Budget reconciliation is a legislative process created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that allows Congress to pass certain budget-related legislation with a simple Senate majority (51 votes) instead of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. It can only be used for provisions that directly change federal spending, revenues, or the debt limit. The Byrd Rule (2 U.S.C. § 644) prohibits "extraneous" provisions — those that don't directly affect the budget — from being included in reconciliation bills. Congress can only use the process once per budget resolution, and only for limited subjects. Republicans used reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025, without any Democratic votes.