The Democratic Party now has a narrow majority in the US Senate following Joe Biden’s inauguration as president Wednesday. The shift from a Republican-controlled chamber will have effects on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and US policy in the Middle East.

There are 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two Independents (who caucus with Democrats).  Democrats possess a one-vote majority when taking into account the role of Vice President Kamala Harris, who also serves the role of 'president of the Senate.' This also allows Democrats the majority to claim the chairmanship of committees.  

With the shift, New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez is expected to replace Idaho Republican Jim Risch as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Republican Senate aide told Al-Monitor on Wednesday. Menendez, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, was previously chairman from 2013 to 2015.

Menendez has an extensive record on Middle East issues. In October, he was instrumental in convincing the Library of Congress to use the term “Armenian Genocide” in reference to the killings of Armenians in the early 20th century in Turkey. In September, he told Trump administration officials that the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates would undermine the US commitment to Israel’s regional military superiority.