North Carolina's junior senator recently returned from a trip to several Middle East countries, where he said he gained a deeper appreciation for life in the United States and how difficult Egypt's economy is.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., returned last week and addressed a host of issues in an interview on Thursday.
Middle East
Tillis's trip included stops in Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and meetings with the heads of state of each country.
He said the trips to Turkey and Egypt were particularly eye-opening and gave him the biggest surprises for different reasons.
In Turkey, he toured Syrian refugee camps that were in better shape than he'd anticipated and "it was a pleasant surprise to see Turkey's work."
In Egypt, though, he saw a country still trying to rebuild its economy and tourist appeal since the 2011 revolution that deposed longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
The trip also included meeting Bono, the lead singer of U2, a band he's been a fan of for 30 years.
"The thing that impressed me about him was the depth of knowledge he had on the issues, particularly human rights issues," Tillis said.
"It was a great trip," he said. "It's always good to come home and (being overseas) makes you realize how good we have it."
Supreme Court nominee
Tillis is among a host of Republican U.S. senators who have repeatedly said they will not support holding hearings on or confirming Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. He is also among those who have said they would not meet with Garland -- though the Republican stance on that issue has weakened considerably.
Their rationale is that a Supreme Court nomination should not be considered or voted on in an election year and that the next president should nominate a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Feb. 13.
"I think the issue still goes back to principle, not the person," Tillis said.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois have each called for hearings and a vote on Garland's nomination. Meanwhile, some other Republican senators have softened their approach and have said they will meet with Garland.
Tillis pointed out that the court has only had one 4-4 tie on a substantial case. That deadlock meant a win for public sector unions in California, upholding a lower court ruling that said unions could collect dues from non-members working for the same company.
"The narrative that (the lack of an appointment) has somehow shut down the Supreme Court is defied given the number of cases that have been decided," he said.
Upcoming session and election
Tillis said he has a few goals for this year's legislative sessions.
Chief among them is to "continue to clean up the mess" at the Veterans Administration, which has been dogged by criticism of long wait times for care and of employees manipulating computer systems to ensure they receive bonuses.
A member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, Tillis said he will work to ensure defense authorization bills are adopted.
Tillis had backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the Republican presidential primary.
With Rubio having withdrawn from the race after a poor performance in his home state and in the March 15 North Carolina primary, Tillis said he is now focused on ensuring a Republican victory in November.
Three Republicans, businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and two Democrats, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, remain in the race.
"I for one want to be part of the leadership in the state and at the party convention ... reminding everyone of the consequences of allowing another President Clinton," Tillis said.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., returned last week and addressed a host of issues in an interview on Thursday.
Middle East
Tillis's trip included stops in Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and meetings with the heads of state of each country.
He said the trips to Turkey and Egypt were particularly eye-opening and gave him the biggest surprises for different reasons.
In Turkey, he toured Syrian refugee camps that were in better shape than he'd anticipated and "it was a pleasant surprise to see Turkey's work."
In Egypt, though, he saw a country still trying to rebuild its economy and tourist appeal since the 2011 revolution that deposed longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
The trip also included meeting Bono, the lead singer of U2, a band he's been a fan of for 30 years.
"The thing that impressed me about him was the depth of knowledge he had on the issues, particularly human rights issues," Tillis said.
"It was a great trip," he said. "It's always good to come home and (being overseas) makes you realize how good we have it."
Supreme Court nominee
Tillis is among a host of Republican U.S. senators who have repeatedly said they will not support holding hearings on or confirming Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. He is also among those who have said they would not meet with Garland -- though the Republican stance on that issue has weakened considerably.
Their rationale is that a Supreme Court nomination should not be considered or voted on in an election year and that the next president should nominate a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died Feb. 13.
"I think the issue still goes back to principle, not the person," Tillis said.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois have each called for hearings and a vote on Garland's nomination. Meanwhile, some other Republican senators have softened their approach and have said they will meet with Garland.
Tillis pointed out that the court has only had one 4-4 tie on a substantial case. That deadlock meant a win for public sector unions in California, upholding a lower court ruling that said unions could collect dues from non-members working for the same company.
"The narrative that (the lack of an appointment) has somehow shut down the Supreme Court is defied given the number of cases that have been decided," he said.
Upcoming session and election
Tillis said he has a few goals for this year's legislative sessions.
Chief among them is to "continue to clean up the mess" at the Veterans Administration, which has been dogged by criticism of long wait times for care and of employees manipulating computer systems to ensure they receive bonuses.
A member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, Tillis said he will work to ensure defense authorization bills are adopted.
Tillis had backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the Republican presidential primary.
With Rubio having withdrawn from the race after a poor performance in his home state and in the March 15 North Carolina primary, Tillis said he is now focused on ensuring a Republican victory in November.
Three Republicans, businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and two Democrats, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, remain in the race.
"I for one want to be part of the leadership in the state and at the party convention ... reminding everyone of the consequences of allowing another President Clinton," Tillis said.
