Schumer Says The Parliamentarian Greenlit His Filibuster Workaround. That Could Be Huge. WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks about Senate Democrats legislative accomplishments. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images) April 6, 2021 12:28 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office put out a statement Monday evening declaring success in his gambit to circumvent the filibuster and squeeze more opportunities to pass bills through reconciliation out of a clause in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
By his reading, “revising” a budget resolution like the 2021 budget vehicle Democrats used to pass the American Rescue Plan provides another vehicle to pass more legislation through reconciliation. He shared that theory with Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, and said Monday that she had agreed with his interpretation.
Parliamentarian Rules Democrats Can Officially Bypass the Filibuster
President Joe Biden departs after speaking in the State Dining Room of the White House on April 2, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress have reportedly won a major ruling from the Senate parliamentarian, granting them the ability to pass more of their agenda without the need to defeat a filibuster from Republicans.
Elizabeth MacDonough, who serves as the parliamentarian, is reportedly willing to accept an interpretation of an obscure budget rule to let Democrats use previously passed legislation, enacted through the reconciliation process, to bypass the standard 60-vote filibuster threshold that Republicans were threatening to use to block future legislation.
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The White House insisted it still hopes to get Republican support.
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Biden to unveil massive infrastructure plan
Cecilia Vega reports from Washington, D.C., as President Joe Biden travels to Pittsburgh to unveil his new infrastructure plan.Evan Vucci/AP, FILE
The White House on Tuesday insisted that there is a bipartisan path forward on passing President Joe Biden s sweeping and costly infrastructure plan, but it comes as his effort got a major boost if he gets no Republican support.
Senate Democrats are eyeing another use of the fast-track budget reconciliation process to get the measure passed after the Senate parliamentarian, a nonpartisan arbiter of the body s arcane rules, said Monday night that Senate Democrats could use the tool for a second time to move Biden s agenda forward as they did with his COVID-19 relief package.
How Democrats Could Use Reconciliation to Pass Infrastructure Bill forconstructionpros.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forconstructionpros.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.