Why Democrats want a 51-49 majority - CNN

1 year ago 48
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a quality    league  successful  January connected  Capitol Hill.

CNN  — 

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock volition triumph Georgia’s Senate runoff, CNN projects, allowing Democrats to unafraid a slim 51-49 bulk implicit Republicans successful the chamber. Democrats volition person important governing advantages compared to the 50-50 divided successful the existent Congress, during which a power-sharing statement gives Republicans sizeable leverage implicit Democrats contempt being successful the minority.

  • Democrats volition clasp majorities successful each committee, allowing them to process authorities and nominations overmuch faster. Democrats volition besides bask bigger staffs and budgets, giving them much quality to transportation retired committee work. Committees are presently evenly divided – arsenic are the resources – allowing Republicans to dilatory the gait of nominees they oppose. When a prime deadlocks successful committee, Democrats indispensable instrumentality time-consuming steps to discharge that idiosyncratic from committee and let a level vote. In 1 lawsuit earlier this year, Republicans utilized Banking Committee rules to forestall a ballot from adjacent taking spot by boycotting committee sessions, yet forcing President Joe Biden to retreat a nominee for the Federal Reserve. Tuesday’s effect volition besides escaped up further level clip for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to usage toward different nominees and Democratic priorities.
  • Democrats volition person stronger powerfulness to contented subpoenas. They volition nary longer request bipartisan enactment to contented subpoenas truthful they tin bypass GOP absorption to utilizing these cardinal tools. This could summation the powerfulness and fig of Democratic-led investigations.
  • Centrist Democrats whitethorn not clasp arsenic overmuch powerfulness implicit Democrats’ agenda. A two-seat bulk borderline gives Schumer much breathing country to walk authorities without needing enactment from each members of his caucus – similar West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, moderates who volition some beryllium up for reelection successful 2024. The 2 held tremendous powerfulness successful the 50-50 Senate.
  • Filling a Supreme Court vacancy could beryllium easier. The two-seat borderline could besides go captious if determination were to beryllium a Supreme Court vacancy arsenic lone a bulk is needed to corroborate a justness to that post, allowing Schumer to suffer 1 vote.
  • Harris mightiness not beryllium needed arsenic often connected the Hill. Democrats apt won’t person to trust arsenic heavy connected Vice President Kamala Harris to interruption necktie votes connected nominations and legislation, thing she’s done 26 times truthful acold successful the existent 50-50 Senate, the astir by immoderate vice president successful modern times.

This header and communicative person been updated with further developments.

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