GOP Senator Declares His Own Party is 'Betraying' Americans If They Vote for Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

A Republican senator stated that members of his party would be betraying their constituents if they chose to vote for the Trump-backed "one big, beautiful" tax and spending bill.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis took to the Senate floor Sunday to warn against the spending bill, particularly focusing on the bill's proposed cuts to Medicaid. The senator stated that "Republicans are about to make a mistake on healthcare and betraying a promise" to their constituents by not truly protecting their interests.

"It is inescapable that this bill in its current form will betray the very promise that Donald J. Trump made in the Oval Office or in the Cabinet room when I was there with finance. He said, 'We can go after waste, fraud and abuse' on any programs," Tillis said.

"Now, those amateurs that are advising him ... refuse to tell him that those instructions that were to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, all of a sudden eliminates a government program that's called the provider tax. We have morphed a legal construct that admittedly has been abused and should be eliminated into waste, fraud and abuse, money laundering. Read the code. Look how long it's been there," the senator continued.

Tillis then spoke directly to the president, saying "you have been misinformed." The Republican added that the bill "will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid."

"I love the work requirement. I love the other reforms in this bill. They are necessary, and I appreciate the leadership of the House for putting it in there," Tillis said. "But what we're doing, because we have a view of an artificial deadline on July 4, that means nothing but another date in time. We could take the time to get this right if we lay down the House mark of the Medicaid bill and fix it."

Tillis voted against advancing the spending bill on Saturday. The next day, he announced he would not be seeking re-election to the upper chamber of Congress.

"I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability," he wrote in an announcement to X.

President Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to celebrate this news.

"Great News! 'Senator' Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection," he wrote.