VP JD Vance Breaks Senate Tie To Advance $9.4 Billion Rescissions Package

 J.D. Vance’s tie-breaking votes to advance a $9 billion rescissions package, outlining the context, process, political implications, and what’s next. I’ve included sources throughout and added a navigation list at the end with additional news coverage.

1. Background: What Is the Rescissions Act of 2025?

• In June 2025, former President Trump transmitted a rescissions proposal asking Congress to claw back $9.4 billion in funding previously approved—including roughly $8.3 billion from foreign assistance (mainly via USAID) and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (funding NPR and PBS)

• Under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, rescission measures must be approved within 45 days of submission, and in the Senate cannot be filibustered, allowing passage with a simple majority

• The House passed the original version on June 12, 2025, in a narrow 214–212 vote, largely along party lines with a handful of moderate Republicans opposing

2. Senate Procedural Votes: Vance’s Tie-Breakers

• Despite Republicans holding a nominal 53–47 majority, three moderate GOP senators—Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)—joined all Democrats in opposing the motion to proceed with debate on the bill, resulting in a 50–50 deadlock on July 15, 2025

• Vice President J.D. Vance cast two tie-breaking votes:

  1. To discharge H.R. 4 (Rescissions Act of 2025) from committee.

  2. To proceed to the measure, triggering up to 10 hours of debate followed by a full-day “vote‑a‑rama” amendment phase

• These were Vance’s most recent tie-breakers; CNN noted that his frequent use of tiebreakers (five in July alone) is putting him on pace to nearly double Kamala Harris’s record for tie-breaking votes in a single four‑year term

3. How the Bill Was Modified: PEPFAR and Negotiations

• GOP leadership, facing Republican defections, reached agreement to remove a $400 million cut to PEPFAR (the highly regarded AIDS prevention program)—reducing the package from the original $9.4 billion to $9 billion

• Additional Senate amendments included exemptions for global health programs (HIV, malaria, maternal/child health), foreign aid to Jordan and Egypt, and funding targeting Chinese influence efforts—easing some concerns among moderate Republicans

• Proponents, led by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R‑MO), described the cuts as part of Trump administration efforts to target “waste, fraud, and abuse” and reduce America’s $36 trillion debt

4. Dissent: Republican Holdouts and Democratic Opposition

• Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Appropriations Committee, voiced strong objections over lack of transparency—arguing the OMB hadn’t provided adequate detail about what programs would actually lose funding

• Sen. Lisa Murkowski questioned the process itself, rejecting what she described as a move away from regular lawmaking toward repeated executive directives:

  “We’re lawmakers. We should be legislating … but we keep being told, ‘This is the priority… we’ll be back.’ I don’t accept that.”

• Sen. Mitch McConnell, while not opposing cuts per se, joined in opposition to the bill moving forward without proper legislative deliberation

• On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that the proposal threatened local stations, especially in rural and impoverished communities, of losing essential support for news, weather alerts, and education programs

• Other Democratic senators, including Sen. Patty Murray and Independent Angus King (who caucuses with Democrats), warned the plan undermines the appropriations process and sets a dangerous precedent

5. Senate Vote‑a‑Rama and Final Vote

• On July 17, following extended debate and the expansive vote-a-rama (a long amendment-vote session), the Senate passed the modified rescissions bill 51–48. Vance was no longer needed, since three Republicans remained opposed but others lined up in support. (Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota missed the final vote due to hospitalization.)

• The amended version now heads back to the House, where it must be approved by midnight Eastern on Friday, July 18, or the rescission effort will fail and the funds will be released as originally intended

6. Implications & Political Fallout

Executive-Legislative Power Struggle

• Critics argue the administration’s repeated use of rescissions bypasses Congress’s power of the purse, signaling an imbalance in constitutional checks and legislative oversight

• Opponents warn repeated rescission packages could become a tool to override appropriations through sidelining regular budgeting procedures

Impact on Public Media & Global Health

• The package includes a $1 billion cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, raising alarms over the future viability of NPR and PBS, especially in rural areas where stations serve as key sources of news and emergency informationWhile

• PEPFAR funding was preserved, broader foreign aid cuts (~$8 billion) remain in place, potentially affecting efforts on nutrition, water, sanitation, and countering global malign influence

Partisan Tensions & GOP Dynamics

• Vance’s tie-breaking votes underline the narrow GOP unity and the party’s reliance on executive intervention to overcome internal dissent—even with a Senate majority

• Trump weighed in publicly, warning that any Republican senators who vote to preserve public broadcasting would lose his support and endorsement in the future

7. What Comes Next?

1. House Action: The Senate-refined bill must clear the House by midnight ET, Friday, July 18. Any modifications could jeopardize passage.

2. Presidential Signature: If approved on time, the bill reaches former President Trump’s desk for enactment.

3. Future Rescissions: The administration has signaled intent to pursue additional rescission rounds, potentially targeting Education, Defense, and other departments—intensifying inter-branch conflict and heightening government shutdown risks ahead of fiscal year 2026 funding debates

8. Vance’s Growing Role in Senate Tie-Breakers

• J.D. Vance has already cast multiple high-stakes tie-breaking votes in July 2025, including for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and other major legislative and procedural itemsIf this pace continues, analysts expect Vance to nearly double the record number of tie-breaking votes in a single term once held by Kamala Harris (33 votes), making for an unprecedented vice-presidential legislative footprint

🔎 Summary

• The Rescissions Act of 2025 aims to reclaim roughly $9 billion in federal spending—most in foreign aid and media funding.

• In a Senate divided 50–50, Vice President J.D. Vance cast two crucial tie-breaking votes on July 15, 2025, to advance debate.

• Moderate Republicans opposed the bill due to lack of detail and process concerns, prompting adjustments—most notably preserving PEPFAR funding.

• After an intense vote‑a‑rama, the Senate approved the modified bill 51–48, which must now clear the House by July 18 or fail.

• The outcome has constitutional implications, generating tension over Congress’s budgeting power and executive overreach, while signaling more potential rescission efforts ahead.