Vice President JD Vance cast two tie-breaking votes in the Senate on Tuesday to advance a \$9.4 billion rescissions plan that would eliminate federal funding for NPR and PBS. The Senate was deadlocked 50-50 on two procedural votes until Vance, presiding in his constitutional role, sided with Republicans to move forward with the White House-supported proposal.

Three Republicans—Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine—broke ranks and joined Democrats in opposing the measure. The legislation, which passed the House in June, seeks to claw back \$8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and \$1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which helps fund National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Senate Republicans signaled their intention to remove a controversial \$400 million cut to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through an amendment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the adjustment would leave the bill at around \$9 billion in total rescissions and expressed hope the House would accept the revised package.

Senator Collins criticized the legislation for its lack of clarity, arguing that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) failed to provide specifics about which programs would be affected. She also described the cuts to public broadcasting as “excessive,” warning that they could disrupt services in Maine such as emergency alerts and coverage of local high school sports.

Meanwhile, scrutiny intensified after NPR CEO Katherine Maher testified before Congress. Her comments, combined with reports that NPR’s editorial staff includes 87 registered Democrats and no Republicans, sparked fresh criticism. HBO host Bill Maher publicly supported efforts to defund NPR and PBS, citing growing concerns over perceived political bias in public media.