Key GOP-Democrat Senate meeting set

Sen. Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, will be recognized on Wednesday as Senate majority leader

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat, will meet Tuesday with five Senate Republicans to discuss the imminent party power shift in that chamber.

The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Daschle's office with Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Phil Gramm of Texas and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

This will be the first time Senate Democrats and Republicans will have sat down together to hash out how the transfer of power might work, and the first time since 1995 that Democrats hold a Senate majority.

Earlier Tuesday, the Senate returned from Memorial Day recess and reconvened after splitting up into committees behind closed doors to discuss reorganization and leadership changes.

The official changing of power is to occur Wednesday morning, at which time the Democrats are expected to offer a resolution for Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia to replace Strom Thurmond, R-South Carolina, as Senate President Pro Tempore.

INTERACTIVE The Senate's switch from Republican to Democratic control will be a low-key affair short on ceremony, but long on behind-the-scenes discussions. Here's how it will happen.    ON THE SCENE John King: Power shakeup in the Senate and other political news  CNN ACCESS Lieberman: In Senate, 'nothing happens smoothly' Thompson: GOP needs 'some accommodation'    IN-DEPTH Senate power shift    VIDEO U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, (D) S. Dakota, keeps in close contact with constituents in his home state. CNN's Jonathan Karl reports (June 4) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    MESSAGE BOARD Congressional divide    ALSO Gephardt: 'I stand with olive branches in both hands' Will McCain be next to jump ship? TIME.com: Welcome to the New Washington

Once approved, Byrd will move into the chair presiding over the Senate and recognize Daschle as the new majority leader.

With the swing in power, all ranking Democrats on committees immediately become chairmen, and GOP chairmen become ranking members.

Because of a power-sharing agreement made before the current Senate, the committees revert to their makeup in the previous term until a new organizational resolution is passed. This means the 11 freshmen senators will temporarily be without assignments.

Jim Jeffords, the maverick senator from Vermont, tilted the evenly divided Senate in favor of the Democrats by leaving the Republican Party after 27 years of public service to become an Independent.

Jeffords has been invited to the Democrats' policy lunch Tuesday, although it's unclear whether he will attend.

Later Tuesday night, Senate workers will unscrew Jeffords' desk from the Republican side of the floor and move it to the Democratic side, outfitted with a new microphone unit. The desk will likely be located between Sens. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, toward the back of the chamber.

A Democratic leadership aide says Democrats intend to try to offer their organizational resolution after taking over the majority Wednesday, but do not expect Republicans to let it go through if negotiations are not complete.

Republicans emphasize it took from Thanksgiving through January 6 to reorganize the 50-50 Senate, and that the latest transition will take time.

The key demand Republicans will make relates to presidential nominations, sources say.

Republicans want the full Senate to be able to vote on nominees even if they have been voted down by a Senate committee. Traditionally, nominations that fail in committee are dead.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, will relinquish the majority leader's role and turn to reorganization negotiations

This is a crucial issue for Republicans because they believe Democratic committee chairmen will use their power to derail presidential nominations.

Republicans are also concerned about other organizational issues, including how subpoena power in committees will work.

Colleagues in the House were keeping close tabs on the situation.

Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Oklahoma, who is the GOP conference chairman, said the shift "won't affect what we do in the House," but it could impact how long it takes for the Senate "to get things done."

"In the Senate, it obviously, procedurally will make things a little more tricky," Watts told CNN.