US Senate approves power-sharing resolution

WASHINGTON -- The US Senate on Wednesday evening approved a power-sharing resolution that allows Democrats to take chairmanships of committees in the evenly split upper chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that with the so-called organizing resolution in place, Democrats "are ready to hit the ground running on the most important issues that face our country" and "are not going to waste any time."

The resolution reportedly largely mirrors a 2001 agreement, the last time the Senate was evenly split, when bills and nominations were sent to the floor even when there were tie votes at the committee level.

The party breakdown in the US Senate is 50-50 now, with Vice President Kamala Harris having the power to cast the tie-breaking vote.