Latest news with #MacDonough
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Why the Senate Parliamentarian is at the center of a fierce debate over Trump's agenda bill
But some Republicans publicly lambasted MacDonough — with a few calling for her ouster — this week after she advised that some key money-saving policies couldn't be included in their massive tax and domestic policy bill, complicating passage of the measure that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the Fourth of July deadline the president has set. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said MacDonough's rejection of some of the bill's provisions, most importantly one that would have forced states to shoulder more of the Medicaid funding burden, 'seems politically motivated.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said on X she 'SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.' Other GOP senators came to MacDonough's defense, insisting that — while they might disagree with some of her rulings — they would abide by them, rather than seeking a vote to overrule them. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had 'no intention' of trying to overrule the parliamentarian. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he 'just can't imagine' Republicans would have enough votes to do so in a chamber where they hold 53 seats. 'We're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus,' said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. MacDonough's office declined CNN's request to comment. The focus on the Senate parliamentarian comes as Republicans try to shepherd the massive bill to passage using special budgetary rules that require a simple majority of 51 votes — shielding it from a Democratic filibuster. The Senate parliamentarian is a nonpartisan position that was created in the 1930s. In the role, MacDonough, the first woman to serve as parliamentarian, is tasked with advising the chamber on how its rules, protocols and precedents should be applied. That includes advising senators in a bill-review process known as a 'Byrd Bath' — named for former longtime West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd — when they are looking to use Senate budget rules to pass a bill with a simple majority. Typically, senators are prohibited from using such a bill to advance provisions that aren't related to spending or taxes. Democrats have fumed at MacDonough in the past, as well. In 2021, she ruled they could not include a federal minimum wage increase in President Joe Biden's pandemic-era stimulus bill. She also rejected Democrats' efforts to include immigration reforms. Lawmakers have largely been hesitant to overrule MacDonough because doing so would further chip away at the filibuster — perhaps the most powerful tool minority parties have on Capitol Hill. Democrats voted to overrule MacDonough in 2013 to eliminate filibusters, requiring a simple majority vote rather than a 60-vote supermajority, to approve presidential nominees. Republicans did so in 2017 to similarly eliminate filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered no indication the Senate would seek to overrule MacDonough in this case. 'Everything is challenging, but they're all speed bumps,' he told reporters. 'We have contingency plans, plan B and plan C. We'll continue to litigate it.' MacDonough was appointed to the Senate parliamentarian role in 2012 by Sen. Harry Reid, the late Nevada Democrat who was the majority leader at the time. She replaced Alan Frumin, who retired that year after serving in the role for 18 years. After attending George Washington University and Vermont Law School, MacDonough started her career working in the Senate library and later as an editor for the Congressional Record. She later worked for the Justice Department, and then joined the Senate parliamentarian's office as an assistant in 1999. Her first major task was helping to advise then-Vice President Al Gore on the Senate procedure for counting ballots in his 2000 presidential election against George W. Bush. She quickly rose in ranks after then-Senate parliamentarian Robert Dove was dismissed from the job by Republican leaders in 2001 and Frumin was promoted to the top position. 'While serving its 100 members on a day-to-day basis, I still represent the Senate. No matter who's in my office asking for assistance, I represent the Senate with its traditions of unfettered debate, protection of minority rights, and equal power among the states,' MacDonough said during a commencement speech at Vermont Law School in 2018, adding, 'That Senate is my charge.' In her time in office, MacDonough also advised on the two impeachment trials of Trump during his first term. MacDonough was seen regularly whispering guidance to Chief Justice John Roberts as he presided over Trump's first Senate impeachment trial. On January 6, 2021, the Senate parliamentarian's office was ransacked by pro-Trump rioters who sought to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. As the rioters stormed the US Capitol, members of MacDonough's staff safeguarded the electoral votes during the siege, according to Capitol Hill reports.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Why the Senate Parliamentarian is at the center of a fierce debate over Trump's agenda bill
But some Republicans publicly lambasted MacDonough — with a few calling for her ouster — this week after she advised that some key money-saving policies couldn't be included in their massive tax and domestic policy bill, complicating passage of the measure that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the Fourth of July deadline the president has set. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said MacDonough's rejection of some of the bill's provisions, most importantly one that would have forced states to shoulder more of the Medicaid funding burden, 'seems politically motivated.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said on X she 'SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.' Other GOP senators came to MacDonough's defense, insisting that — while they might disagree with some of her rulings — they would abide by them, rather than seeking a vote to overrule them. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had 'no intention' of trying to overrule the parliamentarian. