. But they could also win a slim majority in the Senate if Democrats pick up at least four seats, which would give them full control of Congress.
Senate control will likely come down to a handful of hotly-contested races, so the size of a Democratic majority likely won't be enough to cross the 60-vote threshold most legislation needs to pass the chamber. Yet there is a legislative vehicle Democrats are starting to say they will deploy to pass several measures.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the door on Monday to using a process known as "reconciliation" in the Senate to pass coronavirus relief and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, bypassing the GOP in the process. "We'll almost certainly be passing a reconciliation bill, not only for the Affordable Care Act, but for what we may want to do further on the pandemic and some other issues that relate to the well-being of the American people," Pelosi said in a call organized by Protect Our Care, a liberal group.
The "reconciliation" process allows tax and spending legislation to be approved by a simple majority vote and fast-tracking the process. However, a bill can't alter regulations or reform some programs like Social Security.have used reconciliation to push through their priorities without support from the other party since it was introduced four decades ago. Democrats used it in 2010 to help pass the ACA, better known as Obamacare.