Senate Parliamentarian Advises Several Provisions in Republicans' "One Big, Beautiful Bill" Are Not Permissible, Subject

[LetMyPeopleVote]

This makes me smile. At one point, the Senate Republicans were thinking about bypassing the Senate Parliamentarian, but the Democrats informed them that this would be the equivalent of the abolishment of the Byrd Rule. The Senate republicans backed down and submitted this stupid bill and here is the result

Some big wins for Dems in Byrd Bath www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-memb...

— Jen Rubin (@jenrubin.bsky.social) 2025-06-20T13:23:14.986Z

https://www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-member/newsroom/press/senate-parliamentarian-advises-several-provisions-in-republicans-one-big-beautiful-bill-are-not-permissible-subject-to-byrd-rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Parliamentarian advised that the following provisions in the Republican “One Big, Beautiful Bill” violate the Senate’s Byrd Rule and would be subject to a 60-vote threshold if included in the bill. The below provisions are in jurisdiction of the following Senate Committees: Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Environment and Public Works; and Armed Services.

“Tonight, the Senate Parliamentarian advised that certain provisions in the Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Betrayal will be subject to the Byrd Rule – ultimately meaning they will need to be stripped from the bill to ensure it complies with the rules of reconciliation. As much as Senate Republicans would prefer to throw out the rule book and advance their families lose and billionaires win agenda, there are rules that must be followed and Democrats are making sure those rules are enforced,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley. “We will continue examining every provision in this Great Betrayal of a bill and will scrutinize it to the furthest extent.”

Provisions Subject to a 60-Vote Byrd Rule Point of Order

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Funding Cap for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This section cuts $6.4 billion by reducing the CFPB’s maximum funding to 0% of the Federal Reserve's operating expenses, eliminating the agency. (Sec. 30001)

Pay and Benefits of Employees of the Federal Reserve System. This section cuts $1.4 billion by reducing the pay of Federal Reserve staff. (Sec. 30002)

Financial Research Fund. This section cuts $293 million by reducing the Office of Financial Research funding. (Sec. 30004)

Transfer of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. This section cuts $771 million to eliminate the PCAOB and transfers its authority to the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Sec. 30005)

Environment and Public Works

Funding Repeals. These sections repeal statutory authorizations for Inflation Reduction Act programs and rescind funds. The repeals of authorizations, but not the rescissions, violate the Byrd Rule. (Secs. 01 and 03-25)

Repeal of Multipollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles. This section repeals EPA’s rule that sets limits on the air pollution emissions of passenger vehicle models manufactured, sold, or operated in the United States. (Sec. 27)

Judicial Review portion of Project Sponsor Opt-In Fees for Environmental Reviews. This subsection allows environmental projects to skirt judicial review if they pay a fee. (Sec. 28)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Parliamentarian nixes key pieces of Tim Scott's megabill proposal

Link to tweet

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/20/congress/parliamentarian-banking-republican-megabill-cfpb-00414830

The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that several key provisions in Banking Chair Tim Scott’s proposed contribution to the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” violate the upper chamber’s rules for the budget reconciliation process, according to Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley’s office.

Scott’s proposals to zero out funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, slash some Federal Reserve employees’ pay, cut Treasury’s Office of Financial Research and dissolve the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board are all ineligible to be included in a simple-majority budget reconciliation bill.

The ruling from Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough is a major blow to Scott and Banking Committee Republicans, who will be forced to go back to the drawing board on the core pieces of their proposal for the GOP megabill. The panel is required to find $1 billion in cuts over the next 10 years under a budget resolution adopted by both chambers of Congress — a narrow fraction of the overall bill.

Only measures that are aimed at changing spending or revenues are allowed under the strict rules governing the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process. MacDonough is responsible for determining which proposals comply with the body’s rules. Banking Committee staffers from both parties met with the parliamentarian’s office earlier this week to discuss Scott’s plan.

The proposal, which went further than the House-passed version of the megabill, had been facing skepticism even from committee Republicans about whether it would comply with the body’s rules. Banking Republicans will now have to strike or scale back some of the biggest cost-savers in their proposal.

[Volaris]

2. Well, they're getting fired next week lol.

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3. Senate Parliamentarian brings the hammer down on Donald Trump by ripping out several key sections

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The Senate Parliamentarian brings the hammer down on Donald Trump by ripping out several key sections from his disastrous "big, beautiful bill" with the stroke of a pen.

Finally, some good news about one of the worst bills in history...

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that key sections of massive, bloated legislation run afoul of the Byrd Rule — which puts restrictions on what can be included in reconciliation bills — and so must be removed if the bill is to be passed on a simple majority vote.

"The Senate Parliamentarian advised that certain provisions in the Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Betrayal will be subject to the Byrd Rule – ultimately meaning they will need to be stripped from the bill to ensure it complies with the rules of reconciliation,” said Senator Jeff Merkley, ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee.

"As much as Senate Republicans would prefer to throw out the rule book and advance their families lose and billionaires win agenda, there are rules that must be followed and Democrats are making sure those rules are enforced,” he added.

MacDonough singled out sections that fall under the purview of the Senate committees on Banking, Environment and Public Works, and Armed Services.

One of the flagged provisions would have slashed the funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by $6.4 billion, eliminating the agency in what would have amounted to a massive handout to predatory corporations.

MacDonough also cut out a provision that would have gutted $1.4 billion in funding for Federal Reserve staff pay, $293 million in funding for the Office of Financial Research funding, and $771 million that would have resulted in the elimination of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

She blocked a planned repeal of funding authorized under President Biden's historic Inflation Reduction Act as well as a repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s multi-pollutant emissions standards for certain vehicles produced after 2027.

Another targeted provision would have reduced appropriations to the Defense Department if spending plans aren't submitted on time.

While Senate Majority Leader John Thune could move to overrule the parliamentarian’s ruling with a floor vote, he has already signaled that he likely will not do so. Such a radical step would establish a new precedent that would inevitably backfire on Republicans in the future.

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4. Senate parliamentarian rejects GOP's attempt to limit courts' contempt powers

This provision was clearly not permitted under the Byrd rule. trump and Johnson will NOT be able to use reconciliation to limit the power of the courts to enjoin trump's illegal actions.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5363225-senate-parliamentarian-rules-out-contempt-provision/

The Senate parliamentarian has ruled against a controversial provision in the Senate Republicans’ megabill that would have made it significantly more difficult for courts to enforce contempt findings against the Trump administration.

The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that limiting courts’ ability to hold Trump officials in contempt violated the Senate’s rules governing what can be passed with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) hailed the parliamentarian’s decision as a major victory.

“Senate Republicans tried to write Donald Trump’s contempt for the courts into law — gutting judicial enforcement, defying the Constitution and bulldozing the very rule of law that forms our democracy,” Schumer said in a statement responding to the development.

“But Senate Democrats stopped them cold. We successfully fought for rule of law and struck out this reckless and downright un-American provision,” he said.

The provision, tucked into the thousand-page bill House Republicans passed in May, would have required anyone suing the federal government to pay a bond before a court would be allowed to use its contempt power to enforce injunctions and other rulings.