Curtis blames GOP losses on debt and war after voting for tax law, against ending war

On election night, as Democrats were taking the Senate, Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, wrote in his Substack newsletter that his party had "abandoned the conservative principles that once defined us." He listed limited government, free trade and fiscal responsibility among them. Curtis was not on the ballot this year ¹.

He named specific failures. He cited "the public debt balloon past $40 trillion—leading to volatile markets." He also said voters "saw a hastily planned war disrupt oil markets" ².

Tonight's shellacking should be a wake-up call.

On the two biggest things he blamed, the debt and the war, Curtis's own votes went the other way. Here is the record.

What he said, and did, in 2025

In June 2025, President Trump's tax-and-spending package, which he called the "One Big Beautiful Bill," was moving through Congress. Curtis told Salt Lake City station KUTV he was worried about what it would do to the debt ⁴.

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I do have great concerns about the debt, and I'm watching to see if we've done all that we can do.

He then voted yes. The Senate vote was tied 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance broke the tie. Three Republicans, Sens. Thom Tillis, Susan Collins and Rand Paul, voted no. Curtis said "The Big Beautiful Bill delivers for Utahns," citing border security, permanent tax relief and a stronger military ⁵.

At the time, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress's nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, estimated the bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years ⁵. Its final estimate for the law as signed was $3.4 trillion in added deficits from 2025 through 2034, mostly from making the 2017 tax cuts permanent ⁷.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group, put the total at $4.1 trillion once interest is counted ⁷. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, estimated that up to 188,000 Utahns could lose Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for people with low incomes ⁵.

The House gave final approval 218-214 on July 3, 2025. That day Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King said, "I'm not surprised. But still, this is a crushing blow to hundreds of thousands of Utahns" ⁶. He also made a promise ⁶.

We'll be talking about this every single day between now and Nov. 3, 2026.

The debt clock kept running

Treasury data show the gross national debt passed $40 trillion on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, reaching $40.047 trillion. It had hit $38 trillion in October 2025 and $39 trillion in March of this year ⁸.

Cox Media Group, citing The New York Times, reported that the government was on track to borrow more than $2 trillion this year. That included spending on the war with Iran and the 2025 tax cuts ⁸. Both appear in Curtis's election-night list of complaints, and he voted for one of them.

The war and tariff votes

On May 13, 2026, the Senate fell one vote short, 49-50, on a Democratic motion to advance a resolution ending the Iran war. Only three Republicans voted yes: Paul, Collins and Lisa Murkowski ⁹. Curtis voted against it ¹⁰.

Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who has led the war powers fight, said that day that Republicans were under pressure over the economy and gas prices ⁹.

We're starting to hear doubt creep into their words

Free trade is also on Curtis's list of lost principles. On Oct. 30, 2025, the Senate voted 51-47 to end the emergency declaration Trump used for his worldwide tariffs. Four Republicans voted yes: Mitch McConnell, Paul, Collins and Murkowski. Curtis was not one of them ¹¹.

What he says now

In comments reported Nov. 5, Curtis rejected the idea that Trump needed to deport more people, raise tariffs further and pull back from the world. "I'm calling BS on that," he said ³. He also said, "It's still better to win long-term on the right policies than short-term on the wrong policies" ³.

Utah's other senator, Republican Mike Lee, took a different tone. On election night he posted an AI-generated video of the Titanic sinking with the words "Current vibes" ¹.

That matters because Curtis is one of the few sitting Republicans saying plainly that the party's own choices cost it. But each failure he named, from the debt to the war to trade, had a Senate vote attached, and on none of them was Curtis among the Republicans who broke with the party line he now criticizes.

The real test is coming. Next year a Democratic Senate is expected to hold votes on tariffs, the war and the budget. Those votes will show whether Curtis's newsletter matches his voting card.

