Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is joining the GOP whip team and will replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Semafor has learned.
Moreno’s elevation comes shortly after the freshman Republican helped shape last week’s party-line tax and health care law, specifically pushing Republicans to more quickly phase out electric vehicle subsidies and narrow auto loan interest deductions to new cars assembled in the US.
He also sought to temper the GOP from pushing for even heavier Medicaid cuts than they pursued in the bill.
In a statement for this story, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said that Moreno “worked nonstop for 27 hours to keep our conference united and ultimately secured passage of our Republican agenda” last week, calling him “integral” to the team.
The whip team meets each week in Barrasso’s office and seeks to lock up at least 50 votes for Trump’s nominees and key legislation ahead of every vote.
Moreno said Barrasso is “a consistent, conservative leader driving our conference.” Moreno won his seat last year, ousting former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.; he is closely aligned with Trump on tariff policy.
Tillis’s exit from the whip team follows his vote against the tax cut legislation, which Tillis said too harshly cut Medicaid benefits for his constituents. The North Carolinian declined comment.