Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Remember ‘Reconciliation’? The GOP Can Move an Agenda without Democratic Support



Budget reconciliation is a powerful tool because the Senate cannot filibuster bills with this designation, which means they can pass with a simple majority of 51 votes, instead of the usual 60. In practical terms, this means Republicans do not need Democratic support to send a reconciliation bill to the president.

Over the years, reconciliation has been used to pass many significant pieces of economic and budgetary legislation, including welfare reform in 1996 and President Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

Congressional Republicans are agreed that reconciliation should be available for a legislative response if the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs in the King v. Burwell case. Such a decision would puncture a large hole in the health-care law by invalidating insurance subsidies in 37 states. Although the ensuing disruption in insurance markets would be entirely the administration’s fault, Republicans are right to prep a serious legislative response that would help people who are losing subsidies and that also would move away from Obamacare’s heavy-handed strictures.

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