Budget Reconciliation As ‘Act Of Violence’?
Do we not need grown ups?
NPR….Reconciliation is a powerful, 25-year-old procedural maneuver that allows for the passage of a budget by a simple majority vote rather than the usual 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster.
As it’s playing out now in Congress, “reconciliation” is — take your pick — an indispensable tool for majority Democrats to protect parts of their budget from a filibuster by Senate Republicans; or, in the words of a currently out-of-power GOP Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, an “act of violence.”
It is, however, an uncommonly common procedure. Most recently, then-President George W. Bush used it to push through his controversial tax cuts. And it would now allow majority Senate Democrats to limit debate on an omnibus budget measure to a maximum of 20 hours and guarantee passage without Republican votes….
Norah O’Donnell Hits Gregg On Budget Reconciliation: ‘Are You Flip-Flopping Around?’
Shuster: Republican hypocrisy over budget reconciliation
When the GOPers ran the show “reconciliation” meant sneaking in a provision — voted DOWN by both houses — that jacked up my taxes by about 30%.