Mitch McConnell selects Thom Tillis for a Senate Republican leadership spot

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has selected Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to serve as a counselor to the Senate Republican leadership team.

“North Carolina and the whole country benefit from his service and I’m glad he’s taking on this new leadership role,” McConnell said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

While the counsel position isn’t an official role, McConnell has historically offered one or two counselor positions to rank-and-file members of the Senate to have a seat at the leadership table.

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Tillis emerged during the first two years of the Biden presidency – with a 50-50 Senate and Democrat-majority House – as a key negotiator in major pieces of bipartisan legislation, like gun safety law reform last year, the infrastructure package in 2021 and the Respect for Marriage Act.

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Tillis also co-sponsored a number of bills addressing the southern border and fallout issues related to the border crisis in the last Congress.

With the Biden administration facing increased criticism for its handling of the southern border, a Republican-majority House, and interest from some Democrats in both chambers to address border legislation, Tillis could find himself back at the negotiation table for Republicans to strike another bipartisan deal – this time on immigration.

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Last week, Tillis joined a bipartisan group of senators for a tour of the southern border, just after President Biden’s trip to Texas and amid calls for congressional action to solve the migrant crisis following a two-year stalemate in Washington.

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“There is a humanitarian and security crisis raging at the southern border, with historic illegal entries and massive amounts of dangerous drugs being smuggled into our country due to failed policies and enforcement coming from Washington,” Tillis said in a press statement announcing the trip.

The Senate reconvenes on Monday, Jan. 23, for the 118th Congress.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.