To-dos:
1. Swear in new senators: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock can't become the 49th and 50th Senate Democrats until the Georgia secretary of state certifies their runoffs.
- An official Brad Raffensperger's office told Axios that's likely to happen on Wednesday — Inauguration Day. But it could drag until a statutory deadline on Friday.
2. Replace the vice president: California Secretary of State Alex Padilla must be sworn in to replace incoming Vice President Kamala Harris, who plans to resign her Senate seat on Monday.
- Padilla could do so as early as Tuesday — the day senators return from recess — but he told reporters last week it would likely happen Wednesday.
3. Assume majority mantle: Schumer still won't get to claim his new title until Harris is sworn in as vice president, empowering her to cast tie-breaking votes as Senate president. That happens just before noon Wednesday.
4. Divvy up power: Schumer and soon-to-be Minority Leader Mitch McConnell must settle on a power-sharing agreement, such as which party controls committees. There's precedent from the 50-50 Senate in 2000.
5. Hold confirmation hearings: So far, Senate committees have scheduled hearings for only five of Biden's Cabinet nominees — on the lower end, historically.
- All five hearings — for State, Defense, Homeland Security, National Intelligence and Treasury — are now scheduled for Tuesday. They point to the importance of maintaining national security and economic confidence.
6. Plan impeachment: Schumer and McConnell also have to sort out when and how they'll hold President Trump's second impeachment trial.
- The trial threatens to consume valuable time during Biden's first 100 days. The president-elect has suggested splitting legislative workdays to focus daily on impeachment and confirmation hearings.
7. Finish everything else: Biden recently unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, and there's expected proposals for immigration legislation, infrastructure construction, etc.
