It’s a tough time to be a U.S. senator.
The Democratic-led Senate, the center of dealmaking for the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency, suddenly is relegated to the sidelines waiting for the Republican-led House to tackle thorny issues like raising the debt ceiling and overhauling U.S. immigration laws.
Senators in both parties say that Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who needs to hold together his small and fractious House majority, should make the first move on difficult-to-pass legislation. Republicans control just one of the levers of power in Washington — which is enough to thwart lawmaking.
