Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has struck another blow to Democrats’ ambitions to provide millions of illegal aliens amnesty in the Build Back Better budget bill. Because Democrats are using the complicated and rule-laden reconciliation process, the scope of the legislation is far more constrained than a normal piece of legislation. The reconciliation process, first formulated in the 1970s in response to the revelations of the Watergate Scandal, allows certain types of budget bills to go through the Senate without facing the 60-vote filibuster. Because Republicans would certainly filibuster this budget bill, Democrats have had no choice but to use the process. But given its extreme power relative to normal Senate bills, its provisions are subject to the approval or disapproval of the parliamentarian, the Senate’s nonpartisan referee. While the reconciliation process is being used, all provisions must satisfy the current parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, as being within the original budget-related scope …
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