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June 21, 2025

Senate parliamentarian blocks Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" on procedural grounds

William Upton
The White House
MS NOW
The White House
ABC News
+5

Unknown Senate official wields more power to stop presidents than most lawmakers

Elizabeth MacDonough has served as Senate Parliamentarian since 2012 and is responsible for enforcing the Byrd Rule on budget reconciliation bills

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) passed the House by a 215–214 vote and runs over 1,100 pages (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1)

Under the Byrd Rule, reconciliation provisions must relate directly to federal spending or revenue and cannot increase the deficit beyond a 10-year budget window

Senate reconciliation bills are limited to 20 hours of debate and can pass with a simple majority (51 votes), bypassing the usual 60-vote filibuster threshold

Eleven House committees were instructed to draft portions of the reconciliation bill, collectively producing more than $1.5 trillion in mandated savings

📋Public Policy📜Constitutional Law🏛️Government🏢Legislative Process

Test Your Knowledge

10
Q1

Approximately how many pages long is the "One Big Beautiful Bill"?

Q2

What is the official name of Trump's comprehensive legislative package?

Q3

Who is the current Senate Parliamentarian who will rule on Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill"?

Q4

What happened to the Democratic attempt to include a $15 minimum wage in reconciliation legislation during the Biden administration?

Q5

What informal term describes the process where the Senate Parliamentarian reviews reconciliation bills for Byrd Rule compliance?

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People, bills, and sources

Elizabeth MacDonough (Senate Parliamentarian, arbiter of procedural compliance and Byrd Rule enforcement)

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Donald J. Trump (President, sponsor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act)

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John Thune (Senate Majority Leader, oversees floor proceedings and holds authority over Parliamentarian appointments)

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What you can do

1

Track H.R. 1 and other legislation on Congress.gov (https://www.congress.gov) for text, summaries, committee reports, amendments and vote records

2

Contact your U.S. senators via their official Senate.gov webpages to share your views on reconciliation legislation and procedural rules

3

Monitor floor schedules, debate limits and procedural rulings (including Byrd Rule challenges) on Senate.gov’s Legislative Calendar

4

Review the Standing Rules of the Senate—particularly Rule XXII—on Senate.gov to understand debate limits, filibuster exceptions and reconciliation procedures