Loading record
Public disputes concerning public expenditure, fiscal commitments, payments, budgets, and the use of taxpayer funds.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
2 statements on this page. Dates: September 17, 2026 to September 28, 2026
2 matching statements. Dates: September 17, 2026 to September 28, 2026
2 published statements. Dates: September 17, 2026 to September 28, 2026
2 published statements. Dates: September 17, 2026 to September 28, 2026
2 statements on this page. Dates: September 17, 2026 to September 28, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. senator from North Carolina
Statement summary
Tillis said he disliked the ad he saw during an NFL game, that it was not a clear public service announcement, and that it made no sense to him that it was paid for with taxpayer dollars.
“And what most didn't make sense to me, it was paid for by taxpayer dollars.”
Roll Call quotes Thune approving the message while opposing taxpayer payment.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)The conduct under scrutiny is federal payment for Trump-promoting ads. Tillis says that what made the least sense to him was that taxpayers paid for the spot, which rejects public payment. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he says a clear public service announcement would be fine; it does not fit because he says this ad was not one.
Role at the time: United States Senator for North Carolina, answering reporters’ questions on Capitol Hill
Statement summary
Asked by a reporter on Capitol Hill whether he would support the president’s apparent speculation about the Kennedy Center’s future, Senator Thom Tillis said “I think it’s absurd” and went on to refer to “abolishing or demolishing a memorial.” In the same answer he said “these are distractions we don’t need” and called worrying about what the building is named “kind of silly.”
“I think it’s absurd. Abolishing or demolishing a memorial [...] a worldwide known venue for arts.”
Forbes Breaking News's upload (3:31) of the hallway exchange, with an on-screen stamp "SEPTEMBER 17, 2026" and the lower third "SEN. THOM TILIS (R-NC) SPEAKS TO REPORTERS ON CAPITOL HILL" (the lower third misspells his surname). The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio, checked in independent passes. The video starts at the reporter's question, so anything earlier in the scrum is not shown. Between "memorial" and "a worldwide known venue" the recording has hesitation fillers and one indistinct word (CNN's rush transcript has "want --"); that stretch is omitted and marked [...].
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Asked by a reporter whether he would support the president’s apparent speculation about the center’s future, Tillis answers “I think it’s absurd” about “abolishing or demolishing a memorial” and adds that worrying about the name is “kind of silly,” which rejects the outcome he names and treats the naming dispute as beside the point. The closest competing label is minimizes, because he also calls the naming dispute a distraction. That loses because his operative words answer the reporter’s question with an express rejection, which criticizes the position rather than downplaying its seriousness.