The Record

1. Jun 4, 2025Curtis tells KUTV he has 'great concerns about the debt' as the Senate weighs Trump's tax-and-spending bill ⁴.
2. Jul 3, 2025The House gives the bill final approval 218-214, after Curtis voted for it in the Senate; CBO later estimates it adds $3.4 trillion to deficits through 2034 ⁵⁶⁷.
3. May 13, 2026Senate falls 49-50 on advancing a resolution to end the Iran war; Curtis votes no ⁹¹⁰.
4. Aug 18, 2026The gross national debt passes $40 trillion, reaching $40.047 trillion ⁸.
5. Nov 3, 2026On election night, Curtis writes that the GOP 'abandoned the conservative principles that once defined us,' citing the debt and the war ¹².

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<h2>Curtis blames GOP losses on debt and war after voting for tax law, against ending war</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Receipts Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/curtis-blames-gop-losses-on-debt-and-war-after-voting-for-tax-law-against-ending">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 6, 2026.</em></p> <p>On election night, as Democrats were taking the Senate, Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, wrote in his Substack newsletter that his party had &quot;abandoned the conservative principles that once defined us.&quot; He listed limited government, free trade and fiscal responsibility among them. Curtis was not on the ballot this year .</p> <p>He named specific failures. He cited &quot;the public debt balloon past $40 trillion—leading to volatile markets.&quot; He also said voters &quot;saw a hastily planned war disrupt oil markets&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>Tonight&#39;s shellacking should be a wake-up call.</p><p>&mdash; John Curtis, U.S. senator, R-Utah</p></blockquote> <p>On the two biggest things he blamed, the debt and the war, Curtis&#39;s own votes went the other way. Here is the record.</p> <h2>What he said, and did, in 2025</h2> <p>In June 2025, President Trump&#39;s tax-and-spending package, which he called the &quot;One Big Beautiful Bill,&quot; was moving through Congress. Curtis told Salt Lake City station KUTV he was worried about what it would do to the debt .</p> <blockquote><p>I do have great concerns about the debt, and I&#39;m watching to see if we&#39;ve done all that we can do.</p><p>&mdash; John Curtis, U.S. senator, R-Utah</p></blockquote> <p>He then voted yes. The Senate vote was tied 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance broke the tie. Three Republicans, Sens. Thom Tillis, Susan Collins and Rand Paul, voted no. Curtis said &quot;The Big Beautiful Bill delivers for Utahns,&quot; citing border security, permanent tax relief and a stronger military .</p> <p>At the time, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress&#39;s nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, estimated the bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years . Its final estimate for the law as signed was $3.4 trillion in added deficits from 2025 through 2034, mostly from making the 2017 tax cuts permanent .</p> <p>The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group, put the total at $4.1 trillion once interest is counted . Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, estimated that up to 188,000 Utahns could lose Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for people with low incomes .</p> <p>The House gave final approval 218-214 on July 3, 2025. That day Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King said, &quot;I&#39;m not surprised. But still, this is a crushing blow to hundreds of thousands of Utahns&quot; . He also made a promise .</p> <blockquote><p>We&#39;ll be talking about this every single day between now and Nov. 3, 2026.</p><p>&mdash; Brian King, Chair, Utah Democratic Party</p></blockquote> <h2>The debt clock kept running</h2> <p>Treasury data show the gross national debt passed $40 trillion on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, reaching $40.047 trillion. It had hit $38 trillion in October 2025 and $39 trillion in March of this year .</p> <p>Cox Media Group, citing The New York Times, reported that the government was on track to borrow more than $2 trillion this year. That included spending on the war with Iran and the 2025 tax cuts . Both appear in Curtis&#39;s election-night list of complaints, and he voted for one of them.