WASHINGTON (AP) — New Senate Majority Leader John Thune is opening the novel session with a promise to maintain the filibuster, saying in his first-floor speech as presiding officer that his priority will be “to ensure that the Senate the Senate remains.”
Thune, R.S.D. and Senate Republicans take power Friday just over two weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration, cementing Republicans’ firm grip on Washington. And Thune will have to navigate his novel duties alongside the novel president, who has made it clear that he expects loyalty from Congress – and has previously called for the filibuster to be abolished.
Opening the Senate’s biennial session Friday after novel and returning senators were sworn in, Thune said the legislative tactic that allows senators to delay consideration of a measure and require 60 votes for passage “perhaps has the greatest impact on preservation.” “the vision of the founders” of the Senate.”
“There are a lot of people out there who would like to see the Senate become a carbon copy of the House,” Thune said. “And that is not what our founders intended or what our country needs.”
Senate Republicans have long maintained that the filibuster remains in effect, despite Trump’s pleas to eliminate it and accelerate his agenda in the first half of his first term, when Republicans also had control of the White House and Congress. Many Democrats wanted to abolish the filibuster early in President Joe Biden’s term but were stymied by moderates in the Senate Democratic caucus who said it would upend the Senate’s deliberative role. Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., called it “the holy grail of democracy.”
While Republicans are unwilling to eliminate the filibuster, which will make it harder to win some votes in the novel 53-47 Senate, they are preparing to quickly pass much of Trump’s agenda through a legislative mechanism that bypasses it . Like Democrats during Biden’s term, they plan to exploit a process called budget reconciliation that would allow them to pass bills on party-line votes with a plain majority. The first priorities will be border security and reviving the tax cuts from Trump’s first term.
After his inauguration on January 20, the Senate will also have to approve Trump’s Cabinet nominees, some of whom have already faced skepticism from Republican senators. Hearings are expected to begin before then.
Thune was chosen by the GOP conference in November to replace Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican leader who announced last year he would remain in the Senate but step down from leadership. Outgoing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who will remain Democratic leader, recommended Thune work on legislation in a bipartisan manner in a speech Friday, pointing to bills like an infrastructure package passed by the Democratic majority in the first half of Biden’s presidency became.
“The majority leader sets the tone and that tone determines to a large extent how successfully we will move forward,” Schumer said.
But it’s unclear how much influence or desire Thune will have to pursue bipartisan cooperation, as Trump has already pressured him to bypass Senate rules and let some of his Cabinet nominees through without votes.
But before the inevitable partisan battles, a celebratory mood prevailed Friday as nine novel senators were sworn in – four Democrats and five Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris presided as they, along with returning senators, approached the podium in groups of four, took the oath of office and signed a book of ceremonies. Vice President-elect JD Vance, still an Ohio senator, also spoke and appeared at his swearing-in ceremony with novel Ohio senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican who defeated Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Two newly elected Democrats were already sworn in last month to fill vacancies and were sworn in again on Friday. California Sen. Adam Schiff was elected to fill the seat of the overdue Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim replaced former Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned last year after his federal conviction on bribery charges.
A sixth Republican, Jim Justice of West Virginia, announced last month that he would wait to enter the Senate until his successor as West Virginia governor, Republican Patrick Morrisey, is sworn in on Jan. 13.
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Associated Press writer John Raby wrote from Charleston, West Virginia.
