Latest news with #HarryReid
27-06-2025
- Politics
Meet the Senate parliamentarian, the official tying Republicans in knots over their tax bill
WASHINGTON -- A few Republicans reacted with indignation Thursday after the Senate parliamentarian advised that some of the measures in their tax and immigration bill could not be included in the legislation. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., tweeted on X that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough should be fired, 'ASAP.' Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., intimated that she was partisan, asking why an 'unelected swamp bureaucrat, who was appointed by Harry Reid over a decade ago' gets to decide what's in the bill?' It's hardly the first time the parliamentarian's normally low-key and lawyerly role has drawn a blast of public criticism. MacDonough also dashed Democratic plans over the years, advising in 2021 that they couldn't include a minimum wage increase in their COVID-19 relief bill. Later that same year, she advised that Democrats needed to drop an effort to let millions of immigrants remain temporarily in the U.S. as part of their big climate bill. But the attention falling on MacDonough's rulings in recent years also reflects a broader change in Congress, with lawmakers increasingly trying to wedge their top policy priorities into bills that can't be filibustered in the Senate. The process comes with special rules designed to deter provisions unrelated to spending or taxes — and that's where the parliamentarian comes in, offering analysis of what does and doesn't qualify. Her latest round of decisions Thursday was a blow to the GOP's efforts to wring hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid over the next decade. Senate Republicans could opt to try to override her recommendations, but they are unlikely to do so. Here's a closer look at what the Senate parliamentarian does and why lawmakers are so focused on her recommendations right now. Both the House and Senate have a parliamentarian to provide assistance on that chamber's rules and precedents. They are often seen advising whoever is presiding over the chamber on the proper procedures to be followed and the appropriate responses to a parliamentary inquiry. They are also charged with providing information to lawmakers and their respective staff on a strictly nonpartisan and confidential basis. The parliamentarians and their staff only offer advice. Their recommendations are not binding. In the case of the massive tax and spending bill now before both chambers, the parliamentarian plays a critical role in advising whether the reconciliation bill's provisions remain focused on fiscal issues. MacDonough, an English literature major, is the Senate's first woman to be parliamentarian and just the sixth person to hold the position since its creation in 1935. She began her Senate career in its library before leaving to get a law degree at Vermont Law School. She worked briefly as a Justice Department trial attorney before returning to the Senate in 1999, this time as an assistant in the parliamentarian's office. She was initially appointed parliamentarian in 2012 by Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, Senate majority leader at the time. She was retained by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., when he became majority leader in 2015. She helped Chief Justice John Roberts preside over Trump's 2020 Senate impeachment trial and was beside then-Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., for Trump's second trial the following year. Trump was acquitted both times. When Trump supporters fought past police and into the Capitol in hopes of disrupting Congress' certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory, MacDonough and other staffers rescued those ballots and hustled mahogany boxes containing them to safety. MacDonough's office, on the Capitol's first floor, was ransacked and declared a crime scene. Yes. The parliamentarian makes the recommendation, but it's the presiding officer overseeing Senate proceedings who rules on provisions in the bill. If there is a dispute, it would be put to a vote. Michael Thorning, director of structural democracy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, said he doubts Republicans will want to go that route. And indeed, some Republican senators said as much Thursday. 'It's the institutional integrity, even if I'm convinced 100% she's wrong,' said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Thorning said lawmakers from both parties view MacDonough as 'very much an honest broker.' "And the Senate relies on her,' Thorning said. 'Sometimes, those decisions cut your way, and sometimes, they don't. I also think members recognize that once you start treating the parliamentarian's advice as just something that could be easily dismissed, then the rules start to matter less.' Majority leaders from both parties have replaced the parliamentarian. For more than three decades, the position alternated between Robert Dove and Alan Frumin depending upon which party was in the majority. Thorning said the two parliamentarians weren't far apart though, in how they interpreted the Senate's rules and precedents. MacDonough succeeded Frumin as parliamentarian. He said the small number of calls Thursday for her dismissal 'tells you all people need to know about the current parliamentarian.'
The Hill
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
GOP senator calls for Senate parliamentarian to be fired after ruling against Medicaid cuts
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) on Thursday called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to fire Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough 'ASAP,' hours after she delivered a major ruling against a Republican proposal to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending to help pay for President Trump's tax agenda. The parliamentarian also ruled against provisions to prohibit federal funding of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for adults or kids whose immigration status cannot be immediately verified and to lower federal Medicaid funding for states that provide Medicaid coverage to immigrants in the country illegally. 'The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and advised Al Gore, just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP,' Tuberville posted on X, the social media site. 'Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke agenda. THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP,' he said. Tuberville posted his comments publicly around the same time that Thune told reporters that he would not attempt to overrule the parliamentarian with a simple-majority vote on the floor. A Senate GOP source familiar with the parliamentarian's ruling on Medicaid eligibility and health care provider taxes said that Republicans will try to rework the provisions to keep them in the massive bill. 'We'll continue our work and find a solution to achieve the desired results. Also, this is not as fatal as Dems are portraying it to be,' the source said. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appointed MacDonough in January of 2012 to serve as parliamentarian. She is the first woman to serve in the role. She is the sixth Senate parliamentarian, and worked in the parliamentarian's office for nearly a decade before she was tapped to replace Alan Frumin.
