I have a procedural question regarding the US Senate that I’m hoping is an easy home-run pitch for our experts like Christopher.
When and how can the US Senate vote to change its leadership?
I have been noticing that the balance of the Senate is changing as Senators become unable to vote because of illness or quarantine. The last counts I’ve seen are 48-47 and 47-47.
If the balance shifts so that the Democrats are in the majority, is it possible for that Democratic majority to force a vote that recognizes this new reality? What does it take to make Mr. Schumer the Senate Majority Leader and to elevate the various Senate committee members to leadership positions in their various committees?
Is this something that can only be done once at the beginning of a session, or can it be revisited as the membership changes?
Is there a way to use the self-destructive incompetence of the GOP leadership against itself? Could Democrats turn this ship around by asserting their new majority and using it to remove the current administration from power?
What immediate emergency steps could the federal government take if the Democrats were to retake a majority in the Senate?
I haven’t looked at the rules yet, but my gut says your numbers only really apply if those seats fall vacant rather than Senators simply not showing up. The only way to remove an administration is through the impeachment/removal process which requires 2/3 of the Senators present anyway. This would be a stretch and I’m not sure a power grab would go over well politically, but I suppose Schumer could try to move to vacate the presidency pro tempore and get a Dem in who could set the agenda. However, if that’s a valid move then so would it be for Mike Pence to come down and pull rank.
The scenario I’m imagining is where more GOP Senators are unable to vote, so that the balance is 46-47 (or 46-49 including the two Senators who caucus with the Democrats).
I thought that I remembered that the Speaker of the House could be removed by majority vote at any time.
I understand, but taken to its logical conclusion that means anytime a minority party has more people in the chamber or in DC they could switch majorities and this could go back and forth. Our system assumes stability between elections unlike say a parliamentary system where governments can fall due to lack of confidence.