WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an agreement Wednesday with Republicans to organize the evenly split chamber, ending a weekslong standoff that prevented the new Democratic majority from setting up some operations and soured relations at the start of the congressional session.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said that he and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had agreed on committee ratios and other details in the 50-50 chamber, where Democrats have the slim edge because Vice-President Kamala Harris is a tie-breaking vote.
Senators can now promptly “get to work, with Democrats holding the gavels,” Schumer said.
Organizing the Senate is typically a routine procedure at the start of a new Congress. But the prolonged negotiations involved a power play by McConnell as Republicans refused to relinquish control without first trying to extract concessions from Democrats that Schumer refused to give.
In particular, McConnell wanted Schumer to commit that Democrats would not end the legislative filibuster. Getting rid of that procedural tool would make it easier for the new majority to approve President Joe Biden’s agenda on a 51-vote threshold, rather than the 60 votes typically needed to advance bills.
Schumer refused to yield, but two centrist Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Krysten Sinema of Arizona, announced they would prefer to keep the filibuster intact. That essentially denied Schumer the votes needed to change the rules, and McConnell dropped his demands.
The agreement, awaiting approval in a Senate vote, means Democrats can take control of the committees and set up other operations that have stalled during the standoff. Democrats hope to hold a confirmation hearing Monday for Merrick Garland, Biden’s nominee for attorney general, before the start of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.
Republicans lost the majority after two Georgia Democrats won run-off elections on Jan. 5, ousting incumbent Republican senators.
Senators “are ready to hit the ground running on the most important issues,” Schumer said.
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Manchin talks a good game, but always ends up voting with the Democrats. What a joke.
Right now, EVERY ******* ONE OF THEM are a joke..
Once before when they controlled the Senate under Harry Reid the Democrats made rule changes to assure all was favorable to their side. Unfortunately they Republicans were the ones to take advantage of these changes to the consternation (their words were stronger) of Chuck Schumer who inherited the position, tons of Federal judges and three Justices. But then Democrats never learn from their mistakes, they just double down on them!
Why are the independents lumped in with the Democrats? It should be 48 dems, 2 ind, and 50 GOP.
AND, the GOP in control.
I think something does not smell right.
Excellent point – what a great question for all those talking heads on the News Channels. If you are registered Independent then in most states you can’t vote in any primaries, so…?
AND IF those ‘independents always CAUCUS with the dems’, STOP CALLING THEM bloody independents….
I am a little surprised Mitt “Traitor” Romney did not officially switch parties to put Schumer in control.
Mittens is still “weighing his options”…he may even think he can run for President in 2024, HAHAHA.
I wouldn’t vote for him, to pick up HORSE Manure.. LET ALONE run for the white house.
chuck schumer is a communist rat.