Chuck Schumer may be the majority leader, but in many ways, Mitch McConnell is still running the Senate show – and his counterpart is about to end it.
Why it matters: McConnell defeated the Democrats without apology and maintained strict control over his fellow Republicans, although he was the majority. But he is showing equal skill as a minority leader, using political jiujitsu to convert a perceived weakness into strength.
Schumer showed his exasperation while talking to reporters on Monday.
- “All I can say is that we are not letting McConnell dictate how the Senate operates. He is the minority leader.”
- “There is huge anger in my caucus about what he is doing.”
- Schumer’s team says the majority leader is wise about McConnell’s approach, but will not capitulate to his obstruction demands, and is happy to have President Biden’s cabinet nominees confirmed during his ongoing negotiations.
The same 50-50 Senate that powers Schumer through Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaker also has an inherently thin margin of error. McConnell is exploiting this to ensure that the Senate business still works on its terms.
- Schumer cannot turn too far to the left without losing his Democratic support, while McConnell has fewer disadvantages than a defector Republican.
The recap: Six days after the Democrats regained the majority, Schumer has yet to set a clear agenda for how the chamber will function under the new 50-50 division.
- He and McConnell are blocked in the negotiations on a power-sharing agreement. McConnell insists that any agreement includes clear language stating that Democrats will not end 60-vote legislative obstruction.
- In the absence of the agreement, committee and member presidencies remain in favor of Republicans.
- It was McConnell – not Schumer – who drew the timetable for former President Trump’s impeachment trial, demanding that it be postponed to mid-February. Schumer agreed, arguing that he would use the time to approve nominations from President Biden’s office.
- White House press secretary Jen Psaki quoted McConnell – not Schumer – when discussing these nominees. “I know that our secretary of state is about to be confirmed, or so Senator McConnell told us,” she told reporters on Friday.
- Schumer told reporters to “ask McConnell” when they filled him with questions last week about Janet Yellen’s vote of confirmation for Treasury secretary.
The big question: A clear test for Schumer’s muscles will focus on his approach to passing Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill.
- Getting your plan approved – or any substantial legislation in that case – will require a high level of bipartisanship, and there is little enthusiasm for Republicans for another massive stimulus package.
What we’re hearing: Schumer is encouraged by the idea of interfering in the stimulus package through reconciliation – a final budget that would allow it to be approved by a simple majority of 51 votes.
- Even if this is violent, it may be his only degree of influence over Republicans, unless Schumer returns to a partisan and all-in approach to legislation.