Mike Lee

Senator Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican, became the latest GOP voice Tuesday to speak out against Utah’s Mike Lee, whose inflammatory MAGA criticisms have irritated even the chamber’s reddest wings.

Lee has criticized his Republican colleagues in social media swipes for refusing to change the Senate’s rules to pass the SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill demanded by President Donald Trump. Tillis, speaking to reporters in the Capitol, called the Utahn’s ideas for advancing the bill—he has suggested forcing Democrats to hold the floor in a talking filibuster—“silly.”

“All of it’s just goofy stuff,” Tillis said. “It’s like a remake of a bad movie that just keeps on getting released.”

Lee’s criticisms of his party have confused colleagues concerned about their priorities ahead of the midterm elections. The senator’s main arguments, that Republicans should eliminate the 60-vote requirement for most legislation or drag Democrats into a marathon debate, are unpopular for a caucus struggling to address Americans’ affordability anxieties.

Senator John Cornyn, the Texas Republican, challenged Lee last week to find the votes needed to satisfy his ambitions.

“Your job to get ‘em, Mike, if you can,” Cornyn wrote on X. “Can’t just complain about others. Prove us wrong.”