Senate Sees Night Full of Firsts After Democrats Take Control

For the first time since 2014, we awoke to a Senate that is now controlled by Democrats. As her first order of business, Vice President Kamala Harris swore in three new Democratic senators. The entire event marked several firsts in American history as our nation’s first female vice president of color swore in California’s first Latino senator, as well as Georgia’s first black and Jewish senators. Their oaths then formally shifted power of the Senate to Chuck Schumer who is now also the first New Yorker and first Jewish lawmaker to become Senate Majority Leader. Their first act as a new Senate focused on the confirmation hearings of several key national security nominees. The first to be approved to Biden’s new Cabinet was Avril Haines who is now the first female Director of National Intelligence. She was confirmed in an 84 to 10 vote. Today, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg will go before the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee. It’s likely he will also be confirmed as the first openly gay Secretary of Transportation.