VP Harris Makes History with Senate Vote Record
- Vice President Kamala Harris cast her 32nd tiebreaking vote to confirm Loren L. AliKhan as a U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, making history with the most deciding votes in the chamber by a vice president.
- The 32 tiebreaking Senate votes that Harris has cast since taking office in 2021 surpass a 191-year-old record by John C. Calhoun who had broken 31 Senate ties by the time he left office in 1832.
- Harris has been called to the Capitol to break deadlocks on matters including key legislation, Biden nominations and routine procedural moves. Legislation that was advanced with the help of Harris’s tiebreaking vote has included the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Record-Breaking Vote Cast by Vice President Harris
Vice President Harris made history on Tuesday, casting her 32nd tiebreaking vote to approve Loren L. AliKhan as a U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia. This record-setting number surpasses a 191-year-old record held by John C. Calhoun, who during his vice presidency to John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, had broken 31 Senate ties by 1832.
Harris equaled Calhoun’s record in July by voting in favor of employment attorney Kalpana Kotagal’s appointment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Tuesday’s vote on AliKhan’s nomination was a 50-50 stalemate, leading to Harris’s intervention. In the evenly split Senate, Harris has frequently been summoned to the Capitol to break deadlocks on matters such as key legislation, Biden nominations, and standard procedural moves. Critical legislation advanced with Harris’s tiebreaking vote includes the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Republicans continue to criticize Vice President Harris
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) celebrated the historic event by presenting Harris with a golden gavel. Schumer applauded Harris for her leadership, noting that without her tiebreaking votes, key legislation, and judicial appointments would not have been possible. He expressed gratitude to Harris for her commitment to the Senate’s work amidst the enormous responsibilities of her office, declaring, “This is a great milestone, and yours is even a greater legacy.”
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