Leader of the majority of the Senate Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell What Would MLK Say About Trump and the Republican Party? Biden’s minimum wage pushes against an uphill battle with GOP GOP senators grapple with purging Trump from the party MORE (R-Ky.) And leader of minorities in the Senate Charles Schumer
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The two senate leaders met to discuss how to share power in an equally divided senate. According to Schumer, they talked about “a lot of issues” but did not reach agreement.
Talks have failed over a 60-vote fight over the legislative filibuster, which could take several days to negotiate.
McConnell is pushing for the use of the power-sharing agreement to help protect the filibuster amid calls from progressives to overcome the hurdle of aiding democratic legislative priorities.
Doug Andres, a McConnell spokesman, said the GOP leader expressed his long-held view at Tuesday’s meeting that the crucial, long-standing and bipartisan senate rules regarding the legislative filibuster remain intact, particularly during the division of power for the upcoming two. year. “
“Discussions on all aspects of the power-sharing agreement will continue in the coming days,” said Andres.
But McConnell’s decision to drop the filibuster in the discussion of how to organize a split senate drew fierce backlash from outside groups, urging Democrats to reject the GOP leader’s gamble.
“Senator McConnell knows that the filibuster is the best weapon he has to control the minority Senate and prevent Democrats from fulfilling the promises they have made to voters, which is why he is so desperate to enforce it,” said Fix Our Senate. a coalition of external groups that support the nixing of the filibuster.
Democrats do not currently have the votes in the caucus to ignore the filibuster. Several have expressed skepticism about getting rid of it, and Sen. Joe Manchin
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Democrats will only have a majority of 50 seats as an incoming vice president Kamala Harris
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McConnell indicated in a letter to the Senate GOP caucus that he wanted to use negotiations with Schumer on how to organize the Senate to negotiate a deal on the filibuster’s future.
“I think the time is right to address this issue directly before the passions of a particular problem arise,” McConnell wrote.
Without a deal between McConnell and Schumer, the Senate is expected to remain in limbo until the two leaders work it out, including Republicans who still hold a majority on some committees, though Schumer will become the Senate majority leader on Wednesday once three new Democratic senators and Harris are sworn in.
The final agreement is expected to largely mirror a 2001 power-sharing deal, where the White House party technically held the majority in the Senate. Under that deal, Democrats would also chair the committees, but legislation and nominations pending in committee could still be sent to the floor.
A spokesman for Schumer said on Tuesday evening that they had an “substantive talk” and “made progress” on issues such as confirming the president-elect. Joe Biden
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“In an organizing resolution, leader Schumer stated that the fairest, most reasonable and easiest way forward is to pass the 2001 bipartisan agreement without external changes from either side,” the spokesman said.