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he 'just can't imagine' Republicans would have enough votes to do so in a chamber where they hold 53 seats. 'We're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus,' said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. MacDonough's office declined CNN's request to comment. The focus on the Senate parliamentarian comes as Republicans try to shepherd the massive bill to passage using special budgetary rules that require a simple majority of 51 votes — shielding it from a Democratic filibuster. The Senate parliamentarian is a nonpartisan position that was created in the 1930s. In the role, MacDonough, the first woman to serve as parliamentarian, is tasked with advising the chamber on how its rules, protocols and precedents should be applied. That includes advising senators in a bill-review process known as a 'Byrd Bath' — named for former longtime West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd — when they are looking to use Senate budget rules to pass a bill with a simple majority. Typically, senators are prohibited from using such a bill to advance provisions that aren't related to spending or taxes. Democrats have fumed at MacDonough in the past, as well. In 2021, she ruled they could not include a federal minimum wage increase in President Joe Biden's pandemic-era stimulus bill. She also rejected Democrats' efforts to include immigration reforms. Lawmakers have largely been hesitant to overrule MacDonough because doing so would further chip away at the filibuster — perhaps the most powerful tool minority parties have on Capitol Hill. Democrats voted to overrule MacDonough in 2013 to eliminate filibusters, requiring a simple majority vote rather than a 60-vote supermajority, to approve presidential nominees. Republicans did so in 2017 to similarly eliminate filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered no indication the Senate would seek to overrule MacDonough in this case. 'Everything is challenging, but they're all speed bumps,' he told reporters. 'We have contingency plans, plan B and plan C. We'll continue to litigate it.' MacDonough was appointed to the Senate parliamentarian role in 2012 by Sen. Harry Reid, the late Nevada Democrat who was the majority leader at the time. She replaced Alan Frumin, who retired that year after serving in the role for 18 years. After attending George Washington University and Vermont Law School, MacDonough started her career working in the Senate library and later as an editor for the Congressional Record. She later worked for the Justice Department, and then joined the Senate parliamentarian's office as an assistant in 1999. Her first major task was helping to advise then-Vice President Al Gore on the Senate procedure for counting ballots in his 2000 presidential election against George W. Bush. She quickly rose in ranks after then-Senate parliamentarian Robert Dove was dismissed from the job by Republican leaders in 2001 and Frumin was promoted to the top position. 'While serving its 100 members on a day-to-day basis, I still represent the Senate. No matter who's in my office asking for assistance, I represent the Senate with its traditions of unfettered debate, protection of minority rights, and equal power among the states,' MacDonough said during a commencement speech at Vermont Law School in 2018, adding, 'That Senate is my charge.' In her time in office, MacDonough also advised on the two impeachment trials of Trump during his first term. MacDonough was seen regularly whispering guidance to Chief Justice John Roberts as he presided over Trump's first Senate impeachment trial. On January 6, 2021, the Senate parliamentarian's office was ransacked by pro-Trump rioters who sought to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. As the rioters stormed the US Capitol, members of MacDonough's staff safeguarded the electoral votes during the siege, according to Capitol Hill reports.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump allies call for Senate parliamentarian to be removed. Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?
WASHINGTON - Republican are calling for the Senate's parliamentarian to be fired after she ruled that several Medicaid provisions must be taken out of President Donald Trump's tax, spending and policy bill, spelling trouble for the president and his party as they try to get the legislation signed into law by a self-imposed July 4 deadline. The chamber's leading rules expert, Elizabeth MacDonough, sided on June 26 against the inclusion of provisions that the GOP wanted to put in the bill aimed at reducing spending on Medicaid by requiring work from able-bodied adults and denying access to non-citizens. That didn't go over well with deficit hawks trying to secure for Trump his biggest legislative win of his second term. 'This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP. Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP,' Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville wrote on X. Republican Reps. Greg Steube of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Dan Crenshaw of Texas also called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire MacDonough. 'I don't think it's good strategy to die on every hill, but THIS is a hill we should fight for,' Crenshaw wrote on X. For now, it appears MacDonough's job is secure: Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters the GOP had no plans to overrule its parliamentarian, let alone fire her. Still, it's not the first time MacDonough has faced partisan pushback in Congress. Democrats have also railed against her decisions when they held the White House. MacDonough is the first female parliamentarian of the Senate, a role that then-Majority Leader Harry Reid promoted her to in 2012. The parliamentarian's responsibilities include advising senators and other staff about the chamber's rules and statutes, and managing the process of referring bills to committees, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. When Congress aims to pass budget reconciliation bills, such as the one being negotiated in the Senate, the parliamentarian can strike out any provisions that are extraneous and non-budgetary in nature under a process known as 'Byrd Bath,' named after the late-Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia. Though MacDonough is rarely one of the most visible figures on Capitol Hill, she can be the most crucial at times. In 2021, for instance, Democrats complained after she ruled that they couldn't include a provision to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour in an economic stimulus bill then-President Joe Biden was pushing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. MacDonough also advised Chief Justice John Roberts during both of Trump's Senate impeachment trials, including the one that came in response to rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. MacDonough's office was ransacked during the melee and, according to The New York Times, she returned to work days after the attack wearing a hazmat suit. Asked on June 26 if Trump agreed with the calls from inside the GOP to remove the Senate parliamentarian, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied that she hasn't spoken to Trump about the topic. 