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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Feb. 15, 2026.
ED O'KEEFE: We're joined present by Sen. Thom Tillis from the Munich Security Conference successful Germany. Senator, bully to spot you. Good morning. Thank you for taking a fewer minutes to beryllium with us. A study that was published this week--
SENATOR THOM TILLIS: Thank you
ED O'KEEFE: --by the Munich Security Conference describes leaders who are taking an ax to existing rules and institutions, and says the epoch successful which Europe could trust connected the U.S. arsenic an unquestioned information guarantor is over. You deliberation that's a just assessment. Is the U.S. nary longer a reliable spouse to Europe?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, you know, successful immoderate ways, I anticipation that we're going to participate an epoch wherever our reliance connected Europe is improved. Look, I've got a situation with immoderate of the things coming retired of the White House, but a batch of that vexation comes from a $2 trillion shortfall successful investing successful our communal defence by acold excessively galore NATO Allies. Now, they're- they're making close now, but you person to springiness the medication and the president immoderate latitude to constituent to the information that a $2 trillion dollar shortfall implicit 2 decades- what has that done to our readiness? What has that done to our innovation? What's that done to our subject concern basal and manufacturing capacity? You know, we could beryllium scaling up latent capabilities that would person been serving that $2 trillion to amended service Ukraine and amended modernize their ain weapons. So let's marque definite that radical look astatine this with equilibrium and recognize that a portion of the crushed wherefore we are wherever we are is due to the fact that we had that shortage successful the 20 years, successful the archetypal 20 years of this century. Now, the NATO confederation is the astir important confederation successful the past of mankind, and the- and the Article I branch, Congress, believes that, and they judge it successful ample numbers. So we're going to commit- I'm present successful Munich to fundamentally punctual everybody that we person 3 coequal branches of government. The president is trying to get our NATO allies to execute much powerfully and person immoderate level of independence, but the Congress has their back.
ED O'KEEFE: Yeah. So erstwhile the defence caput sends the Pentagon's fig 3 to a NATO defence gathering this week and tells the remainder of the alliance, the U.S.'s enactment for NATO volition continue, but punctuation 'in a much constricted and focused fashion,' is that the connection that Europe should beryllium receiving close now? Is that the mode the medication should attack it?
SEN. TILLIS: I would not person utilized those words. I deliberation what we privation to bash is beryllium stronger and correspond the deterrent capabilities of our alliance. The United States could perchance spell it alone. But the world is, our confederation is what makes america the world's superpower, what keeps this satellite safer. We're going to person malign actors for the- for- we've had them passim history. We volition proceed to. Putin is simply a liar and a murderer. He should beryllium expelled from Ukraine. I'll judge a bid statement if Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants one, but we request to marque definite that our adversaries, unless they alteration profoundly, are viewed arsenic adversaries that we person to coexist with but not appease. At the aforesaid time, Europe needs to measurement up, not fto this beryllium episodic, that they're present starting to lend to their communal defense, their ain capabilities, incidentally. It's not similar they're penning a cheque and nonstop it to the U.S. This is gathering up their capabilities, their interoperability, their quality to enactment with NATO allies if a struggle occurs. So, you know, it's an affectional time. I've got a doctrine that thing is ever arsenic bully as- atrocious arsenic it seems. I deliberation radical coming to Munich, reasoning that this is the extremity of NATO, are being a spot alarmist and that we conscionable request to get things close and larn from the past mistakes of our allies, or- oregon larn from the past mistakes of radical who person travel up short. But the rhetoric astir NATO someway being a 2nd tier benignant of confederation going guardant is- is intelligibly being spoken by idiosyncratic who doesn't truly recognize the brilliance and the powerfulness of the NATO alliance.
