US.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to a power sharing agreement with Democrats after he dropped his demand that Democrats preserved the procedural tool known as the filibuster, which requires a 60 vote super majority to advance most legislation and therefore allows the Senate minority toe hold up legislation.

I'm glad we're finally able to get the Senate up and running.

Democrat Chuck Schumer, now the Senate majority leader, has been at odds with McConnell over the Republicans request that Democrats promised to protect the key stalling tactic.

McConnell's demand has held up basic functioning of the Senate for days.

Schumer has refused to guarantee the filibuster would stay in the 50 50 chamber, where Democrats hold the slimmest of majorities, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast the tie breaking votes.

But late Monday, McConnell said he was ready to move forward, citing to Democrats Senators Joe Manchin and Kirsten Cinema, who signaled they would not vote to end the legislative filibuster, assuring him that it would stay in place.

Both leaders on Tuesday claimed victory.

I am glad the Republican leader finally relented and we can move forward now, toe, organize the Senate, set up committees, shares and ranking members.

Rather than relying on the Democratic leader, I took the discussion directly to his members.

Basic arithmetic now ensures that there are not enough votes to break the rule.

In recent years, the filibuster has brought the Senate nearly to a halt on major legislation.

Killing the tool was a key demand of some liberal Democrats as a way to help advance President Joe Biden's agenda, though Biden has not signaled support for such a move.

With Harris unable to attend every Senate session, Schumer and McConnell have been discussing an arrangement to govern day to day operations.

Similar toe one struck the last time the Senate was equally split in 2001.

Democrats could unilaterally change the rules to require Onley a simple majority to approve bills, a move sometimes called the nuclear option.