Schumer: Sinema will keep her committee assignments despite leaving Democrat Party

Senate Democrat leader Charles Schumer said Friday that Sen. Krysten Sinema can keep her committee assignments despite having left their party to become an independent.

"She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed," said Schumer, the leader of the Democrat-controlled chamber. Kyrsten is independent. That’s how she’s always been.

Sinema announced her switch in an Arizona Republican newspaper op-ed published Friday. 

Schumer who earlier this week was just elected to another term as Senate majority leader also seemed in his statement about Sinema to dismiss concerns that her switch would jeopardize Democrats' 51-49 chamber majority.

"We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes.” 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said that the Biden White House's relationship with Sinema wouldn't change. 

"Sen. Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months,” she said. "We have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her."

In an interview Sinema did with Politico, she said: "I don’t anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure. I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent."