Controversy surrounding the Senate Parliamentarian's role in assessing Trump's legislative proposal sparks intense political argument.
For over a decade, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has been the chamber's referee, overseeing its rules and precedents in a typically low-key, advisory role. However, recent events have thrown her into the spotlight, drawing heated reactions from both parties.
Criticism came from some Republicans this week after MacDonough advised that certain money-saving policies couldn't be included in their large tax and domestic policy bill, complicating the measure's passage and potentially delaying President Donald Trump's agenda. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin alleged that MacDonough's rejection of the bill's provisions was politically motivated, with Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville calling for her immediate dismissal.
However, not all Republicans shared this sentiment. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, for instance, defended MacDonough, expressing that while they might disagree with some of her rulings, they would abide by them rather than seek a vote to overrule them. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski even declared, "We're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus."
Trump himself weighed in, stating that he disagreed with some of MacDonough's decisions but stopped short of heavily criticizing her, leaving room for potential changes. MacDonough's office declined CNN's request for comment.
The focus on MacDonough comes as Republicans try to steer the massive bill through using special budgetary rules, which require a simple majority vote - shielding it from a Democratic filibuster. The parliamentarian's role is nonpartisan and was created in the 1930s. In this position, MacDonough, who is the first woman to serve as parliamentarian, advises senators on how the chamber's rules, protocols, and precedents should be applied.
This includes guiding senators in a bill-review process called a "Byrd Bath," where 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.
MacDonough has come under fire from Democrats in the past, too. In 2021, she ruled they could not include a federal minimum wage increase in President Joe Biden's pandemic-era stimulus bill, as well as rejecting their efforts to include immigration reforms.
Lawmakers have generally been reluctant to overrule MacDonough because doing so would further diminish the filibuster - a powerful tool minority parties have on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, did not indicate that the Senate would seek to overrule MacDonough in this case.
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 has had a varied career before joining the parliamentarian's office, including stints as an editor for the Congressional Record and as an assistant in the Senate parliamentarian's office starting in 1999. Notably, she played a key role in advising then-Vice President Al Gore on the Senate procedure for counting ballots in his 2000 presidential election against George W. Bush.
In her tenure, MacDonough has advised on two of Trump's impeachment trials and even faced a challenge during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots when her office was ransacked by pro-Trump rioters. Despite the adversity, her dedication to upholding Senate procedures remained unwavering.
- The criticism from some Republicans towards Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough this week was due to her advising that certain money-saving policies couldn't be included in their large tax and domestic policy bill, a situation that potentially delaying President Donald Trump's agenda.
- In the general news, both parties have drawn heated reactions towards MacDonough, with some Republicans calling for her dismissal, while others like Senators Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, and Lisa Murkowski have defended her role in policy-and-legislation affairs and the application of Senate rules and precedents.
