Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough (D) has booted several major provisions from the Republican megabill to enact President Trump's agenda - including language which would authorize states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement (which are traditionally duties of the federal government).
The reason - whatever's in the bill needs to adhere to the "Byrd Rule" - named for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV-KKK Exalted Cyclops-Hillary Clinton's Mentor) - and which requires that bills passed via reconciliation (a two-stage legislative process that allows the majority party to pass legislation while avoiding a filibuster) must relate to the federal budget, government revenue, and the national debt.
Another provision stripped out of the bill was the nonapplication of civil service protections for new federal employees - which would have reduced their pay if they didn't agree to be "at-will" employees. Civil service rules notably make it difficult to fire longtime federal employees, while the Trump administration has done just that through recommendations made through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), of probationary employees.
A third provision MacDonnough nixed would have applied a $350 fee for those filing a case with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which oversees appeals by terminated federal employees.
A fourth provision would have included bonuses for agencies that cut costs (WTF).
As the Epoch Times notes further, a measure to sell the U.S. Postal Service’s fleet of electric vehicles was deemed not germane.
Additionally, provisions that would have allowed the reorganization or elimination of federal agencies in addition to “prohibiting agencies from implementing, administering, or enforcing any rules with budgetary effects that are not explicitly required by statute” were ruled ineligible under reconciliation rules.
Judiciary provisions in the bill were also deemed out of order.
One included making sanctuary cities such as Chicago ineligible for federal funding, while another allowed local and state authorities to arrest people in the country illegally.
“There is no better way to define this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill than families lose, and billionaires win. Democrats are on the side of families and workers and are scrutinizing this bill piece by piece to ensure Republicans can’t use the reconciliation process to force their anti-worker policies on the American people,” said Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
“The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced.”
Republicans could overrule the parliamentarian, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said that they will not do so.
One provision instituting a 10-year ban on states regulating artificial intelligence was ruled not to violate the Byrd Rule.
However, conservatives such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have come out against this measure. She said she would not vote again for the bill if it had this provision.
