The Importance of Keeping the Senate Majority after 2022
It will be a firewall for Biden against the MAGA House majority
Issue #180 Government November 17, 2022
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The 2022 Midterm Elections are almost over, and as of 6:00 am ET, the 118th Congress, which will convene on January 3, 2023, will have Republicans in charge of the House of Representatives, and the Democrats maintaining or expanding their majority in the Senate, depending on the outcome of the December 6th runoff election in Georgia.
Currently, the Republicans in the House gained 8 seats and achieved the 218 members needed to claim the majority. The Democrats lost 7 seats and hold a 212-seat minority. There are still 5 seats undecided, with the Democrats definitely eventually winning Alaska, and one seat each in California and Colorado too close to call. Two seats in California will definitely go to the Republicans.
It will still be a few days before the final House numbers are set, but as of now, the far-right fascist MAGA House members seem ready to set the House agenda for the next two years.
On the Senate side, the Democrats have 50 seats, and with Vice President Kamala Harris’ vote, maintained the majority. If current Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock holds onto his seat on December 6, 2022, the Democrats will have a 51-49 seat majority without having to depend on the vote of the Vice President, who is also the president of the Senate.
Why the 2023-2025 Democratic Senate Majority is so important
As we know by now, the far-right House Republicans have promised to spend their time, not working on legislation to improve the lives of Americans, but instead holding endless investigations into issues like Hunter Biden’s laptop, President Biden’s 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, “election integrity,” “Southern border security,” and the Federal 2021 COVID-19 mandates.
The MAGA Republicans also plan to impeach President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. Anthony Fauci (who is retiring in December 2022), Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and any and all other top Democratic federal officials they can think of. Articles of Impeachment can be adopted by a simple majority vote, which the Republicans will have.
The House of Representatives also controls the initiation of all financial bills, and the MAGA Republicans plan to reduce or eliminate funding support for Ukraine and hold hostage the approval of the debt ceiling (which pays for past expenditures) unless President Biden agrees to reduce or eliminate Social Security and Medicare.
So with a Senate Majority, the Democrats can still do some very important things:
Confirm Federal judges. President Biden and the current Senate have already filled a record number of judges, and the new Senate will continue to fill as many federal judgeships as possible.
Confirm other appointments such as ambassadors and lower-level diplomats.
Confirm any new Supreme Court Justices and/or expand the number of Supreme Court Justices.
Start a new January 6 Investigative Committee.
Refuse to set a trial and vote on any House Articles of Impeachment.
Approve the final annual budget.
The outcome of the December 6, 2023, Senate run-off is very important for another reason:
If Republican Hershel Walker wins the seat, there will be a 50-50 split with the Vice President holding the tie-breaking vote. But the 50-50 split also means that assigning the committee chairs must be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
If Democrat Raphael Warnock retains his seat, and the Senate is 51-49, then the Democratic Senate Majority Leader can assign all of the chairs of the committees to Democrats.
Because of the filibuster rule that is currently in place, it still takes a simple majority of 51 votes to pass a bill after the debate has ended. However, it takes a “super majority” of Senate votes, or a minimum of 60 votes to end the debate (called “cloture”) and move the bill to the floor for a full final vote.
On Wednesday, November 15, 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for a cloture vote to end the debate on the Respect for Marriage Act, which is intended to codify protections for same-sex and interracial marriage. Importantly, just like with all other marriages, a same-sex or interracial marriage that is legal in one state will be legal in all states. A total of 12 Republicans joined the 50 Democrats to break a Senate filibuster. A full vote by the Senate is expected to be held on Friday, November 18, 2022.
When that passes, the bill goes back to the House where it is expected to be passed again while the Democrats still hold the majority and most House Republicans supported it the first time in July 2022.
The bill will then go to the desk of President Biden for his signature.
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