Thom Tillis on Military and Defense

Loading record

Thom Tillis on Military and Defense | The Dispute Index

Defended or excused

2 published statements. Dates: January 24, 2025 to July 9, 2025

2 statements on this page. Dates: January 24, 2025 to July 9, 2025

Thom Tillis

Role at the time: U.S. senator for North Carolina, in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper

July 9, 2025Defended or excused

Statement summary

In a CNN interview, Tillis said Hegseth was out of his depth as a manager and that the Armed Services Committee may have been generous in assessing him, but that he did not regret his vote based on the facts he had at the time.

“I don’t regret the decision I made back then based on the facts as I knew them then”

Open sourceGOP Sen. Thom Tillis says Hegseth is 'out of his depth' as defense secretary · NBC NewsParagraphs quoting Tillis's July 9, 2025 CNN interview

NBC News reported Tillis's remarks to CNN's Jake Tapper on July 9, 2025, including that he did not regret his vote based on what he knew at the time.

Archived copy

Why we used this label

Relative to Tillis's January 2025 vote, he says he does not regret it on the facts he had and would cast it again on that information. That defends the vote as made. His criticism is aimed at Hegseth's performance since the vote and at the committee's assessment, so a mixed or conditional label would overstate the tension: the condition he names concerns information that came later.

Read statement Full case: Was Thom Tillis wrong to vote to confirm Pete Hegseth?

Thom Tillis

Role at the time: U.S. senator for North Carolina, in a statement from his Senate office

January 24, 2025Defended or excused

Statement summary

On the day of the vote, Tillis said he had committed to support nominees reported favorably by committee unless new material information emerged, and that after his own due diligence he would vote to confirm Hegseth.

“From the beginning, I have been clear about my position: if President Trump’s nominees were reported favorably out of the relevant committees, I would support their confirmation on the Senate floor absent new material information about their qualifications. Once Pete Hegseth’s nomination was sent to the floor by my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I conducted my own due diligence, including asking tough questions of Pete and I appreciated his candor and openness in answering them.”

Read the official statement

Mixed or conditional

2 published statements. Dates: September 17, 2026 to October 11, 2026

2 statements on this page. Dates: September 17, 2026 to October 11, 2026

Thom Tillis

Role at the time: U.S. senator for North Carolina, interviewed on NBC's Meet the Press

October 11, 2026Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

On Meet the Press, Tillis called Hegseth a failed leader who needs to leave the Department of Defense, citing the plan to livestream an execution and Hegseth's handling of the Iran conflict.

“This is not who we are, and it’s another example of why Pete Hegseth and all of his bravado needs to get the hell out of the Department of Defense because he is a failed leader and we need strong leadership supporting President Trump right now.”

Open the original interviewMeet the Press - October 11, 2026 · NBC NewsKristen Welker's interview with Sen. Thom Tillis, questions on the Hasan execution and the Hegseth vote

NBC News's transcript of the October 11, 2026 broadcast, in which moderator Kristen Welker asked Tillis about Hegseth and whether he regrets voting to confirm him.

Why we used this label

On whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Tillis says Hegseth is a failed leader who must leave the Department of Defense, which matches the objective of the impeachment proposals. He frames the remedy as putting someone else in place to help the president and does not address the House resolutions. That matches his September 17 statement in this case, where he named impeachment as one of two routes and preferred a presidential replacement. A condemning label would treat his call for Hegseth to leave as support for impeaching him.

Read statement Full case: Should Pete Hegseth be impeached?

Thom Tillis

Role at the time: United States Senator for North Carolina, speaking to reporters at the Capitol

September 17, 2026Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Senator Thom Tillis told reporters that Hegseth needs to go, by impeachment or by the president replacing him, whichever is more expedient. Asked directly whether Republicans should support the articles of impeachment, he said he would let the House do what it was going to do.

“He needs to go, whether it’s impeachment or the most expedient route — just the president to replace him — would be great.”

Open sourceThe Hill: “Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: ‘He needs to go’”Paragraphs carrying Tillis’s remarks to reporters on Thursday, September 17.

Reports Senator Thom Tillis’s remarks to reporters on September 17. The headline states that Tillis “supports” the impeachment resolution, but the quotations in the body are narrower: he calls for Hegseth’s removal by impeachment or by presidential replacement, whichever is more expedient, and when asked directly whether Republicans should support the articles he answers “I’ll let the House do what the House is going to do.” The distinction matters for this case, whose question is specifically whether the House should impeach.

Thom Tillis on Military and Defense

Statement history

Condemned

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis

Defended or excused

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis

Mixed or conditional

Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis