VIDEO: Senator Tillis on why being an effective Senator and producing results means being willing to reach across the aisle.
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“I’m tired of talking heads and pundits and people who have never produced a conservative outcome trying to tell me how to get a result. I’ve got a strong conservative record in North Carolina, whether it’s Second Amendment, property rights, life, I can go down a very long list. But that way I’ve accomplished that is by not being mad about being conservative. It’s by being productive and convincing Democrats to join with us on bills that make sense.
“You have RINOs [Republicans In Need Of Outcomes] and DINOs [Democrats In Need Of Outcomes]. I’ve told people I want HIPPOs: Highly Independent People Producing Outcomes. We’ve got to be willing to turn to the people in both conferences who hold extreme views and say you’re clearly not here to produce an outcome, you’re here to make a point. Well, I’m here to make a difference, and I’m looking for other people who want to make a difference.”
Senator Tillis has worked across the aisle to tackle problems and produce outcomes.
- Senator Tillis secured provisions in the FY2018 NDAA to make much-needed improvements to the living quarters and other essential facilities at Camp Lejeune, including over $100 million for the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters and a Water Treatment Plan Replacement.
- Secured $40 million in the FY2018 NDAA for supplemental impact aid to local educational agencies with military dependent children and $10 million in impact aid for schools with military dependent children with severe disabilities and $1 million for a pilot program on public-private partnerships for telework facilities to facilitate spousal employment on military installations outside the United States.
- Secured over $25 million that paves the way for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base so home a squadron of KC-46 Air Force Tankers.
- Secured $15 million for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point that guarantees the construction of the Vertical Lift Fan Test Facility and ensures the future home of F-35B Joint Strike Fighters in North Carolina.
- Senators Tillis and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced bipartisan legislation that is awaiting signature by the President that streamlines and eases the burden on the process whereby active-duty military, reservists and veterans apply for their commercial driver’s license.
Tillis is leading on solutions to reform our nation’s broken immigration system:
- Tillis introduced the SUCCEED Act, a fair and merit-based solution that allows the DACA-eligible population to earn and keep legal status as long as they work hard, give back to society, pay their taxes, and follow the law.
- Senators Tillis and John Cornyn (R-TX), introduced the Building America’s Trust Act, legislation that increases resources at our borders, boosts trade through ports of entry, and strengthens enforcement of existing immigration laws.
- Tillis has followed through on his calls for bipartisanship and is currently engaged in a working group with both Democrat and Republican senators to reach a deal that would pair extensive border security and interior enforcement measures with a long-term solution for the DACA-eligible population.
- The Veterans Education Experience Improvement Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation Tillis introduced with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) improves veterans’ experience when using GI Bill education benefits and provide resources and training for the officials at educational institutions who serve student veterans, helping them achieve positive education outcomes.
- The Veterans Education Relief and Reinstatement Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation Tillis introduced with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), which reinstates lost benefits to veterans whose Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits are affected by the permanent closure of certain educational institutions.
- The Veterans Education Priority Enrollment Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation Tillis introduced with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ensures that veterans, servicemembers, and surviving spouses and children of servicemembers who have died in the line of duty can take full advantage of their education benefits.
- The Yellow Ribbon Improvement Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation Tillis introduced with Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) extends Yellow Ribbon Program benefits to Fry scholarship recipients.
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“When he dies, he said, he wants his epitaph to read: ‘Thom Tillis. Former speaker, former senator, RINO.’ Nervous laughter went up from the crowd. RINO is a dirty word in GOP circles; it means Republican In Name Only and suggests someone who is too moderate to be a true member of the party. But Tillis, who has been on the receiving end of such criticism before, said he invented a new meaning for the term. To him it means “Republican In Need of Outcomes.” If a debate between Republicans comes down to choosing between an idea that is unrealistic but will sound good to the party base and one that needs a compromise but has an actual chance at creating change, he said it’s ‘politically courageous’ to support the latter. ‘What we need to do is be the party of results,’ Tillis said.” (Raleigh News & Observer, 5/12/17) |
