On Monday, after public statements from both Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) opposing the repeal of the Senate rule requiring 60 votes to proceed to consider legislation, Senate leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are expected to reach a power sharing deal modeled after a deal between former Senate leaders Trent Lott and Tom Daschle who presided over an evenly divided Congress in 2001 (for a detailed analysis of the 2001 deal, you can access a Congressional Research Service report here).
The deal will likely reflect equal representation of the two parties on Senate committees as well as equal distribution of committee staff and resources. As reported by NRMCA’s Government Affairs team in the past, the retention of the legislative filibuster will be a key component to slowing or stopping some of the adverse policies in the legislative agenda of President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer. The 60-vote threshold, however, can be obviated under limited circumstances using a procedure called reconciliation, which Democrats are considering to pass President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package.
For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
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