The Vice President of the United States played a key role in the upper chamber's vote to approve $9 billion in cuts
Murkowski questioned from the floor: "We haven't been provided with a clear explanation of which programs will be affected or how the cut priorities were established." She also warned about the alleged excessive use of mechanisms such as rescissions and continuing resolutions, instead of a formal legislative process.
Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, expressed satisfaction that the administration had withdrawn its original proposal to cut USD 400 million from the PEPFAR plan (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), but maintained her opposition to the "excessive" cuts to CPB. She highlighted the possible negative impact on local and rural stations, and on the availability of educational and cultural programs such as Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood or Antiques Roadshow.
Despite these concerns, Senator Mike Rounds (Republican-South Dakota), who had previously been uncertain about supporting the package, confirmed his support after reaching an agreement with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
According to Rounds, funds for tribal radio stations will be offset with money previously allocated under the Inflation Reduction Act, part of former Democratic president Biden's climate agenda.
The administration, through OMB Director Russell Vought, indicated it is open to modifications, including protecting sensitive programs such as PEPFAR. This helped to ease some internal party criticism.
After the discharge vote, Vance broke a tie in a second vote that allows the Senate to officially begin debate on the package. The process is expected to continue with a series of amendment votes, known as vote-a-rama, before the final vote.
On Tuesday, the United States Senate narrowly overcame a key procedural hurdle to advance a proposal to cut more than USD 9 billion in funds previously approved by Congress for foreign aid and public media.
Vice President J.D. Vance had to intervene and cast the tie-breaking vote after a 50-50 split, as three Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), voted against the measure.
The vote was to approve a motion that allows the rescissions package, promoted by Trump's White House, to leave the Senate Appropriations Committee and be considered by the full chamber.
The bill, approved by the House of Representatives last month, includes USD 8.3 billion in cuts for the notorious United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international aid funds, as well as more than USD 1 billion in cuts for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds NPR and PBS.
Thanks to the special rescissions process triggered by the Executive Branch, Congress has until July 18 to approve this legislation with a simple majority, which allows lawmakers to bypass the expected Democratic filibuster. Vance's decisive vote marks a milestone, as it is one of his most crucial interventions as president of the Senate and underscores the pivotal role he can play in such a divided Senate.
Senators Murkowski and Collins justified their votes against due to concerns about cuts to public media and the lack of transparency regarding how the affected programs would be determined.