New York Post
10-06-2025
- New York Post
Trust no one: The Pentagon needs to come clean about UFO lies
Paging Fox Mulder: In a scene right out of 'The X-Files,' the Department of Defense has uncovered evidence that the Pentagon was behind one of the most notorious conspiracy theories about little green men. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, a tiny DOD crew tasked with investigating UFO sightings, found that the Pentagon itself planted the rumor that Area 51 was swarming with aliens. In the 1980s, an Air Force colonel (no word if he was perpetually shrouded in cigarette smoke) gave fake photos of flying saucers near the base to a local bar owner: The idea was to cover for the development of the F-117 Nighthawk; any locals who caught a glimpse of the stealth fighter on a test flight would be predisposed to think it was extraterrestrial tech — and so get laughed off. Advertisement In another episode of disinfo-spreading linked to the DOD, in 1996 a radio host received a piece of metal with a note claiming it came off an alien spaceship. This wasn't wartime deception aimed at America's enemies, but peacetime disinformation fed to US citizens: Not what your taxes are supposed to pay for. Nor were civilians the only victims of out-of-this-world military tall tales. Advertisement The AARO also discovered a longstanding Air Force practice in which hundreds of new commanders of highly classified programs were reportedly given photos of a 'flying saucer,' told that they would be working on reverse-engineering the tech and sworn to secrecy. Many of these men were never clued into the ruse, and so lived their lives with the belief that aliens were real, the government knew about it, and they could never tell anyone — not even their spouses. That practice continued all the way up until 2023, and AARO investigators still don't know why the Air Force was psychologically tormenting its own officers. (One theory is that it was some idiot's idea of loyalty test.) And these lies were far from harmless: As the Journal notes, the 'paranoid mythology the U.S. military helped spread now has a hold over a growing number of its own senior officials who count themselves as believers.' Advertisement As well as the likes of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who forced the Defense Department to burn millions on ghost hunters and psychics seeking to contact the little green men. And the Pentagon was still being shady last year, when it reported that the AARO's exhaustive search of the records had never found a shred of evidence of space aliens visiting earth . . . but omitted any mention of the military's own role in pushing disinformation. Even now, the Defense Department owes the public a lot more: Come clean on every lie told in these deceptions, with the names of who made the calls to give Americans sham 'information.' Advertisement Was this the work of a few rogue officers? Or a strategy approved by top brass over the decades? However this got started, the Pentagon's duty now is to ensure that the full truth gets . . . out there.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dems are quietly forming a think tank to help them win again
At a private meeting last month, a top Democratic strategist pitched party leaders and donors: We need to break down ideological lanes and reject interest group agendas if we plan to win again. Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) and top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), used the retreat to preview his new policy research and messaging hub, called Searchlight. Its goal: push the Democratic Party toward the most effective, broadly popular positions regardless of which wing of the party they come from, with an eye toward 2028, according to five people who have spoken directly to Jentleson and were granted anonymity to describe private conversations. Seth London, an adviser to major Democratic donors, is working with Jentleson on the effort. The think tank's mission, as described by these people, is an explicit rejection of purity tests Jentleson sees as holding the party hostage, the most famous of which became fodder for a highly effective ad Donald Trump used against former Vice President Kamala Harris during his campaign to recapture the presidency. Searchlight — a name inspired by the birthplace of Jentleson's former boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — comes at a precarious moment for a Democratic Party looking to revive its deeply unpopular brand and eyeing a comeback in the 2026 midterms. One person directly familiar with the project, granted anonymity to describe private details, said its aim will be to create 'an institutional space where Democrats can think freely and put those ideas out into the world.' 'That doesn't exist right now because anywhere else, you're going to get those ideas sanded down from one angle or another,' the person continued, adding that it wasn't going to be driven ideologically or 'on a left-right binary scale,' but rather 'draw on the best ideas wherever they come from.' Jentleson explained the group to top Democratic donors and officials, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and other congressional members, according to those people. The confab, dubbed 'Wildflower,' was hosted at a swanky resort of the same name in upstate New York, where it also drew several potential 2028 candidates, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego. Some of Jentleson's pitch, these people said, was already laid out in a New York Times op-ed published soon after the 2024 election loss. He urged Democrats to declare 'independence from liberal and progressive interest groups that prevent Democrats from thinking clearly about how to win' and to reject the 'rigid mores and vocabulary of college-educated elites.' He urged elected officials to not be afraid of alienating powerful groups that dictated much of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. London, too, penned a post-election strategy memo that called for 'a complete rejection of race- and group-based identity politics.' 