After an election season in which separating fact from fiction has been daunting, the answer is not so cut and dry
Republicans currently hold a 50-48 Senate majority pending the outcome of the January 5 runoffs in Georgia. If Republicans win even one of the two seats up for grabs, they retain control of the Senate. True or false?
After an election season in which separating fact from fiction has been daunting, the answer is not so cut and dry.
Technically, the party holding even a one-seat majority controls the chamber. However, not every vote goes along party lines. Republicans controlled the Senate by a 52-48 majority during most years of the Trump administration, yet Vice President Mike Pence, in his constitutionally mandated role as president of the Senate, was forced to cast a tiebreaking vote 13 times, including on three issues of great interest to the Orthodox Jewish community.
Pence broke a 50-50 tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. He broke a similar deadlock that enabled tax reform so parents of religious and private school students could participate in Plan 529 investment accounts to help pay for tuition. He broke a third deadlock to allow states to block funding for “family planning” services from Planned Parenthood.
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