US Senate Republicans elect John Thune as majority leader

48

Washington, Nov 14 (IANS) US Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected John Thune, a Senator from South Dakota and the current Republican whip, to succeed Mitch McConnell as the next majority leader in the upper chamber.

On a secret ballot, Thune, 63, beat two contenders: John Cornyn of Texas, a former Republican whip, and Rick Scott of Florida, a longtime McConnell critic who has framed himself as an opponent of leadership and the establishment.

At a news conference, Thune said he would aim to confirm Trump’s nominees quickly and work to help him cut spending and bolster border security, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We are excited to reclaim the majority and begin to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda,” he added.

Thune said he would not lower the Senate’s traditional 60-vote “filibuster” threshold needed to advance most legislation, which will require him to secure Democratic support much of the time.

Thune, who was first elected to the Senate in 2004, has steadily advanced through the ranks of leadership.

He previously served as chair of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Commerce Committee, and became the Republican whip in 2019.

He will replace McConnell, a longtime Republican leader, who announced in February that he was stepping down after leading the party for 18 years.

McConnell, 82, is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. Thune will assume the role in January.

In the election last week, the Republican Party flipped four seats from the Democratic Party in the Senate, winning back the majority in the upper chamber.

The 53-seat majority in a 100-member Senate will be a boon to the Republican agenda next year.

Elections for some House seats have yet to be called, but the Republican Party is expected to retain control of the House.

The vote came as Trump met with Democratic President Joe Biden at the White House, where both men promised a smooth transfer of power in January. Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance, was present for the vote because he still holds his Senate seat.

Republicans elected Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming to serve as Thune’s lieutenant. Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia also were elected to top leadership positions.

–IANS

int/khz

Go to Source

Disclaimer

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.

For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.

Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.

If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.

Online Cricket Play Online