Elizabeth MacDonough has served as Senate parliamentarian since 2012, advising Senate leadership on rules during both Democratic and Republican terms. President Donald Trump demanded that Republican senators fire her after she blocked funding for a White House ballroom from an upcoming reconciliation bill. The parliamentarian is a nonpartisan advisor who can prevent provisions from being included when they conflict with Senate rules. Reconciliation bills can pass once per year and are limited to budgetary matters, avoiding filibuster threats. MacDonough determined that the ballroom funding violated the restriction on non-budgetary items, requiring removal of the provision. Trump complained to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and later posted publicly on Truth Social, criticizing MacDonough and making claims about her appointment.
"The Senate parliamentarian is a nonpartisan advisor who provides counsel to Senate leadership regarding its rules. On some occasions, the parliamentarian can choose to block the inclusion of certain provisions in a bill if they are incongruent with the regulations of the Senate."
"Last week, while examining the proposal to include funding for the ballroom in a reconciliation bill, MacDonough found that it would violate the rule restricting non-budgetary items from being included, thus requiring Republicans to remove the provision from the legislation."
"Reconciliation bills, which can only be passed once per year, are budgetary-only bills allowing the passage of legislation without the threat of a filibuster block."
"Trump reportedly complained to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) on Monday over MacDonough's action, demanding that she be fired. On Wednesday, Trump made that demand public in a post on Truth Social."
Read at Truthout
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