Vice President JD Vance served as the tiebreaking vote after congress remained split on legislation that would cut federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, foreign aid programs, and more.

Washington

The US Senate was evenly divided on a legislative package proposing cuts to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid programs, totaling approximately $9 billion. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, allowing the bill to advance. The proposed cuts, described as a rescissions package, represent a small portion of the overall federal budget and were recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency.

While the bill initially included reductions to the PEPFAR program for HIV and AIDS relief, those cuts were removed to gain additional Republican support. The legislation has drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue that targeting public broadcasting funding is politically motivated. The bill now awaits a final Senate vote before moving to the House for approval.

Congress split on spending cuts to NPR, foreign aid programs

These cuts represent just a small fraction of the doge cuts we heard so much about. This would have Congress kind of codify some of them, and even this has been a tough sell here on Capitol Hill. The yeas are 50 and the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes in the affirmative, and the motion is agreed to. It took the tie-breaking vote of Vice President J.D. Vance to move it along, but Senate Republicans crossed some big hurdles last night. On the chopping block, federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as foreign aid programs, totaling about $9 billion. This bill that is inspiring such hysteria in Democrats would cut just one-tenth of one percent or one one-thousandth of the federal budget. The cuts, known as a rescissions package, are just a small part of the reductions recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency. And by targeting federal funding for organizations like National Public Radio, Democrats say Republicans are playing politics. Come on, you defund an agency because you disagree with their editorial choices? Which country is this? GOP leaders ultimately removed cuts for PEPFAR, the 20-year-old program to fight HIV and AIDS around the globe. That helped win over some Republicans, but others worried about the impact the public radio cuts could have on local stations. But others in the GOP say if these small cuts can't get through, what can? Yes. I mean, this is very simple. This is a baby step. Now we could see a final vote on this in the Senate today. That's what Republican leaders are hoping for. The House would then have to sign off on this by Friday. That's the deadline to get this to the president's desk.

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