Word of the Day: Reconciliation

Why this word? Why today?

Because Republicans hope to pass their tax reform measure via reconciliation. When it comes to reconciliation bills, debate in both houses is limited to 20 hours and Senate filibusters aren’t allowed.

Reconciliation begins with the passage of a budget resolution in both chambers of Congress that includes reconciliation directives—and that’s what’s happening now. The House passed its budget proposal on October 5, and the Senate voted this week to open debate on the House-passed resolution. A final Senate vote on the budget should occur in the next few days.

The 2018 budget resolution, which contains the reconciliation directive, would enable Republicans to move tax legislation through the Senate on a simple majority vote (51), bypassing any threat of a Democratic filibuster. With the GOP controlling the Senate with a slim 52-48 margin, and with Democrats unlikely to support the tax-reform bill, reconciliation seems the only option to pass President Trump’s tax code overhaul.

Reconciliation came into being with the 1974 Congressional Budget Act. It was originally intended as a means to reduce budget deficits by making it easier to pass budget and tax deals. Both sides of the aisle have used it for much more than this—including passing, and trying to repeal, Obamacare.

Tell your reps what you think of the reconciliation process using the Take Action button and join the conversation in the comments below.

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—Josh Herman

Related Reading

• 5 Things You Need to Know About the Budget

• The GOP Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 and Using Reconciliation for Tax Reform and Deficit Reduction

• The $1.23 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill for Fiscal Year 2018

• No Budget, No Pay: Holding Congressional Paychecks When They Can’t Agree On a Budget