By — Bill Barrow, Associated Press Bill Barrow, Associated Press By — Jeff Amy, Associated Press Jeff Amy, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-white-house-holds-news-briefing-following-warnock-senate-race-win-in-georgia Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: White House holds news briefing following Warnock Senate race win in Georgia Politics Updated on Dec 7, 2022 5:33 PM EDT — Published on Dec 7, 2022 9:28 AM EDT The White House is celebrating the re-election of Sen. Raphael Warnock in the swing-state Georgia. Watch the briefing in the player above. “This is going to give us a little bit more of that breathing room to get things done, to continue to move forward with what the American people want,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday. “What the American people want is they want to continue the agenda that the president had the last two years.” For Senate Democrats the win translates into an oh-so-slim 51-49 majority. Tuesday’s election was for just one seat, but Warnock’s win in the tight runoff provides an unexpected capstone to the midterm election cycle for his party. It makes easier for Senate Democrats to organize and govern, and provides a crucial edge in a divided Congress as Republicans take hold of the House. In January, for starters, Democrats will have an easier time using their 51-49 majority for simple tasks of governing, including votes on Biden’s nominees to judicial and executive positions, which Republicans have wielded as weapons. READ MORE: Warnock wins Senate reelection, giving Dems another seat “We’ve been very clear that judicial nominees is … is a priority for this president,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. After the longest evenly split Senate in modern times, the new dynamic ensures the chamber will serve as a barrier to legislation from the Republican House that Democrats disagree with — and a potential bridge for bipartisan deal making as Republicans assess the post-Trump landscape. While it still takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance most bills in the Senate, there will be ample grounds for compromise, particularly if Republican leader Mitch McConnell is eager to show voters his party can deliver ahead of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections. The press secretary also slammed a plan from Congressional Republicans plans to rescind the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate attached to the must pass annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act as “a mistake.” While Jean-Pierre would not say if President Joe Biden would sign the act, she did say that “Republicans in Congress have decided that they’d rather, rather fight against the health and well-being of our troops than protecting them.” By — Bill Barrow, Associated Press Bill Barrow, Associated Press By — Jeff Amy, Associated Press Jeff Amy, Associated Press
The White House is celebrating the re-election of Sen. Raphael Warnock in the swing-state Georgia. Watch the briefing in the player above. “This is going to give us a little bit more of that breathing room to get things done, to continue to move forward with what the American people want,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday. “What the American people want is they want to continue the agenda that the president had the last two years.” For Senate Democrats the win translates into an oh-so-slim 51-49 majority. Tuesday’s election was for just one seat, but Warnock’s win in the tight runoff provides an unexpected capstone to the midterm election cycle for his party. It makes easier for Senate Democrats to organize and govern, and provides a crucial edge in a divided Congress as Republicans take hold of the House. In January, for starters, Democrats will have an easier time using their 51-49 majority for simple tasks of governing, including votes on Biden’s nominees to judicial and executive positions, which Republicans have wielded as weapons. READ MORE: Warnock wins Senate reelection, giving Dems another seat “We’ve been very clear that judicial nominees is … is a priority for this president,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. After the longest evenly split Senate in modern times, the new dynamic ensures the chamber will serve as a barrier to legislation from the Republican House that Democrats disagree with — and a potential bridge for bipartisan deal making as Republicans assess the post-Trump landscape. While it still takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance most bills in the Senate, there will be ample grounds for compromise, particularly if Republican leader Mitch McConnell is eager to show voters his party can deliver ahead of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections. The press secretary also slammed a plan from Congressional Republicans plans to rescind the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate attached to the must pass annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act as “a mistake.” While Jean-Pierre would not say if President Joe Biden would sign the act, she did say that “Republicans in Congress have decided that they’d rather, rather fight against the health and well-being of our troops than protecting them.”