2 weeks Ago
Topline The Senate is set to select a new majority leader Wednesday, and President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are pushing for Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to replace outgoing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
—a move that would put the upper chamber in the hands of a MAGA-aligned lawmaker and sideline Scott’s two veteran competitors who have been waiting in the wings to replace McConnell for years. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here .
What To Watch For Senate Republicans will vote Wednesday by secret ballot to select a new leader to replace outgoing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., when Republicans take control of the upper chamber in January after wresting control from Democrats in Tuesday’s election.
Surprising Fact Trump in 2020 threatened to force the Senate into recess so that he could make appointments while Congress was away from Washington during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democrat-controlled Senate, at the time, used “pro-forma” sessions in part to prevent Trump from making appointments without the Senate’s approval. Trump threatened to use his presidential powers to adjourn Congress so that he could force through the appointments in 2020, a mechanism no president has ever deployed and one the Constitution limits to “extraordinary Occasions.
” Tangent Trump on Sunday also called on the Senate to pause confirmations of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees until he takes office and the Senate changes hands, a request Democrats—who will control the Senate until January—are unlikely to agree to. Key Background Republicans won control of the upper chamber in Tuesday’s election, winning 53 seats to Democrats’ 46, after Democrats held a 51-49 majority during the last two years. Republicans flipped seats in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Montana and held off challengers in Texas, Nebraska and Florida—where Scott won reelection .
The GOP is inching toward a unified government as they are four seats away from maintaining control of the House, though several close races have yet to be called. McConnell announced in February he would step down as Senate majority leader after a 17-year run as the chamber’s top Republican, which made him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S.
history. McConnell, who has a thorny history with Trump and famously denounced his role in the 2021 Capitol riots, but eventually endorsed his latest presidential run, will serve out the remainder of his term until 2027. He has not said whether he will run for reelection.
Further Reading Mitch McConnell Will Retire As GOP Senate Leader Ending 17-Year Term (Forbes) Here’s Who Could Replace Mitch McConnell—As Thune Runs For GOP Leader And Barrasso Bows Out (Forbes) Who Is Rick Scott? Key Trump Ally—And McConnell Foe—Running For Senate GOP Leader. (Forbes).
