Vice President Kamala Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for casting the most tiebreaking votes in the Senate when she voted Tuesday to advance the confirmation of a new federal judge in Washington, D.C.
Quick Read
- Historic Tiebreaking Vote: Vice President Kamala Harris set a new record for the most tiebreaking votes in the U.S. Senate with her 32nd vote, surpassing a nearly 200-year-old record.
- Advancing Federal Judge Confirmation: Her latest tiebreaking vote was cast to advance the confirmation of a new federal judge in Washington, D.C.
- Previous Record Holder: The previous record was held by John C. Calhoun, who cast 31 tiebreaking votes during his tenure as vice president from 1825 to 1832. Harris tied this record in July.
- Recognition by Senate Majority Leader: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, acknowledged this milestone and presented Harris with a golden gavel after the vote.
- Harris’ Reaction: Harris expressed being “truly honored” to make history from the Senate dais.
- Vice President’s Constitutional Duty: Casting tiebreaking votes is one of the few constitutional duties of the vice president, and Harris has been frequently called upon due to the close division between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.
- Decreased Pace in 2023: While the pace of Harris’ tiebreaking votes decreased in 2023 after Democrats expanded their majority in the Senate, she still managed to surpass Calhoun’s record in less than half the time.
- Significant Legislation Passed: Harris has played a crucial role in advancing significant legislation, including the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act.
- Focus on Judicial Nominees: Most of Harris’ tiebreaking votes have been related to President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, including her most recent vote for Loren AliKhan to be a U.S. District Court judge.
- Diversifying the Judiciary: Schumer credited Harris for her role in confirming more women and people of color to the bench, contributing to a judiciary that “looks more like America.”
The Associated Press has the story:
VP Harris breaks nearly 200-year-old record for Senate tiebreaker votes, casts her 32nd
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for casting the most tiebreaking votes in the Senate when she voted Tuesday to advance the confirmation of a new federal judge in Washington, D.C.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called Harris’ 32nd tiebreaking vote a “great milestone.”
The previous recordholder was John C. Calhoun, who cast 31 tiebreaking votes during his eight years as vice president, from 1825 to 1832. Harris, a Democrat, tied Calhoun’s record in July.
Schumer presented Harris with a golden gavel after Tuesday’s vote. Harris, who beamed as she made history from the Senate dais, said afterward she was “truly honored.”
Casting tiebreaker votes is among the only constitutional duties for vice presidents, and Harris has been repeatedly called on to break deadlocks because the Senate is closely divided between Democrats and Republicans.
The pace of Harris’ votes dropped off this year, when Democrats expanded their slim majority in the Senate by a single seat. But she still managed to surpass Calhoun’s record in less than half the time that he took to set it.
Harris has helped advance the American Rescue Plan, which was a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief measure, and the Inflation Reduction Act, which limited the costs of prescription drugs and created financial incentives for clean energy.
Most of Harris’ votes have involved President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. On Tuesday, she boosted Loren AliKhan’s nomination to be a U.S. District Court judge. AliKhan was being confirmed hours later.
Schumer credited Harris with helping to confirm more women and people of color to the bench to help make the judiciary “look more like America.”
