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PalletCentral • January-February 2021 11 25 percent in 2020 as compared to the same quarter in 2019. n Simplified loan forgiveness application for loans of less than $150,000. Year Ahead in Congress, 2021 It was not the path to power Democrats planned or expected. But after a contentious election in the midst of a deadly pandemic and spasms of violence on Capitol Hill and in state capitols, Democrats are set to take unified control of Washington by the narrowest of margins for the first time in a decade. The shift in power, following Georgia's decision to unseat two Republican senators and give Democrats the majority in the upper chamber, presages a sea change in federal policymaking with President Joe Biden. Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff unseated Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in buzzer-beater runoff races in Georgia. Democrats have nominal control of the 50- 50 Senate by virtue of identification Vice President Harris's tie-breaking vote. Combined with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's gavel and Biden's pen, Democrats have promised an ambitious agenda across the policy spectrum, starting with the ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats have a number of tools at their disposal in the Senate to muscle through agenda items with a partisan majority. Budget reconciliation – the expedited consideration of tax and spending legislation – could allow them to pass legislative priorities by a simple majority. Newly minted senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said that one of his first priorities since securing the majority will be sending $2,000 checks to individuals and families as record-breaking numbers of Americans continue to contract the coronavirus. Since passage of a $900 billion relief bill, Schumer has also said he wants more aid for state, local, and tribal governments in a larger package. Democrats could help reverse course on President Trump's objective to take down the Affordable Care Act by making moot the Supreme Court case that could potentially knock out health insurance for millions of Americans. Across Senate committees, Democrats are preparing to move big-ticket bills to pare down greenhouse-gas emissions. Progressive, climate-focused activists are pressuring Schumer to act big on climate. And more-mainstream environmental groups are also calling for action, while acknowledging the political hurdles. Senator Debbie Stabenow said that new carbon-offset legislation for farmers, ranchers, and foresters will be a "top priority" from her pending perch atop the Agriculture Committee. Stabenow and Republican Sen. Mike Braun introduced bills last year that would provide federal loan guarantees for nonprofits and companies to help small foresters and agriculture producers access carbon- offset markets, and would authorize the Agriculture Department to verify those reductions in emissions. While there are no vacancies on the Supreme Court, Democrats have been agitating for reforms to the body and have their eyes on the potential retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. Breyer, 82, was appointed to the high court by President Clinton in 1994 after a career as a circuit judge and aide to Judiciary Chairman Ted Kennedy. But Breyer is a reliable vote in the liberal bloc. If he were replaced by a Biden appointee, it would not immediately shift the ideological or jurisprudential balance of the Court, as it would if one of the Republican-appointed justices retired. Democrats will take on their task of governing with very little room for error and the tenuous Trump tie that bound their diverse caucus together the last four years undone. It will be an interesting year. Patrick Atagi is vice president, advocacy and external affairs at NWPCA. He also serves as executive director of the NWPCA PAC. He may be reached at 703-519-6104 or patagi@ palletcentral.com. Kirk A. Bado is a staff writer for the National Journal Hotline. Prior to National Journal, Kirk worked at USA Today, Reuters, the Arizona Republic, the Tennessean and EdNC. He may be reached through nationaljournal.com. iStockphoto.com/lucky-photographer