'Voters do not break down among the perceived ideological lines that a lot of Democrats are drawn into by the interest groups,' said a retreat attendee granted anonymity to discuss a private event. 'The machinations of the party force people into boxes, and if this is a vehicle to get those new ideas out there, outside those lanes that automatically limit the breadth of voters you're able to reach, then I think a lot of people would welcome that.' But the fight over the Democratic Party's future is well underway, and Searchlight is the newest entrant into an already crowded scene of Democratic groups looking to shape the 2028 presidential primary. At least some of those who heard Jentleson's pitch were frustrated that it sounded duplicative of other efforts. Just this week, Welcome PAC, a moderate-focused group, is holding 'WelcomeFest,' a day-long event they describe as 'the largest public gathering of centrist Democrats.' Several speakers at WelcomeFest, including Slotkin and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), also attended Wildflower. 'They're saying, 'we need a moderate voice, because we're losing everyone and we have to come back to the center and get away from woke, identity politics,'' said one Democratic donor adviser who heard Jentleson's pitch. 'They want to become a research and communications hub for that, which is great, but we already have a bunch of entities who do that.'
Politico
03-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Dems are quietly forming a think tank to help them win again
At a private meeting last month, a top Democratic strategist pitched party leaders and donors: We need to break down ideological lanes and reject interest group agendas if we plan to win again. Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) and top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), used the retreat to preview his new policy research and messaging hub, called Searchlight. Its goal: push the Democratic Party toward the most effective, broadly popular positions regardless of which wing of the party they come from, with an eye toward 2028, according to five people who have spoken directly to Jentleson and were granted anonymity to describe private conversations. Seth London, an adviser to major Democratic donors, is working with Jentleson on the effort. The think tank's mission, as described by these people, is an explicit rejection of purity tests Jentleson sees as holding the party hostage, the most famous of which became fodder for a highly effective ad Donald Trump used against former Vice President Kamala Harris during his campaign to recapture the presidency. Searchlight — a name inspired by the birthplace of Jentleson's former boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — comes at a precarious moment for a Democratic Party looking to revive its deeply unpopular brand and eyeing a comeback in the 2026 midterms. One person directly familiar with the project, granted anonymity to describe private details, said its aim will be to create 'an institutional space where Democrats can think freely and put those ideas out into the world.' 'That doesn't exist right now because anywhere else, you're going to get those ideas sanded down from one angle or another,' the person continued, adding that it wasn't going to be driven ideologically or 'on a left-right binary scale,' but rather 'draw on the best ideas wherever they come from.' Jentleson explained the group to top Democratic donors and officials, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and other congressional members, according to those people. The confab, dubbed 'Wildflower,' was hosted at a swanky resort of the same name in upstate New York, where it also drew several potential 2028 candidates, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego. Some of Jentleson's pitch, these people said, was already laid out in a New York Times op-ed published soon after the 2024 election loss. He urged Democrats to declare 'independence from liberal and progressive interest groups that prevent Democrats from thinking clearly about how to win' and to reject the 'rigid mores and vocabulary of college-educated elites.' He urged elected officials to not be afraid of alienating powerful groups that dictated much of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. London, too, penned a post-election strategy memo that called for 'a complete rejection of race- and group-based identity politics.' 'Voters do not break down among the perceived ideological lines that a lot of Democrats are drawn into by the interest groups,' said a retreat attendee granted anonymity to discuss a private event. 'The machinations of the party force people into boxes, and if this is a vehicle to get those new ideas out there, outside those lanes that automatically limit the breadth of voters you're able to reach, then I think a lot of people would welcome that.' But the fight over the Democratic Party's future is well underway, and Searchlight is the newest entrant into an already crowded scene of Democratic groups looking to shape the 2028 presidential primary. At least some of those who heard Jentleson's pitch were frustrated that it sounded duplicative of other efforts. Just this week, Welcome PAC, a moderate-focused group, is holding 'WelcomeFest,' a day-long event they describe as 'the largest public gathering of centrist Democrats.' Several speakers at WelcomeFest, including Slotkin and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), also attended Wildflower. 'They're saying, 'we need a moderate voice, because we're losing everyone and we have to come back to the center and get away from woke, identity politics,'' said one Democratic donor adviser who heard Jentleson's pitch. 'They want to become a research and communications hub for that, which is great, but we already have a bunch of entities who do that.'
