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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:42 PM – Friday, June 20, 2025
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that several components of the sweeping legislative package intended to advance President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” purportedly violate the Byrd Rule.
As a result, these provisions must be removed to enable the bill to proceed under the budget reconciliation process, which allows passage by a simple majority vote.
The Byrd Rule is a guideline used in the U.S. Senate to limit what can be included in budget reconciliation bills, which are special types of legislation that can pass with a simple majority and avoid the threat of a filibuster. It was named after Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), who introduced it in the 1980s.
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It applies to reconciliation bills, not regular legislation.
MacDonough’s ruling affects measures falling under the purview of the Senate Committees on Banking, Environment and Public Works, and Armed Services.
Among the provisions deemed inadmissible was a measure that would have imposed a funding cap on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), effectively slashing $6.4 billion from the agency by reducing its allowable funding to zero percent of the Federal Reserve’s operating expenses—an action that would have led to the CFPB’s dismantlement.
The CFPB was established as a cornerstone of the Dodd-Frank Act, a landmark reform passed by Democrats in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
The parliamentarian also struck down provisions aimed at cutting $1.4 billion by reducing compensation for Federal Reserve personnel, eliminating $293 million through decreased funding for the Office of Financial Research, and saving $771 million by abolishing the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who is on the Senate Budget Committee, gleefully welcomed the parliamentarian’s rulings.
“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,” Merkley said.
“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, taking shots at GOP Senate members by suggesting that they are solely beholden to billionaires, a baseless and often-repeated narrative frequently perpetuated by the Democrat Party.
Senate Republicans will need to remove the contested provisions from the bill or, alternatively, secure 60 votes to overcome a point of order challenge. The Republican Party currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has the procedural option to override the parliamentarian’s ruling through a simple majority vote, thereby setting a new Senate precedent. However, he has indicated that he does not intend to pursue that course of action.
When asked by reporters whether he would overrule MacDonough on her decisions related to reconciliation bills, Thune stated: “We’re not going there,” according to Politico.
Additionally, MacDonough ruled that the proposed repeal of funding authorizations established by the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as the rescission of the Environmental Protection Agency’s multipollutant emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning with model year 2027, were noncompliant.
She also struck down a provision under the Armed Services Committee’s jurisdiction that would have reduced Department of Defense funding if spending plans were not submitted on time.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee whom President Donald Trump previously nicknamed “Pocahontas,” as she once publicly announced that she has “Cherokee lineage,” similarly commended the parliamentarian’s rulings.
“These proposals are a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk,” Warren said.
“Democrats fought back, and we will keep fighting back against this ugly bill,” she added.
It’s also worth noting that the Senate’s version of the bill includes a temporary, enhanced tax deduction targeted at individuals aged 65 and up. The Senate proposal allows for a deduction of up to $6,000 per eligible senior, while the House version set the figure at $4,000.
This senior-focused tax relief serves as an alternative to Trump’s campaign proposal to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits—a change that generally cannot be pursued through reconciliation. The White House characterized the proposed deduction as a “historic tax break” for older Americans, CNBC reported on Wednesday.
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