis’s decision to reject the aforementioned legislation, affirming a shared commitment to pragmatic, data-informed policymaking and leaving the door open to future collaboration with the senator moving forward.

“Senator Tillis made the right call,” remarked Patrick Newton, State Chair of the North Carolina Forward Party. “He did his homework, followed the facts, and ultimately chose to promote the health and well-being of North Carolinians over partisan loyalty. That’s what courage looks like—and it’s what the Forward Party stands for. Although we are sorry to hear of his impending departure, we hope Senator Tillis will continue to have a measured and principled impact on our politics for years to come.”