US VP Kamala Harris breaks record for Senate tie-breaking votes
Kamala Harris
United States Vice-President Kamala Harris matched a record in US history. The 101-year-old record is of casting tie-breaking votes as vice-president. In her latest move, Harris backed nomination of Indian-origin Kalpana Kotagal to be member of a federal agency.
Harris, who made history as first woman of colour to be vice president in 2020, has now equalled the record held by Senator John C Calhoun, who was a Democratic-Republican vice president to John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson from 1825 to 1832.
Vice President Harris cast her vote for nomination of Kotagal for as member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The commission is responsible for enforcing federal laws which make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
There was a 50-50 tie in the Senate on the nomination of Kotagal, which Harris broke. This brings the number of total tie-breaking votes cast by her to 31. This has matched the record set by Calhoun who was an avowed proponent of states' rights and slavery.
The US vice president has a constitutional role in which he/she presides over the Senate and breaks ties if the house is deadlocked.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer mentioned Harris’s accomplishment on the floor on July 12 evening.
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“I want to note that this is a history-making moment for the United States Senate,” he was quoted as saying by the Hill newspaper.
“When it’s mattered most, Vice President Harris has provided the decisive vote on some of the most historic bills of modern times, from the American Rescue Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act to so many federal judges who now preside and provide balance on the federal bench. She’s carried out her duties with supreme excellence,” he added.
Harris' earlier tie-breaking vote came on June 21. The vote broke a 50-50 tie over advancing Natasha Marle's nomination to serve as a judge fo Eastern District of New York. Another one was a 48-48 tie on confirming Araceli Martinez-Olguin to become a judge for North District of California.
In first two years after Harris assumed the vice-presidential office, the Senate was evenly split. This made the nickname of '101st Senator' a reality. Her first tie-breaker was just three weeks into the job in February 2021. In her first year, she cast 15 tie-breaking votes. Compared to Harris, her predecessor, former US vice-president Mike Pence, cast 13 such votes in all four years on the job.
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