Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote Tuesday to advance President Trump’s $9 billion DOGE rescissions bill in the 50-50 Senate, despite defections from three key Republicans.
Senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in opposing the bill’s move to debate, citing a lack of transparency from the White House.
The bill, originally a $9.4 billion rollback of Biden-era spending, was trimmed after GOP leaders restored $400 million in HIV/AIDS aid through PEPFAR — a move that increased its odds of passage. Still, many Republicans remained aligned with Trump, calling the measure a necessary step to rein in runaway spending.
House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled he would resist further Senate changes. “The rescissions are about priorities,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt. “We have to start somewhere.”
Democrats pushed back, warning the cuts threaten public broadcasting and shred bipartisan trust in future negotiations.
