WASHINGTON — Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) will no longer be the only chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
Earlier this week, Democrats won two Senate seats during a special election in Georgia. The U.S. Senate will now hold a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris being the president of the Senate.
Inhofe took over as chairman of the Armed Services Committee after the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) died while in office in 2018.
The last time the Senate was split in 2000, all Senate committees were given an equal number of members and each party’s highest-ranking person on the committee were co-chairs.
It’s not been made official who the Democrats will select to be Armed Services co-chair with Inhofe, but Jack Reed of Rhode Island is a likely candidate as he is currently the committee’s ranking member.
The committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing for Lloyd Austin to become the new U.S. Defense secretary just a day before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.
The Jan. 19 confirmation hearing — and an even later hearing before the House Armed Services Committee — means the retired Army general likely won’t be confirmed in time for the start of the new Biden administration.