ED O'KEEFE: On NATO, 1 of the things the confederation announced successful caller days is this program for a caller Arctic Sentry ngo to fortify information crossed the Arctic region. The decision, of course, comes successful the aftermath of the president successful the past fewer weeks urging NATO to bash much for Arctic security, dropping his threats of subject penetration of Greenland. Is this caller cognition precisely what you're talking about, what you privation to spot the confederation doing? And is it besides the reply to the president's concerns astir Greenland?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, you know, we talked successful Davos. The world is, to me, it was irresponsible to spell anyplace different than figuring retired however we modernize the 1951 agreement, wherever Greenland and Denmark agreed to much oregon little springiness america unfettered entree successful Greenland to task powerfulness successful the Arctic. So present let's that- present that the temperatures person cooled, amusement a small spot of respect to Denmark and to Greenland. Figure retired what portion of Greenland- we request to up acceptable our abstraction base, the only- the lone lawsuit of military- oregon U.S. beingness successful Greenland present to the north. Take a look astatine a basal that they offered to america for a dollar and travel up with a fiscally sound, sustainable mode to task powerfulness successful the eastbound by moving with Canada and their icebreakers, which are indispensable for america to navigate there, moving with Denmark and our Scandinavian and- and Arctic allies to truly task the benignant of powerfulness we request to defer- deter China and Russia.
ED O'KEEFE: The German chancellor, astatine the commencement of this conference, suggested that the satellite bid arsenic we cognize it is over. I cognize you were talking astir hyperbole determination astatine the commencement of this. Do- would you agree, though, with the chancellor that things are changing that rapidly?
SEN. TILLIS: Only if the chancellor allows it to. Look, if- if- if the NATO countries, who came up abbreviated for decades, would conscionable admit that that was a mistake and past treble their- redouble their efforts, I deliberation that this goes conscionable similar the hyperbolic connection astir Greenland is present almost- it's unbelievable that was lone 3 weeks ago. But it's astir successful the distant past. I deliberation we person to look up and admit that the American people, the American Congress, and I believe, the medication is down it, but they're not incorrect to constituent retired the deficiencies of the past. Look, I've been successful meetings wherever radical speech astir immoderate of our societal programs, and however we should truly measurement up with the European world, and past astatine the aforesaid time, they're backing immoderate of those programs astatine the disbursal of their ain defense. So let's conscionable person an honorable treatment with household members and get the household right.
ED O'KEEFE: Let's enactment done a fewer different issues here. European leaders this week besides suggested that they're not taking retaliatory tariffs disconnected the table. Back present astatine home, the House voted to fundamentally cull the president's tariffs connected Canada, aft a clump of Republicans joined with Democrats to marque that hap successful the House. If that ever comes up successful the Senate, are you idiosyncratic who would hold with that, that the tariffs against Canada should beryllium stripped away?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, I've- I've looked at- what I deliberation we request to bash is get the USMCA modernization the statement connected the array and code that successful the discourse of strengthening our narration with Canada and Mexico. Look, we're a precise important trading bloc, and we should physique connected our successes. As I'm definite you know, a batch of the tariffs, there's a batch of exemptions due to the fact that of the beingness of USMCA. I deliberation we ought to get successful a country and benignant them out. I've had- I've expressed publically concerns with a batch of the tariffs that were imposed. I still, to this day, can't fig retired wherefore we person a 50% tariff connected Brazil erstwhile we person a commercialized surplus with Brazil. Those sorts of things are irrational to me. In different cases, I tin warrant it based connected past behaviors of countries that we person a shortage with, but we request to beryllium surgical and not usage a blunt unit object--
ED O'KEEFE: --Sure--
SEN TILLIS: --to negociate commercialized relationships, peculiarly with China and Mexico, or, I'm sorry, with Canada and Mexico.
ED O'KEEFE: Should your enactment beryllium distancing itself much from the president though connected tariffs, particularly the person it gets to November, erstwhile the American nationalist is not needfully a instrumentality of these moves?
SEN. TILLIS: See, I don't deliberation it's a substance of distancing ourselves. That's what's incorrect with Washington. We've gotten into this mode present to wherever we person immoderate benignant of a loyalty oregon fealty test, due to the fact that we either disagree. Oftentimes, it's not adjacent the what, it's the how. I bash deliberation the what of holding countries that have- we person had chronic commercialized deficits with accountable is necessary, and if tariffs are required to get their attention, fine. But the however is simply a precise surgical approach, not a broad approach, not 1 that really creates froth and uncertainty due to the fact that that's not bully for concern and the U.S., if thing else, is truly bully erstwhile we're astatine our champion connected certainty.
