Jack,the U.S. Senate of the 117th Congress has been sworn in, and Democrats now have a 51-50 majority. But due to obstruction by Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell, the Senate still has not passed an organizing resolution that will allow it to do business and attend to the multiple crises we face.
Freshman senators don't have committee assignments, and committees are still chaired by the Republicans senators who held those posts in the 116th Congress. Urgently needed legislation like COVID relief is stuck in limbo.
There is no need for this delay. The Senate has a clear precedent for an organizing resolution from January 2001, the last time the chamber was split 51-50. It should just adopt that resolution without changes and move forward immediately.
According to the 2001 agreement, Democrats would control the chamber because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast tie breaking votes. Both parties would have equal representation on all committees, with Democrats holding the chairs. Tie votes in committees would allow nominees or legislation to proceed to a full vote on the Senate floor.
However, Mitch McConnell has now tacked on a demand. He is insisting that Senate Democrats preemptively surrender any efforts to reform the filibuster, and to have that pledge baked into the organizing resolution.
It is outrageous to insert extraneous demands that were not in place the last time the Senate was split 51-50 in order to allow the legislative branch to function. There is a time and place for debating issues like the filibuster, but the start of a new Congress and administration when the nation is facing multiple crippling crises is not the time.
Our message to the United States Senate:
Now is not the time to make extraneous demands. The Senate must organize to start business, which means adopting an organizing resolution based on the 2001 agreement - the last time there was a 51-50 split.
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Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos
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