Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is doing everything in his power to cancel a Senate floor vote on ICE and Border Patrol funding — not because the bill is bad, but because the vote might embarrass his buddy Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) right before a primary runoff. According to Breitbart, Tillis warned colleagues "in unequivocal terms" that the vote-a-rama on Trump's budget reconciliation package could torpedo Cornyn's reelection chances. Party over country, folks. Again.
Imagine being so afraid of your own voting record that you need another senator to cancel the whole test. That's not a leader. That's a defendant trying to get the surveillance footage thrown out.
Here's what's actually happening. The Senate is expected to pass the reconciliation package out of committee on Wednesday, with a full floor vote — including the dreaded vote-a-rama on amendments — scheduled for Thursday. One of those amendments involves funding for ICE and U.S. Border Patrol. And Cornyn, who's locked in a brutal Texas Republican primary runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 26, apparently can't afford to go on record about the border.
Wonder why. Maybe it's because Cornyn's border record reads like a Democrat wish list. This is the same man who stood on the Senate floor in June 2020 and declared, "DACA recipients deserve a permanent, legislative solution." The same senator who said in March 2022 that "we must take action and pass a law that will unequivocally allow these young men and women to stay in the only home they've ever known." The same guy who wanted to "deal with the 12 million people" in the country illegally.
Oh, and my personal favorite — Cornyn once said a border wall "from sea to shining sea makes no sense whatsoever." That aged well.
The polling tells you everything you need to know about why Tillis is running interference. A University of Houston poll published May 5 showed Paxton leading Cornyn 48% to 45%, with 7% undecided. Cornyn's favorability sits underwater at 47% favorable to 49% unfavorable. Paxton? He's at 50% favorable, 43% unfavorable. Texas Republicans are choosing, and they're not choosing the establishment.
Tillis himself has his own history of selling out conservative priorities. He opposed President Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" over Medicaid funding concerns for North Carolina. He announced in June 2025 he wouldn't seek reelection — so now he's free to play kingmaker without consequences. Must be nice.
Back in April 2022, Cornyn teamed up with Tillis to negotiate an immigration deal with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). When a reporter noted the bipartisan love-fest, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) chirped, "That's right, we're going to do it." Former Trump official Andrew Surabian captured the moment perfectly: "From selling out on gun control to selling out on amnesty in light speed." Even former House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy called it out, saying, "Amnesty is a non starter with me."
Cornyn later tried to laugh it off, claiming "the Democrats and their allies in the media really can't take a joke." Sure, Senator. Everything's a joke until voters start paying attention.
Here's the bottom line. If your border security vote is a political liability in a Republican primary in Texas, the problem isn't the vote. The problem is you. Tillis isn't protecting the party. He's running a witness protection program for a swamp creature who's about to face the voters. May 26 can't come fast enough.