Thom Tillis blasts GOP in letter, warns SAVE Act infighting hurts vulnerable Republicans

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Thom Tillis unleashed a scathing critique of his fellow Republicans following last week's Senate showdown over the SAVE America Act, warning that GOP lawmakers were creating political problems for themselves while publicly attacking members of their own conference.

In a lengthy message circulated to Republican senators, the North Carolina Republican argued that recent votes had become a "circular firing squad" and questioned why colleagues were forcing members facing difficult reelection battles into politically risky positions.

The extraordinary internal criticism offered a rare look at growing tensions within the GOP over election legislation and campaign strategy heading into the midterms.

Tillis blasts GOP lawmakers

Tillis reserved some of his sharpest criticism for the handling of SAVE America Act votes during the recent vote-a-rama process.

"Instead, we added weight to that albatross by having 41 members vote to protect the program," Tillis wrote.

"In addition, we allowed two SAVE Act votes that had no place in vote-a-rama, which prompted a circular firing squad led by Tommy Tuberville and some of our Republican colleagues."

The senator said he was baffled by opposition to an amendment he offered, arguing that many lawmakers who voted against it were either "misinformed or a victim of groupthink."

According to Tillis, Republicans were creating unnecessary divisions despite knowing the legislation was unlikely to advance.

The internal dispute intensified after Sen Tommy Tuberville publicly accused several Republicans of helping Democrats by opposing the legislation.

In the message, Tillis highlighted Tuberville's social media post and called the situation "remarkable on several levels."

'No upside' for vulnerable Republicans

Tillis argued that GOP leaders knowingly pushed votes that would fail while exposing vulnerable members to political attacks.

"Everyone knew the SAVE Act votes would fail," he wrote, adding that the votes were held "at the expense of our members."

He warned that forcing senators into votes with "no upside for in-cycle members" while simultaneously attacking them afterward was a self-inflicted wound for the party.

According to Tillis, the result was a process that generated more Republican-on-Republican criticism than actual legislative progress.

Tillis concluded his message with a blunt assessment of how the week unfolded.

"Last week's reconciliation process was a net loss for in-cycle members," he wrote.

While acknowledging the importance of several policy priorities, he warned that "the gain will not offset the pain" for Republicans facing competitive races and urged colleagues to avoid further "unforced errors" before voters head to the polls.