</p> <h2>The war and tariff votes</h2> <p>On May 13, 2026, the Senate fell one vote short, 49-50, on a Democratic motion to advance a resolution ending the Iran war. Only three Republicans voted yes: Paul, Collins and Lisa Murkowski . Curtis voted against it .</p> <p>Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who has led the war powers fight, said that day that Republicans were under pressure over the economy and gas prices .</p> <blockquote><p>We&#39;re starting to hear doubt creep into their words</p><p>&mdash; Tim Kaine, U.S. senator, D-Virginia</p></blockquote> <p>Free trade is also on Curtis&#39;s list of lost principles. On Oct. 30, 2025, the Senate voted 51-47 to end the emergency declaration Trump used for his worldwide tariffs. Four Republicans voted yes: Mitch McConnell, Paul, Collins and Murkowski. Curtis was not one of them .</p> <h2>What he says now</h2> <p>In comments reported Nov. 5, Curtis rejected the idea that Trump needed to deport more people, raise tariffs further and pull back from the world. &quot;I&#39;m calling BS on that,&quot; he said . He also said, &quot;It&#39;s still better to win long-term on the right policies than short-term on the wrong policies&quot; .</p> <p>Utah&#39;s other senator, Republican Mike Lee, took a different tone. On election night he posted an AI-generated video of the Titanic sinking with the words &quot;Current vibes&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because Curtis is one of the few sitting Republicans saying plainly that the party&#39;s own choices cost it. But each failure he named, from the debt to the war to trade, had a Senate vote attached, and on none of them was Curtis among the Republicans who broke with the party line he now criticizes.</p> <p>The real test is coming. Next year a Democratic Senate is expected to hold votes on tariffs, the war and the budget. Those votes will show whether Curtis&#39;s newsletter matches his voting card.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/curtis-blames-gop-losses-on-debt-and-war-after-voting-for-tax-law-against-ending">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/curtis-blames-gop-losses-on-debt-and-war-after-voting-for-tax-law-against-ending.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Salt Lake Tribune, “Republican Sen. John Curtis rips GOP, says party 'abandoned' conservative principles as Democrats take Senate control” (2026-11-03). sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/11/03/utah-sen-john-curtis-say
2. KSL.com / Deseret News, “Curtis blames GOP midterm losses on abandonment of conservative values” (2026-11-04). ksl.com/article/news/politics/curtis-blames-gop-midterm-loss
3. Deseret News (via Yahoo News), “Did MAGA fail or did Republicans fail MAGA? The GOP's post-midterm divide” (2026-11-05). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/did-maga-fail-did-republica
4. KUTV (via KMYU), “Utah leaders split sharply over why they dislike Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'” (2025-06-04). kmyu.tv/news/local/utah-leaders-split-sharply-over-why-they-
5. FOX 13 Salt Lake City, “Utah's Curtis, Lee vote to pass Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' in Senate” (2025-07-01). fox13now.com/news/politics/utahs-curtis-lee-vote-to-pass-tru
6. ABC4 Utah (via Yahoo News), “'It reflects what Americans voted for': Utah leaders react to passing of 'Big Beautiful Bill'” (2025-07-03). yahoo.com/news/reflects-americans-voted-utah-leaders-2037488
7. The Center Square (via Juneau Independent), “CBO: 'Big, beautiful bill' will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficit by 2034” (2025-07-21). juneauindependent.com/post/cbo-big-beautiful-bill-will-add-3
8. WSOC-TV / Cox Media Group, “US national debt passes $40 trillion milestone” (2026-08-20). wsoctv.com/news/trending/us-national-debt-passes-40-trillion
9. CBS News, “Senate defeats 7th war powers resolution on Iran” (2026-05-13). cbsnews.com/news/senate-defeats-7th-trump-war-powers-iran/
10. GV Wire, “Senate again rejects bid to end Iran war, but GOP opposition grows” (2026-05-13). gvwire.com/2026/05/13/senate-again-rejects-bid-to-end-iran-w
11. CBS News, “Senate votes to end emergency behind Trump's global tariffs” (2025-10-30). cbsnews.com/news/senate-vote-trump-global-tariffs-emergency

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