Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday announced they have reached an agreement on Senate rules to govern the 50-50 split in membership.
As part of the deal, known as an organizing resolution, Senate committee chairmanships will be held by Democrats as they occupy the presidency and vice presidency; each committee will have equal membership between parties; a process will be established to discharge bills and nominations that have tied votes at the subcommittee or committee level directly to the floor for consideration; equal staffing levels and office space.
Since the Georgia runoff election results were finalized, Republicans have been controlling the committees but Sen. Schumer has assumed the majority leader role, thus controlling the Senate floor agenda. Committee rosters were frozen until the agreement, which must be voted on, passed the floor.
The text of the agreement has not yet been released. Once passed, committees can move forward and organize.
