THE POWER OF THE SENATE
MAJORITY LEADER
2021: A SHIFT IN POWER
The Georgia runoff elections were important for
several reasons, notably because they would
determine which party gained control of the U.S.
Senate in the next Congress.
When Senators Ossoff and Warnock (D-GA)
were sworn into office on January 20th,
Democrats effectively took slim control of the
United States Senate.
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) became
the new Senate Majority Leader, ending
the six-year reign of now-Minority Leader
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Let’s break down
why this is so
important
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Source: Senate.gov
HISTORY OF THE SENATE
MAJORITY LEADER
Party leaders in both houses are elected at the beginning of a
new Congress. The Senate Majority leader is not a
responsibility defined in the Constitution.. The role evolved over
time, with the first floor leaders formally designated in 1920.
The responsibilities of the majority leader include:
Establishing the legislative calendar
Operating as primary voice for their party
(and occasionally the Senate as a whole)
Recommending committee appointments
The Majority Leader also has the power of “first
recognition,” permitting them to speak before any
other Senator. This gives them the unique ability
to be the first to present any amendments for or
arguments against a bill.
The Senate Majority Leader also has
the unspoken responsibility of
persuasion over their own party.
Sources: Senate.gov;
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Ballotpedia
MCCONNELL’S
LEGISLATIVE GRAVEYARD
The sheer power of the majority
leader came under scrutiny in
recent years, as former Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell wielded
his power with an iron grip.
McConnell, who designated himself as the
“grim reaper” of the Senate, was quite
proud to block hundreds of bills that
passed the House of Representatives,
especially after Democrats gained control
of the House in 2018.
Bills coming from the House were often
sent to die in the Senate, building an
infamous “legislative graveyard” that
amassed over 300 pieces of legislation.
@NOWSIMPLIFIED
As a result of McConnell’s tight grip, Congress only passed 70
bills into law in 2019. For context, previous sessions of
Congress often passed 300-500 bills into law across two years.
McConnell even refused to bring legislation
with bipartisan support to a vote.
Examples include bils supporting universal background checks,
election security, net neutrality, and the reauthorization of the
Violence Against Women Act.
Sources: Senate
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Democrats; Vox
JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
In addition to blocking critical legislation,
McConnell notably used his power to control
federal judicial appointments. In the last two
years of Obama’s presidency, only 28.6% of his
nominees were confirmed—the lowest
percentage since 1977.
As a result, Trump’s one-term presidency
saw an appointment of 226 federal judges.
For reference, Obama appointed 320 judges
and Bush appointed 322 judges over the
course of their eight years.
After the death of Justice Scalia in 2016,
Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to
the Supreme Court, but McConnell
prevented Garland’s nomination from
reaching the Senate floor.
Needless to say: the Majority
Leader has a lot of power.
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Sources: Pew Research; Frontline
THE FATE OF THE SENATE
With Senator Schumer now at
the helm of the Senate, he faces
the daunting task of deftly
navigating tight bipartisan lines
while still working to implement
President Biden’s agenda.
Despite the filibuster, there is
renewed hope among Democrats
for the increased passage of
previously-blocked legislation. The
recent passage of the $1.9 trillion
COVID relief bill has been a cause
for celebration among Democrats.
But Schumer’s position is tenuous, as
the Democratic majority in the Senate
is slim, and the possibility of another
obstructionist Majority Leader in the
future is always looming.
So what can be done?
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Source: New York Times
REDUCING THE POWERS
OF THE MAJORITY LEADER
While there has been little indication that the
Senate is looking to reduce the power of the
majority leader, there are ways to limit their scope.
For example, in 2019, the House of
Representatives passed a rule to prevent the
Speaker of the House from blocking
legislation from the calendar. If there are 290
cosponsors on a bill, the legislation must
come to a vote. Critics argue that this is a
difficult minimum to reach, but it is a step
toward reducing the power of one individual
and one that the Senate could follow.
Because the role is not written in
the Constitution, the leader’s role
can potentially be challenged by
party members. Such a move is
unprecedented and unlikely, but
possible.
Source: Congressional
@NOWSIMPLIFIED Research Service
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The powers of the Senate Majority
Leader are awesome. One individual, as
we saw with McConnell, has sole power
over what legislation gets or does not get
a vote, even once it’s passed the House.
What do you think? Should the
Majority Leader have this
much power or should the
powers be limited?
Let us know in the comments!
@NOWSIMPLIFIED
