Source: Shutterstock
The Democrats’ dual victories in Georgia’s runoff election on Jan. 5, created a rare 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate and will give majority power to the Democrats once Vice President-elect Kamala Harris potentially, the deciding vote is sworn into office on Jan. 20.
Given how divided politics in America has become, will the tied Senate be in constant gridlock?
Not necessarily.
History has shown that compromise in the form of a power-sharing agreement is possible, according to an expert on congressional politics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Smith
“While there are no formal rules about how the Senate should function in the event of an even split, there is a template,” said Steven Smith, the Kate M. Gregg Distinguished Professor of Social Science in Arts & Sciences.
Daily on Energy: Here’s how Democrats could pass legislation in a split Senate Print this article
Subscribe today to the
Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what s going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!
RECONCILIATION GUIDE: Democrats’ victory in the Georgia runoffs unlocks a powerful procedural tool called budget reconciliation, which enables the passage of fiscal legislation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes, meaning Republican votes aren’t necessary.
Republicans with full control of Washington used it in 2017 to pass tax cuts, and liberal activists are eying it as a mechanism in 2021 to pass tax and spending climate policies.
Analysis - Narrow Democratic majorities in Congress could limit ambitious Biden agenda reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
7 Min Read
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Joe Biden will get the Democratic Congress he sought after his party’s stunning success in Georgia, but his expansive legislative agenda on issues such as healthcare and climate change cannot be assured a smooth ride.
FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks with Senator Chuck Schumer at a ceremony for the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, New York, U.S., September 11, 2020. Amr Alfiky/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Wins by Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff for the state’s two U.S. Senate seats in Tuesday’s runoff elections will give the party control of both chambers in Congress and the White House.
Posted December 23, 2020 5:00 a.m. EST
EDITOR S NOTE: The following editorial appeared in The New York Times on Dec. 19, 2020. Wilkie grew up in Fayetteville and worked a senior adviser to Sen. Thom Tillis. He also worked for former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott from 1997 to 2003. He was executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party before going to work for Lott. Wilkie also served as an aide to Sen. Jesse Helms and former U.S. Rep. David Funderburk.
All major American veterans’ organizations have called for the ouster of Robert Wilkie as secretary of veterans affairs over the shameless treatment by him and his senior staff of a veteran who says she was sexually assaulted. When men and women who served in uniform speak almost with one voice, it is not politics, as Wilkie would have it, but the will of the people he is meant to serve.