Tuesday, August 9, 2022

VP Harris casts the tie-breaking vote on Inflation Reduction Act for Veep Day 2022

Happy National Veep Day! ABC News reported the latest news involving Vice President Kamala Harris in Senate passes landmark Inflation Reduction Act.

Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote.
The Hill has more on Harris's tie-breaking vote and its significance.
Vice President Harris cast her 25th tiebreaking vote with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday, moving her within six votes of the almost two-century-old record held by former Vice President John Calhoun.

The Constitution stipulates the vice president also serves as president of the Senate and has the authority to break ties, which has occurred with some regularity over the past year and a half given the 50-50 makeup of the upper chamber.

Harris has already cast more tiebreakers than almost any other vice president, except for John Adams and Calhoun, who served from 1825 to 1832.

Calhoun has held the record of 31 tiebreaking votes since his tenure as vice president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. John Adams, who served as vice president for nearly eight years under George Washington, cast 29 tiebreakers.

Harris, however, has cast more tiebreakers than Adams or Calhoun at the equivalent times in their vice presidencies.
Whether she will pass Adams or break Calhoun's record depends on how long the Senate remains tied at 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, along with the independents who caucus with the latter. Right now, FiveThirtyEight forecasts that the Democrats have a 59% chance of retaining the chamber, which includes 8% probability that the chamber continues to have a 50-50 split with the Vice President breaking the tie. If that's the case, I expect Harris will set a new record for tie-breaking votes.

I already shared some of what the bill will do in Colbert examines Manchin agreeing to the reconciliation bill that would fight climate change. I promise to examine it again when the House passes it and President Biden signs it. In the meantime, stay tuned for World Lion Day and National Presidential Joke Day.

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