Midterm Election News

LEGISLATIVE RELATIONS COMMITTEE

GOP Sweeps Congress in Midterm Elections

Even with a few important races still undecided, the Republican party won big in the midterm elections held on Tuesday. The GOP will assume control of the U.S. Senate in January with a majority of at least four seats, 52 to 48. Alaska’s Senate race has not been declared but the Republican candidate, Dan Sullivan, is leading incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Begich. The Virginia race has also not been officially declared, but Senator Mark Warner (D) is leading. In Louisiana, Senator Mary Landrieu (D) faces a December 6th runoff election, which will likely be difficult for her since in the midterm election the Republican candidates received 55.8 percent of the vote combined. In short, Republicans might end up with 54 Senate seats. Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine, has announced that he will continue to caucus with the Democrats next Congress.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republicans increased their majority with a total of at least 243 seats, with Republican candidates leading in several undecided races. The Republicans might end up with as many as 250 seats in the House. This will be the largest Republican House majority since 1928, making the chamber even more conservative in the next Congress. In total, there will be at least 69 new Members of Congress: 11 in the Senate (1 Democrat and 10 Republicans) and 58 in the House (18 Democrats and 40 Republicans).

While power will shift significantly in both chambers, leadership on both sides of the aisle will most likely remain unchanged. Current U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is expected to be re-elected as the Speaker of the House next Congress in January, while the current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is expected to become the next Senate Majority Leader, replacing the current Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)—it is presumed that Leader Reid will run for Minority Leader. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the current House Democratic Leader, announced that she also intends to seek re-election to her leadership post for the next Congress.

In terms of the impact on key education and appropriations committees, a full list prepared by the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) is included in the expanded version of today’s Daily Briefing. Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY), a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee and the House lead on Elizabeth Warren’s student loan refinancing bill, was defeated, as was Senate HELP Committee member Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC). In Arkansas, Senator Mark Pryor (D), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was defeated and two other Democratic appropriators are in jeopardy: Senators Begich (D-AK) and Landrieu (D-LA). Also, Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) is leading in his race but it too has not been called (the other candidate is also a Democrat).

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued a press release after the election on his outlook for the 114th Congress, in which he referenced his five-point roadmap initially released on October 29. It is interesting to note that point five is Improving Our Education System. One of the three items listed under that point focuses on making education more accessible and affordable: "From early childhood education to college, the cost of education continues to rise across the board. In July, the House passed three bipartisan bills to address the cost of college: H.R. 3136, H.R. 4983, and H.R. 4984. The House has also passed H.R. 3393, which would make it easier for families to utilize tax credits to save and pay for college.” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has said that the first item on the agenda for House Republicans next year will be to produce a budget. In an interview with Fox News, Leader McCarthy said he was optimistic that House and Senate Republicans will work together next year to pass the FY 2016 Budget that will give the American people more clarity as to how the country will pay down the national debt and fund national priorities. With the Senate in Republican hands next year, it will be easier to pass budget resolutions using the reconciliation process that requires only a majority vote, not a supermajority of 60 votes needed to break a Senate filibuster.

Meanwhile, at a press conference held the day after the elections, President Obama said that he would like to work with the Republican controlled Congress where possible next year, but also struck a defiant tone arguing that the massive losses faced by Democrats were less a repudiation of his policies and more a reflection of voter frustration over the gridlock in Washington. The President said that his goals for the remaining few months left this Congress, known as the "lame-duck” session, will include seeking more than $6 billion in new funding for the domestic and international Ebola response, a new authorization for the use of military force against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and passing a budget.

Information submitted by Sharon Oliver, Chair, SASFAA Legislative Relations Committee.