Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough is making headlines for being at the centre of debate which revolves around Donald Trump‘s massive tax bill. Trump has touted this 1000-page document as the “big, beautiful bill” that would cut spending and extend tax breaks. However, thanks to MacDonough, the bill could now be delayed past the July 4 deadline set by Trump himself.
MacDonough has in the past objected that some sections of the bill actually break rules of the Senate. According to a BBC report, some of the Republicans are now debating whether to overrule her advice, something that is rarely done, or just fire her.
Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?
MacDonough’s job as a Senate parliamentarian, is to check if a bill follows the Senate’s budget rules. She is in fact, the first woman in this role, who has been the Senate parliamentarian since 2012. Before that, she worked as a Senate staff member for 25 years and also spent time at the Justice Department.
Though she was appointed by Democratic Senator Harry Reid, she has continued in her role under both Republican and Democratic leadership.
In 2021, some Democrats wanted to overrule her when she said a minimum wage hike couldn’t be added to a policy bill.
Parliamentarians have been removed before. In 2001, Robert Dove was fired after his decision on a bill upset Republicans.
Elizabeth MacDonough’s stand on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
MacDonough said that several parts of the bill suggested by Republican senators break the Byrd Rule. This is a 1985 rule which says that “extraneous” provisions cannot be added on to the “reconciliation” bills, the BBC report says. The current budget bill is a reconciliation bill, which means it can pass the Senate without needing 60 votes. These types of bills are meant to guide government spending, not to change policies, according to the Byrd Rule.
This rule allows Republicans to avoid a Democratic filibuster and pass the bill with just a simple majority. However, as MacDonough reviewed the bill, she found parts that tried to make policy changes.
She has already rejected a plan to limit how much federal Medicaid money states can get through healthcare provider taxes. She also blocked a proposal that would have made it harder to punish the Trump administration for contempt.
More rulings are expected to come out as MacDonough continues reviewing the lengthy bill.