Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The three Republicans opposing the bill were Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
A common feature of President Donald Trump鈥檚 two terms as president is that he can鈥檛 stand political prosperity. When events are going in his direction, he has an uncanny habit of handing his opponents a sword.
The latest example came after GOP leaders dragged several holdouts across the line to vote "aye" and start debate over the Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill. The vote was 51-49, but Trump couldn鈥檛 leave victory alone.
Tillis
AP
Instead he unloaded on the two GOP dissenters, Rand Paul of Kentucky and especially Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Trump dumped three different Truth Social posts on Tillis, calling him a sellout, a 鈥渢alker and complainer鈥 and various other insults.
He also all but promised to support a Republican opponent in the GOP primary for Senate in 2026, when Tillis鈥 term ends.
鈥淣umerous people have come forward wanting to run in the primary against 鈥楽enator Thom鈥 Tillis,鈥 Trump wrote on Truth Social. 鈥淚 will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the great people of North Carolina.鈥
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Tillis promptly said he won鈥檛 run for reelection. Even if Tillis had already been contemplating retirement, his withdrawal opens a seat that is another pickup opportunity for Democrats next year.
颁辞濒濒颈苍蝉听
J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press
The GOP has a 53-47 majority now, but Susan Collins always has a tough race in Maine if she decides to run again. Democrats are targeting Joni Ernst in Iowa. In the suicide-isn鈥檛-painless department, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton may be the only Republican who could lose in Texas given his record of harassing business with lawsuits, impeachment and other embarrassments.
Bacon
AP
The GOP pickup opportunities are few, so with Tillis鈥檚 departure the Senate is in play for 2026. Oh, and GOP Rep. Don Bacon recently said he won鈥檛 run for reelection in his swing Omaha seat. That鈥檚 a likely gain for Democrats in the House.
Tillis and Bacon didn鈥檛 help themselves by echoing Democratic attacks against the GOP鈥檚 very modest Medicaid changes. But then Trump and GOP leaders haven鈥檛 helped them or the party by failing to make the moral and fiscal case for those reforms.
GOP legislative reforms will have no chance if Democrats take the House in 2026. And if they also take the Senate, forget about confirming another Supreme Court nominee. The Trump presidency will be dead in the water.