'He knows this is part of the process and the inner-workings of the Senate,' Leavitt said. 'He wants to see this bill done. He remains very much engaged in these conversations and in this process with lawmakers in both the Senate and the House side, and the whole White House does as well.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is the Senate parliamentarian that some Republicans want fired?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate referee appears open to revised GOP proposal to cut federal food assistance spending
A spokesperson for the Senate Agriculture Committee said Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough appears open to a revised Republican proposal to shift some costs for food assistance to states after rejecting the initial draft of it over the weekend. The Senate Republican plan would require states for the first time to pay a sizeable share of food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) unless they reduce the error rate for delivering benefits to below 6 percent. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said earlier Tuesday that MacDonough had accepted the revised language, but a committee spokesperson clarified that she has been 'responsive to the revised language' but hasn't made a ruling. Republican staff reworked the proposal to give states more 'flexibility' and 'information' about implementing the program. He said the revised language would achieve roughly the same level of savings as the proposal the parliamentarian ruled against over the weekend. 'It's intact. It's very little change. Just gives the states more information to work with, but as far as affecting the program or how the program works, it's the same. Again, it just gives [states] a little bit more flexibility and a little bit more information,' Boozman told The Hill. 'It's all done and it's intact. The savings are almost identical. So we're pleased by the outcome,' he added. It's a welcome piece of news for Republicans who have watched the parliamentarian reject a variety of proposals in the bill for violating the Senate's Byrd Rule, which governs what legislation is eligible to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. MacDonough had dealt Republicans a setback by ruling that the section of the GOP megabill mandating that states cover a portion of SNAP benefits depending on their error rates in delivering assistance would violate the Byrd Rule. Boozman told The Hill on Monday that the parliamentarian was primarily concerned that the legislation did not provide enough time and flexibility for states to adapt to the proposed changes. 'They were concerned that [states] wouldn't have enough time with the data that they received in order to adjust for the payment errors. Our answer to that is to come up with a fix to provide them the data sooner,' he said. 'That was the parliamentarian's concern.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US Senate referee allows measure to slash CFPB budget, lawmakers say
(Reuters) -The U.S. Senate's nonpartisan referee has allowed Republicans to proceed with a measure to slash funding for the government's top watchdog agency for consumer finance by almost half, a week after blocking an effort to eliminate funding completely, top lawmakers said late on Thursday. If adopted, the measure could add to Republican efforts this year to cut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce and substantially limit its powers. A top Democrat immediately vowed to try to block the measure. Republican Tim Scott, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, said Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough had ruled that a measure to lower the legal cap on CFPB funding could be approved by a simple majority vote, paving the way for its inclusion in a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill driven by President Donald Trump. MacDonough's role is to ensure lawmakers follow proper legislative procedure. If approved, the measure would cut maximum CFPB funding to 6.5% of the Federal Reserve's earnings from 12%, meaning the agency would likely employ many fewer people and have a more limited reach. Last week, MacDonough had found that a measure reducing this limit to 0% was ineligible for consideration via a simple majority vote as the House and Senate work to reconcile their spending bills. Scott said in a statement that the change would help cut "waste and duplication in our federal government and save hardworking taxpayer dollars." The CFPB is funded by the Federal Reserve, so is not supported by taxpayers. The central bank earns income from services it provides the financial system and from interest income on securities it owns. Republicans have attacked the CFPB since its creation more than a decade ago, saying it is a burden on free enterprise. President Donald Trump called this year for its elimination, accusing it without providing evidence of politicized enforcement. Democrats have said that since the agency was set up it has returned more than $20 billion to harmed consumers. Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee and a key proponent of the CFPB, said in a separate statement that Democrats would introduce a measure to eliminate the funding cut. The Republican move amounted to slashing CFPB funding "so they can hand out more tax breaks for billionaires and billionaire corporations," she said.
