Biden Successfully Sweeps Both Houses but 'One-Way Street' Is Impossible

With Georgia Senate Victory, Democrats Hold Majority in Both House and Senate
Cooperation Inevitable in 50:50 Situation

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] With victories in the Georgia runoff elections for two Senate seats, the U.S. Democratic Party has secured control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Having secured the legislative branch following the executive branch, President-elect Joe Biden's reforms are expected to accelerate.

On the 6th (local time), U.S. media outlets including The Washington Post (WP) reported that Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff won the runoff election against Republican Senator David Perdue. Ossoff received 50.3% of the vote, narrowly defeating Perdue, who garnered 49.7%, by a margin of 0.6 percentage points. Earlier, Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock won with 50.7% of the vote against Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, who received 49.3%.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With the Democrats sweeping the Georgia Senate seats this time, they have become the majority party in the Senate. In the November election last year, the Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents held a total of 48 Senate seats, while the Republicans secured 50 seats. Had the Republicans won even one of the two runoff seats, they would have held a majority with 51 seats. However, losing both seats handed control to the Democrats. As a result, the Senate seats are evenly split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, but the Vice President of the United States, who serves as the Senate President, holds the tie-breaking vote, allowing the Democrats to control the Senate.

President-elect Biden confirmed his intention to push for a large-scale economic stimulus package following the Democrats' majority in both the House and Senate. Congratulating candidates Warnock and Ossoff on their victories, he said, "Georgia voters have sent a message that they want immediate action on the crises of COVID-19 and economic relief," adding, "The COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress last month is just a down payment." This statement signals his determination to propose a stimulus package exceeding $900 billion (approximately 979 trillion won).

With the Democrats controlling both the House and Senate for the first time since 2011, Biden and the Democratic Party now have the power to accelerate reforms. Conversely, the Republicans have lost key strongholds that could have blocked Biden administration reforms.

However, despite achieving the so-called 'triple crown' by controlling the presidency, Senate, and House, it is expected that unilateral governance will be difficult.

For example, in the U.S. Senate, overcoming procedural delays such as the filibuster requires the support of at least 60 senators. On contentious issues like healthcare reform or the Green New Deal, if Republicans oppose, the Democrats, with only 50 senators, cannot end the filibuster. Therefore, cooperation is inevitable.

Moreover, attention should be paid to the fact that the number of seats held by Democrats and Republicans is not significantly different. Given the strong individual voting independence in the U.S. Congress, individual lawmakers have considerable influence. Some members may vote against party lines depending on the issue, making party discipline difficult.

However, cabinet confirmation hearings for the Biden administration can proceed smoothly. Unlike legislation, confirmation votes require only 51 votes for approval. Therefore, appointments of cabinet members and judges can be processed swiftly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.