ED O'KEEFE: You reiterated this week, you're going to artifact immoderate confirmation hearings for a caller Federal Reserve president oregon committee subordinate until the Justice Department's probe into Jerome Powell is, arsenic you enactment it, resolved. But volition determination beryllium confirmation hearings for Kevin Warsh, adjacent if this DOG investigation- DOJ probe into Powell is continuing?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, let's marque the favoritism betwixt a- a confirmation proceeding and past a confirmation markup. Mr. Walsh [sic] is going to person to determine whether oregon not helium wants to spell done with this, because, arsenic I'm definite you know, erstwhile the nominee is enactment forward, determination are definite restrictions connected what helium tin bash successful his- successful his concern life. But I've tried to marque it precise wide that I person nary volition of supporting immoderate confirmation of immoderate Fed committee member, seat oregon otherwise, to capable the Kugler seat, for example, until this is resolved. I deliberation we had a young U.S. lawyer with a imagination trying to get the president's attention, not adjacent consulting with the medication and large DOJ connected thing that possibly they thought they'd get brownie points for. It's not cute. And if this is lone astir 2 minutes of- of treatment that came earlier Chair Powell, that authoritative should perceive to the 7 members, Republican members, who said they didn't spot immoderate transgression intent oregon activity. And- and much importantly, the authoritative should recognize that the protocol usually would beryllium a referral from the seat oregon a subordinate of the committee to say, we deliberation a transgression was committed here. We've got a transgression country wherever 7 Republican members accidental nary transgression was committed. How hard is that to understand?
ED O'KEEFE: But erstwhile the treasury caput said Friday, there's a woody to astatine slightest clasp confirmation hearings for Kevin Warsh to service arsenic the adjacent president of the Federal Reserve. Is helium misguided connected that?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, that's not a deal. That's a determination that the- that the seat makes unilaterally successful his capableness arsenic chair. The determination I get to marque is whether oregon not I let a markup, and if I bash let a markup, however I vote. And I'm saying that until the substance is solved, I'm a no.
ED O'KEEFE: Understood, and erstwhile you accidental resolved, erstwhile you privation this probe resolved, does that mean everything dropped by the Justice Department and different entities?
SEN. TILLIS: Well, support successful mind, everything is an probe astir 2 minutes of commentary.
ED O'KEEFE: Right.
SEN. TILLIS: Even for this guy, that's not hard to fig out.
ED O'KEEFE: You person been rather captious of the medication connected a suite of issues, whether it's tariffs, however it's engaging Europe, arsenic you mentioned earlier, concerns astir homeland information and whatnot, and you've said that it runs the hazard of hurting your enactment going into November. So I'm curious, if the elections were held today, would Republicans clasp connected to the House and the Senate?
SEN. TILLIS: I deliberation that we clasp connected to the Senate. I person questions astir the House, and immoderate of that comes from what I judge whitethorn person been a small spot of overreach with respect to- to redistricting. Plus, you person the historical situation of a midterm predetermination aft a statesmanlike election, a batch of complexities successful it. But I- you know, we've got enactment to do. And again, my beef astir ever relates to what I see to beryllium however things are being done. And I deliberation the president has immoderate advisers astir him. You've heard maine speech astir Stephen Miller, you cognize my sentiment astir Kristi Noem. These are radical that don't look astir corners and are not taking attraction of this president's legacy, and I mean to. And if I person to talk bluntly, that's what I'm going to bash successful my remaining clip successful the Senate.
ED O'KEEFE: Well, we admit you speaking bluntly with america this greeting from the Munich Security Conference. Senator Tillis, convey you for your time.
SEN. TILLIS: Thank you.
ED O'KEEFE: And we'll beryllium close back.
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