Welcome to the Quote Parade ☕️
North Carolina’s Republican delegation spent the week testing microphone durability. Senator Thom Tillis reflected on his rise “from living in a trailer park… to serving as U.S. Senator,” a line that doubles as both memoir pitch and stump speech (Statement from Senator Thom Tillis). Senator Ted Budd cheered Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, promising “historic tax cuts for families” (Budd press release). In the House, Representative Pat Harrigan condemned “violent riots” in Los Angeles, warning that “weak radical leadership” lit the fuse (Harrigan press release).
Tillis: From Trailer Park to CFIUS Hawk
The senior senator paired autobiography with alarm bells: a bipartisan bill to keep Chinese buyers away from sensitive military sites (Protect Our Bases Act). Tillis framed the legislation as simple housekeeping—just tidying up after “hostile regimes.” The measure would force federal agencies to update real‑estate watchlists yearly. In plain English: no spy balloons on the ground floor.
He also blasted the latest reconciliation package as “another $1 trillion on the national debt” (Reconciliation statement), a reminder that fiscal conservatism survives best as a press‑release genre.
Budd: One Big Beautiful Boast 🥯
Budd’s release reads like a receipt for every election‑year promise: border agents, child‑tax credits, cheaper tractors, and a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. He even slipped in a shout‑out to tobacco growers. If politics is retail, Budd opened every aisle at once.
Months earlier, he scolded the FDA for letting “illicit vaping products” roam trade‑show floors (Vaping letter). And in 2024 he warned DHS after ISIS suspects walked free (ISIS letter). Budd’s pattern is clear: spotlight a threat, promise a fix, rinse, repeat.
Harrigan: Border Battles and California Chaos
The freshman congressman keeps the rhetoric hot. On special‑interest aliens he wrote, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant—and it’s long past time for transparency,” urging monthly DHS reports (press release listed 26 June 2025 on his site index). Two days earlier he unveiled the GUARD Act to let the National Guard enforce immigration law because, as he put it, “If city politicians won’t do their jobs, we will” (24 June 2025 index entry).
His Los Angeles statement, however, aimed at progressive officials rather than cartel smugglers: riots are what happen, he argued, when “dangerous rhetoric” meets surveillance‑cam opportunity.
Why It Matters for Charlotte
- Infrastructure, not intrigue: Tillis’s land‑purchase bill could shape real‑estate deals near Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, economic anchors for the state.
- Tax math: Budd’s vote aligns with local chambers that want lower corporate rates but leaves unanswered questions about funding for Charlotte transit projects.
- Public safety: Harrigan’s border focus resonates with suburban voters in Ballantyne who list crime and migration as top concerns, according to last month’s UNC poll.
Sponsor Shout‑Out 👕
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About the Author
Jack Beckett drinks his coffee extra‑bold at the Einstein Bros. Bagels South Boulevard drive‑thru, where the baristas know his order (dark roast, no shmear) and his deadline panic face. Thanks, Einstein’s, for fueling local journalism — and for that one time you spelled “Mercury” correctly on the cup.
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© 2025 The Charlotte Mercury
This article, “Tillis, Budd and Harrigan Trade Barbs on Taxes, Border and Riots in Latest Press Releases,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY‑ND 4.0.
“Tillis, Budd and Harrigan Trade Barbs on Taxes, Border and Riots in Latest Press Releases”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY‑ND 4.0)
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