Bernie Sanders is the new Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee

[KonstantinosM]

Does that even mean anything?

If someone can change things it's Bernie. I didn't pay enough attention in civics to understand the significance of this. This means that he can pass budgets through the senate with a simple majority, instead of needing 60 votes.

Now if the democrats start talking about how the republicans are blocking them on issues like healthcare, stimulus, fighting climate change... They're lying.

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[theymos]

This means that he can pass budgets through the senate with a simple majority, instead of needing 60 votes.

Not exactly... Once per fiscal year (two this calendar year due to delays) the Senate can pass a budget reconciliation bill with a simple majority. This is limited only to budgetary things, so increasing the minimum wage for example wouldn't be allowed. As chairman of the budget committee, Sanders will have a lot of say in constructing any budget reconciliation bills, but he won't completely control the process or anything.

Senate and House chairmen are very influential in directing the flow of legislation, and they can also easily create news by conducting hearings on whatever they want and calling whoever they want as witnesses. I suppose that Sanders will use the position to push for much higher taxes and much higher spending, but the chairmanship is just a particularly good lever: he can't single-handedly do anything. Keep in mind as well that Democratic leadership wouldn't have made Sanders a chairman if they didn't think that he'd be at least largely controllable by the Democratic party apparatus, so don't expect him to pull any stunts like refusing to cooperate in passing any budgets through his committee if they don't include Medicare for All. Also, AFAIK the Budget Committee is one of the more minor committees; the appropriations committee is more powerful overall in constructing the budget, I think.

Now if the democrats start talking about how the republicans are blocking them on issues like healthcare, stimulus, fighting climate change... They're lying.

True. If all of the Democrats voted as a bloc, then they could get rid of the filibuster and do whatever they want. If anything fails to pass, then it'll ultimately be due to a bipartisan willingness to let it fail.

Exactly what agreement McConnell and Schumer reach on the Senate rules for the next 2 years will be telling. They haven't reached a deal yet, but it sounds like Democrats are willing to give Republicans a lot of power, and McConnell is even pushing for guaranteeing that the filibuster is preserved.

[BADecker]

^^^ Of course, if the people don't like what Congress does, they will simply recall their Congress people.

[Poker Player]

Congratz to the US for officially being a communist country now. I think we can call it USASR.

[PrimeNumber7]

Now if the democrats start talking about how the republicans are blocking them on issues like healthcare, stimulus, fighting climate change... They're lying.

True. If all of the Democrats voted as a bloc, then they could get rid of the filibuster and do whatever they want. If anything fails to pass, then it'll ultimately be due to a bipartisan willingness to let it fail.

Exactly what agreement McConnell and Schumer reach on the Senate rules for the next 2 years will be telling. They haven't reached a deal yet, but it sounds like Democrats are willing to give Republicans a lot of power, and McConnell is even pushing for guaranteeing that the filibuster is preserved.

West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has said he will not be the 50th vote for killing the filibuster, nor expanding the Supreme Court, however in the past, he has always voted with Democrats on major issues. If either were to come up for a vote, my guess is Manchin would be under extreme pressure from the left to vote with the Democrats.

My guess is that Schumer wants to keep killing the filibuster as an option so he can claim Republican obstructionism as a reason to need to kill the filibuster, and put pressure on Manchin to vote in favor of killing it. Schumer is up for reelection in 2022, which includes a primary race. It is rumored that AOC may run for Senate. It is possible that putting Sanders on the powerful Budget Committee is an effort to try to get AOC to not try to unseat Schumer in the primary.

[squatz1]

Now if the democrats start talking about how the republicans are blocking them on issues like healthcare, stimulus, fighting climate change... They're lying.

True. If all of the Democrats voted as a bloc, then they could get rid of the filibuster and do whatever they want. If anything fails to pass, then it'll ultimately be due to a bipartisan willingness to let it fail.

Exactly what agreement McConnell and Schumer reach on the Senate rules for the next 2 years will be telling. They haven't reached a deal yet, but it sounds like Democrats are willing to give Republicans a lot of power, and McConnell is even pushing for guaranteeing that the filibuster is preserved.

West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has said he will not be the 50th vote for killing the filibuster, nor expanding the Supreme Court, however in the past, he has always voted with Democrats on major issues. If either were to come up for a vote, my guess is Manchin would be under extreme pressure from the left to vote with the Democrats.

My guess is that Schumer wants to keep killing the filibuster as an option so he can claim Republican obstructionism as a reason to need to kill the filibuster, and put pressure on Manchin to vote in favor of killing it. Schumer is up for reelection in 2022, which includes a primary race. It is rumored that AOC may run for Senate. It is possible that putting Sanders on the powerful Budget Committee is an effort to try to get AOC to not try to unseat Schumer in the primary.

Joe Manchin kinda needs this to be the case, given the fact that he is a Democratic senator in a place where there should be a Republican. Imagine being a coal loving Democrat? That’s what Joe Manchin is. He’s a guy who continues to win his senate seat while being in a place that Republicans have won for the longest time.

They’re not going to have the votes to kill the filibuster - Manchin, Sinema, and co are going to stop that vote because they’re all people that convinced Republicans to vote for them because they were going to help real bipartisan change happen in Washington DC.

If it happens and they get away with it, then so be it. But I expect that they’ll probably get told by their voters that they’re not going to let that happen (or at least they’ll punish them during their next election)