Vance Casts Tie-Breaking Votes To Advance $9.4B Rescissions Package In Senate
On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance cast two tie-breaking votes in the Senate to facilitate the advancement of a $9.4 billion rescissions plan aimed at terminating government funding for PBS and NPR.
The Senate was deadlocked at 50-50 on two procedural votes regarding the initiation of discussions on the multibillion-dollar expenditure claw back plan until Vance’s votes propelled the proposal requested by the White House.
Three Republican senators, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), aligned with the Democrats in their opposition to the plan.
The package, which was approved by the House of Representatives the previous month, seeks to eliminate roughly $8.3 billion that had been allocated to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1.1 billion designated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides partial funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
An anticipated amendment is expected to remove a projected $400 million reduction to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program before the measure is put to a vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) informed reporters following a meeting with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought that there was considerable interest among members regarding action on PEPFAR. “That’s reflected in the substitute,” he stated.
Thune further expressed hope that if the Senate successfully passes the measure, the House will agree to the minor modification that would adjust the package to approximately a $9 billion rescissions package.
Collins justified her “no” vote by contending that the OMB failed to provide senators with information regarding which programs would be eliminated as a consequence of the clawback.
“The rescissions package has a significant issue — there is a lack of clarity regarding the program reductions included,” she remarked in a statement. “This is not due to insufficient time for reviewing the bill. Rather, the issue lies in the fact that OMB has not supplied the details that are typically part of this process.
Katherine Maher — not related to the liberal HBO host — testified before the House Select Committee on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where she encountered rigorous questioning from Republican members.
All GOP lawmakers on the committee endorse President Trump’s initiative to cut federal funding for both NPR and PBS.
During the session, Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) revealed that NPR’s editorial team comprises 87 registered Democrats and no registered Republicans.
The NPR CEO recognized this statistic as “concerning” but maintained that neither her personal opinions nor those of her staff affect the organization’s journalistic reporting.
Bill Maher stated during his online “Overtime” segment on CNN that the hearing strongly advocated for the privatization of both NPR and PBS.
In response to a listener’s inquiry, Maher consistently criticized his “namesake” for implying that the outlet could maintain impartiality despite the significant partisan disparity within its newsroom.
