The measure would then only require a simple majority.
Leaders in the Senate majority are considering a move to bypass the ruling of Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to extend President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts through a simple majority instead of a supermajority vote.
The parliamentarian is a key advisor to the Senate Majority Leader, working to set and maintain the rules for formal procedures while the Senate is in session. They are sometimes referred to as the referee of the Senate, and MacDonough has served as the Senate parliamentarian since 2012.
It is uncommon, though not illegal, for the Senate Majority Leader to overrule the advice of the parliamentarian. The last time the parliamentarian was formally overruled was by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in 1975, and officials from both parties mutually altered the controversial motion within a week.
The motion currently on the table is a vote to make 2017 tax cuts implemented under President Trump’s first term technically permanent since the tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year. Senate leadership is being careful to not overrule the parliamentarian but is working to receive approval for the motion through Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham instead of MacDonough.
Members of the minority party are expected to solicit input from the parliamentarian once the measure has been brought to the floor.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Senate Majority Leader John Thune as he considers the options available to extend the president’s tax cuts.
- For members of the Senate as they vote on legislation and confirmations.
- For the Senate parliamentarian as she fulfills her role in the upper congressional chamber.
Sources: The Hill, NPR, Constitution Center
