Democrats may have regained the Senate, but McConnell is blocking them from taking up Biden's agenda

<p><img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/600aeccc21f52a0018cba0b3-2400/GettyImages-1230449215.jpg" border="0" alt="mitch mcconnell" data-mce-source="Drew Angerer/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)."></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>Top Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is wielding any power he can to stop Democrats from fulfilling their legislative agenda now that they control both Congress and the White House.&nbsp;</p><p>The Kentucky senator, who's been relegated to minority leader, has not yet reached a power-sharing deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, which is required in order for the Senate to re-organize and move forward with its work after Democrats took the majority on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p><p>McConnell's hold-up is over the filibuster. He <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderMcConnell/status/1352317412226568198">wants</a> Schumer to pledge not to touch the legislative tactic, which is often used as the minority's check on the majority by delaying or blocking passage of a bill unless it meets a 60-vote threshold. With the Senate evenly split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker, some Democrats have argued that achieving that supermajority may be a heavy lift when trying to pass their policies.&nbsp;</p><p>"The legislative filibuster is a crucial part of the Senate," McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday. "I cannot imagine the Democratic leader would rather hold up the power-sharing agreement than simply reaffirm that his side won't be breaking this standing rule of the Senate."</p><p>McConnell is essentially aiming to prevent legislation without Republican support from landing on President Joe Biden's desk. The self-described "Grim Reaper," McConnell is no longer the head of the upper chamber for the first time in six years, but he's still trying to bend the rules to his liking and in a chamber that has long given extraordinary power to one lawmaker to block the entire body's agenda.</p><p>McConnell has asked Democrats to provide an assurance that they will protect the filibuster for the next two years, and not override the 60-vote requirement, which could be done through maneuvers such as the "nuclear option," a procedure that allows bills to pass with a simple majority of 51 votes. The timing appears to be pegged to the 2022 midterm elections, when Republicans will have the opportunity to flip the House and Senate.</p><p>Democratic leaders have vowed to push back on McConnell and already rejected his demands. Schumer hasn't signaled his intentions with the filibuster, but he's indicated that he's not willing to surrender Democrats' new power to the minority leader.</p><p>McConnell's "proposal would remove a tool that the Republican leader himself used twice in just the last Congress," Schumer said on the Senate floor Friday. "Leader McConnell's proposal is unacceptableand it won't be accepted. And the Republican leader knew that when he first proposed it."</p><p>"The American people want us to work together and move past the meaningless political fights and gridlock that have plagued us for too long," Schumer added. "It's time to get to work."</p><p>At the moment, the standoff has left the Senate stuck. Schumer hasn't been as influential as he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-brand-new-day-chuck-schumer-celebrates-senate-ga-wins-2021-1">hoped</a> in his first few days as majority leader. One of his key prioritieswhich is also Biden'sto deliver economic relief to millions of Americans struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been delayed. Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus deal hasn't been brought to the negotiating table. Democrats also haven't assumed the committee Chair positions, meaning Republicans have been heading Biden's Cabinet nomination confirmation hearings, creating confusion and stalling the process.</p><p>An area where Democrats have fought back on is impeachment. McConnell had <a href="https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases'ID=41363556-E17D-407A-B671-B473C30474CF">sought</a> to postpone a Senate impeachment trial on former President Donald Trump until February. However, the Democratic-led House plans to send the article of impeachment to the upper chamber on Monday, Schumer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-to-transmit-trump-impeachment-article-to-senate-jan-25-2021-1">announced</a> on Friday. The Senate is then constitutionally mandated to begin the trial the following day at 1 p.m.</p><p>Still, the slim margins in Congress won't play much in Democrats' favor when it comes to big legislative items, and their new power could be dependent on how well they can unify against McConnell and his caucus.</p><p>Some centrist Democrats may balk at progressive legislation or moves to forgo the filibuster. Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, for example, are likely to defect to the GOP on issues like these.</p><p>Biden has also given himself a challenge by insisting on crossing the party aisle and bridging political divides. He's repeatedly promised on the campaign trail and now as president to work on bipartisanshipand that entails working with McConnell.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-minority-is-putting-up-a-fight-against-democrats-2021-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-gucci-clothes-racist-blackface-sambo-2019-2">Why these Gucci clothes are racist</a></p>
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