Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: December 2008
• Almost immediately after his election, President-elect Barack Obama considered possible members of his Cabinet and staff.

• Almost immediately after his election, President-elect Barack Obama considered possible members of his Cabinet and staff. Obama and vice president-elect Joe Biden will give up their seats in the Senate. The governors of Illinois and Delaware, respectively, will choose their replacements. Should any of the current members of Congress be called on to fill cabinet positions, their successors will also need to be chosen. Early on, Obama selected Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to be his chief of staff; more appointments were expected during the transition period.

• The election gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, but at press time there were still election results pending in some areas. In the Senate, Democrats picked up five Republican seats, bringing their total to 54; they had hoped to gain 60 seats to ensure a filibuster-proof majority to keep Republicans from blocking their legislative proposals. The 67 votes needed to provide a veto-proof majority was thought to be out of reach.