Republicans chip away at Schumer’s stranglehold on the Senate

Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wields enormous power as the Senate’s majority leader. He sets the floor schedule and can effectively kill legislation by not bringing it up for a vote. Despite this, Senate Republicans are testing the limits of his power by exploiting obscure laws and the Democrats’ slim majority to advance their own legislative agenda.

Their strategy involves using “privileged” resolutions to force up votes on proposals that Schumer will not bring up for consideration himself. By doing so, they are undermining his authority over the voting procedures in the Senate. Even though most of these proposals have failed so far, Senate Republicans have succeeded in challenging Schumer’s power in these ways.

One of their biggest victories was on a “disapproval resolution” to repeal the District of Columbia’s new criminal code passed earlier this month. This forced Democrats to decide whether or not they wanted to risk being perceived as “soft on crime” ahead of the upcoming 2024 elections.

Republicans have also employed the use of holds to force Schumer to approve the nominations of military personnel. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has placed a hold on the promotions of approximately 180 senior military officers because of the Pentagon’s policy of paying for time off and travel expenses for service members undergoing an abortion. This issue has infuriated Schumer, who has spent valuable floor time on this issue rather than judicial nominees or his preferred legislation. He has urged Senate Republicans to press Tuberville to drop his hold, but so far, they have not done so.

Republicans were able to force a vote on a proposal to repeal President Joe Biden’s new regulations on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) by using the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to repeal regulations published within the last 60 days. While two Democrats joined Republicans in passing the measure, it would likely not have succeeded had all senators been present for the vote.

Republicans have also used other political strategies to keep the momentum in their favor, despite holding only the House. By sponsoring bipartisan bills and using the CRA to repeal regulations, they have been able to score legislative victories despite Democratic resistance.

The Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the Senate, coupled with the temporary absences of two senators, has also hindered their progress. The Biden administration has had to rely on the Vice President’s tiebreaking vote to pass most of their legislative initiatives. Republicans have been able to peel off Democratic votes on some issues because of Democrats in tough reelection fights in states that former President Donald Trump won.

Republicans believe that they will continue to be able to use their political maneuvers to check the Biden administration’s power.