BREAKING NEWS: Democrats finally take real control of the Senate as Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell agree on power-sharing deal after almost two weeks of deadlock
Democrats are finally taking full control of the Senate after a power-sharing agreement has been reached between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
‘I am happy to report this morning that the leadership of both parties have finalized the organizing resolution for the Senate,’ Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. ‘We will pass the resolution through the Senate today, which means the committees can promptly set up and get to work with Democrats holding the gavels.’
The announcement comes after two weeks of deadlock between the leaders.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced from the floor Wednesday that he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had struck a power-sharing deal, which gives Democrats control of committee chairmanships
Democrats took control of the upper chamber once new Georgia Democrats, Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, were sworn-in and once Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s tie-breaker vote, was inaugurated.
Her replacement in the Senate, California Sen. Alex Padilla, was also sworn-in on January 20, inauguration day.
Ossoff and Warnock were the winners of the January 5 run-off races in Georgia, which tilted control of the body, but only gave Democrats 50 seats to the Republicans’ 50 seats – which is why a power-sharing deal needed to be crafted.
The lack of one has been holding up Democratic President Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees’ confirmation hearings, including for his pick for attorney general, Merrick Garland.