Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Raphael Warnock (R) and Jon Ossoff (L) clash with their elbows during an “It’s time to vote” rally on December 28, 2020 in Stonecrest, Georgia.
Jessica McGowan | Getty Images
Democrats are expected to take control of the Senate on Wednesday when three new party members take office.
Democratic senators-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and nominee Alex Padilla of California are expected to take office in the afternoon, taking the Senate split to 50-50. The newly installed vice president Kamala Harris, who will hold the tiebreaker vote in the House, is expected to take office from the three senators.
The narrow Democratic majority will give President Joe Biden a boost as he tries to fill his office and approve an agenda with a coronavirus aid package. Although the new Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, and the Democrats decide what the Senate seeks, they will face the challenge of finding Republican support to pass most of the legislation.
Warnock, 51, and Ossoff, 33, won special elections last month that determined control of the House. They will become Georgia’s first black and Jewish senators, respectively.
Padilla, 47, was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to occupy Harris’ seat in the Senate when she resigned to become vice president. He becomes California’s first Latin senator.
Ossoff posted photos of Georgia’s elected senators at the presidential inauguration ceremonies on Wednesday. He wrote with them: “Change has come to Georgia. Change is coming to America”
Schumer, DN.Y., and future Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Need to agree on how to conduct Senate business in the coming weeks. They will need a power-sharing agreement to decide how many members each party has on the committees and how these panels resolve ties.
McConnell’s office said that, as part of a deal, he wants to ensure that the Senate preserves the obstruction. Some Democrats have asked to get rid of the tool to allow bills to pass a simple majority.
The Senate must also define a framework for an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump. The House accused him of inciting an insurrection in the United States Capitol on January 6, but has not yet sent the impeachment article to the Senate.
Biden expects the Senate to be able to spend part of his time on the impeachment trial, while confirming those nominated for the Executive.
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