Vox Sentences - The Democratic trifecta

With a razor-thin majority, Democrats take control of the Senate; US allies breathe a sigh of relief as Biden assumes the presidency.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

• Newly inaugurated Vice President Kamala Harris swore in Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) on Wednesday, giving Democrats control of 50 Senate seats, with Harris serving as the tiebreaker. [CNN / Alex Rogers]
• With the Senate secured, Democrats now have full control of government for the first time since 2010. [Washington Post / Amy Gardner and Erica Werner]
• Ossoff and Warnock campaigned in Georgia on the promise to achieve Democratic priorities — such as $2,000 individual stimulus checks. Now that they’re seated, Democrats have an opportunity to do exactly that. [NBC News / Sahil Kapur]
• The narrow majority leaves no margin for disagreement within the Democratic caucus, giving moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) lots of political clout. [New Republic / Walter Shapiro]
• Republicans maintain — for now — the threat of the filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most bills to move forward. But Democrats only need 50 votes to pass policy through the budget reconciliation process, which can include much of Biden’s stimulus proposals. [Vox / Dylan Matthews]
• The filibuster has become a sticking point in thus-far failed negotiations between new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to create a power-sharing deal. [The Hill / Jordain Carney]
• Democrats will get control of committee chairmanships and the agenda, with committee membership likely divided evenly between the parties. But with McConnell demanding a promise of filibuster protection before agreeing to a deal, the chamber has not yet set its rules. [Reuters / Susan Cornwell]
• Assuming no internal division, Democrats can confirm Cabinet and judicial nominations without Republican support. [Associated Press / Andrew Taylor]