This week, the GOP sent a significant rescission package to the Senate floor, in what should have been a no-brainer vote.
It did not turn out that way, as the package saw resistance among a handful of Republican senators.
Even though the GOP has a 53-47 advantage, it needed Vice President JD Vance to come in and break the tie to get the package passed.
We told you last week that there were going to be at least two Republicans who would fight against the package, and if that number went over three, it would be dead.
As it turned out, Republicans lost a total of three, but they were still able to pass the bill.
The three defectors against the rescission package were: Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) was able to get the package through, although he needed to call Vance in to make it happen.
Since the vote was tied at 50, the tie-breaking vote falls to the vice president, and I am sure that Vance was more than happy to break that logjam, giving his boss another big win.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought took a victory lap, saying, “From a $9.4 billion package to a $9 billion package, that’s something that’s very exciting for the American taxpayer. Big chunks of this proposal are not falling out.”
After Thune met with caucus members and just prior to the bill hitting the floor, he stated, “There was a lot of interest from our members on doing something on PEPFAR. That’s reflected in the substitute.”
He continued, “We hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate, that the House will accept that one small modification that ends up making the package about a $9 billion rescissions package.”
While the GOP pushed the rescissions package through, which will enable Trump to pull back some funding that had been passed in prior legislation, some members of the caucus were expressing concerns about using this tool to cut spending.
For instance, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), part of the GOP contingent that did not support the BBB, stated, “Conservatives, particularly, I find it remarkable just how open we are to not demanding the details before we vote."
Tillis added, “But I’m not going to hold it up because of the relatively small size of it, but I think going forward, it would be virtually impossible to get another rescission package done at any scale if they don’t do their homework.”
If I am being honest, I was disappointed this package did not contain more cuts, considering all the reports we saw from DOGE. Again, my main sticking point on legislation now is the amount of money we are sending to partisan groups, usually funneled through various government agencies, and money being sent to schools like Harvard and Penn, which have endowments in the billions. I wish I had better answers on that, but to this point, every Republican senator I have asked for comment has ignored my requests.
