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For anyone wondering—The most recent 50-50 Senate occurred following the 2000 election. Then, Sens. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Trent Lott (R-MS), the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate respectively, negotiated a power sharing agreement to guide the chamber. 1/
Key features of the agreement included:
• Majority Leader: Lott was recognized as the de facto majority leader following Inauguration Day, based on the tie-breaking vote of Republican Vice President Dick Cheney. 2/
• Majority Leader: Lott was recognized as the de facto majority leader following Inauguration Day, based on the tie-breaking vote of Republican Vice President Dick Cheney. 2/
Committees had equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats and equal numbers of staff, but again based on the Republican Vice President, Republicans were named as the chairs of each committee. 3/
Based on that model, a 50-50 split would make Schumer the majority leader and Dems the committee chairs. While votes will still be close obvi, it means Dems decide what gets voted on, and that is huge. $2k checks being a perfect example. 4/
Side note: The 2000 arrangement lasted only six months because Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party giving Democrats the majority. 5/
Final note: Explainers on twitter can make things seem simple, but the Senate rules governing how this all will work are actually quite complicated. This CRS report on the Daschle/Lott agreement provides much more info on the complexities involved. 6/ https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20785.html
