Yes, for every chair there is a Ranking Member of the minority party, and committee assignments are readily shuffled. This is true of both the House and the Senate.
Usually it’s not a big deal. But nothing can be done by anyone until and unless there is a formal vacancy. That would be created by either McConnell himself announcing he will not be back, or he is somehow proven dead or incapacitated. That seems to be what his party is trying very hard to hold off.
Is there a way for the Senate to reassign those committee seats to someone else? Do chairs have deputies or similar?
Yes, for every chair there is a Ranking Member of the minority party, and committee assignments are readily shuffled. This is true of both the House and the Senate.
Usually it’s not a big deal. But nothing can be done by anyone until and unless there is a formal vacancy. That would be created by either McConnell himself announcing he will not be back, or he is somehow proven dead or incapacitated. That seems to be what his party is trying very hard to hold off.
Woah, good to know. Thanks for the response!