Democrats took control of the Senate Jan. 6 after Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won their respective races. The 50-50 person split in the Senate will allow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to serve as a tiebreaker in any prospective vote.
The scenario sets up a path for several healthcare-related measures to pass the Senate through budget reconciliation bills. The bills require a simple 51-person majority to pass. Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, tweeted about five such measures he thought could pass. Read more.
Here are two other updates:
1. Operation Warp Speed head to temporarily stay with program in Biden administration. Moncef Slaoui, PhD, the head of Operation Warp Speed, will continue to serve as a consultant to the program for four to six weeks after President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Read more.
2. Biden finalizing inauguration plans. The event will be unlike any other, with several precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read more.