With the inauguration of President Biden and the swearing-in of three Democratic senators, Democrats have trifecta control of the federal government. In the Senate, Chuck Schumer is in the driver’s seat as the majority leader.
Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and California Sen. Alex Padilla were sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, making the breakdown of power in the Senate 50 votes for the Democratic caucus and 50 votes for Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris, as the president of the Senate, casting the tie-breaking vote.
“With the swearing-in of these three senators, the Senate will turn to Democratic control, for which I deeply thank my colleagues. The Senate will turn to Democratic control under the first New York-born majority leader in American history,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, describing himself. “A kid from Brooklyn, the son of an exterminator and a housewife, a descendant of victims of the Holocaust. That I should be the leader of this new Senate majority is an awesome responsibility — awesome in the biblical sense.”
The transition of leadership took place without fanfare, with Schumer assuming the role as soon as the senators were sworn in. Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy assumed the role of pro tempore, replacing Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in the role that’s third in line for presidential succession, behind the vice president and House speaker.
Mitch McConnell, who was Senate majority leader for the last portion of Obama’s presidency and all four years of Trump’s presidency, is now leader of the Senate minority.
Schumer was unanimously reelected as leader of the Democratic Senate caucus in November. The New York Democrat became minority leader in 2017 with the blessing of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The new majority leader took a moment to catch his breath before delivering his first floor speech as leader of the Senate majority. “So much is happening,” he said.
“Today, the threat to our democracy from the presidency itself has ended,” Schumer said, referencing Biden’s inauguration and the end of Trump’s presidency. “But the challenges we face as a nation remain.”
Immediate issues for the Senate include formalizing the division of power in committees and whether legislation can advance in the case of a tie vote, the schedule for a Senate impeachment trial for former President Trump, the confirmation of key Biden Cabinet nominations, and the timing for considering Biden’s proposed coronavirus aid package.
With Democrats in control of the Senate, House, and White House, McConnell will no longer be able to block legislation passed by the House from being considered in the Senate.
But the Senate filibuster, the Senate rule that effectively prevents legislation from passing without the support of 60 senators, will prevent Democrats from acting unilaterally for now. Some Democrats are pushing for an end to the filibuster in order to pass measures such as a $15 minimum wage, climate change legislation, and more priorities that they do not expect Republicans to support.
“This Senate will legislate. It will be active, responsive, energetic, and bold. And to my Republican colleagues: When and where we can, the Democratic majority will strive to make this important work bipartisan. The Senate works best when we work together,” Schumer said.
