U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville wants the Senate parliamentarian fired for urging provisions slashing Medicaid to be removed from the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The Auburn Republican blasted Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough for rejecting provisions capping Medicaid spending, citing a rule restricting content on budget reconciliation bills. The restriction is known as the “Byrd rule,” named for the late U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat.
The rule allows Senators to block provisions of reconciliation bills considered “extraneous,” meaning they could block language that is otherwise unrelated to the provision.
But Tuberville suggested MacDonough’s interpretation was based on partisan bias.
“The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and advised Al Gore, just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens,” Tuberville posted on X.
“This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP. Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke agenda.”
In all caps, he posted that MacDonough should lose her job.
“THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP,” he wrote.
After a short stint in the Department of Justice, MacDonough started working in the Senate Parliamentarian’s office in 1999. She was appointed as the first female Senate Parliamentarian in history in 2012, according to Ballotpedia. Democrats controlled the Senate at the time, when Reid, a Nevada Democrat, served as Senate Majority Leader.
Democrats on the budget committee publicly revealed MacDonough’s interpretation of the Byrd rule in a memo released Thursday morning.
“Democrats are fighting back against Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and kick kids, veterans, seniors, and folks with disabilities off of their health insurance – all to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Republicans are scrambling to rewrite parts of this bill to continue advancing their families lose, and billionaires win agenda, but Democrats stand ready to fully scrutinize any changes and ensure the Byrd Rule is enforced,” said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, in the memo.
Democrats promised to filibuster the bill if it is taken up, and based on the Byrd rule interpretation, the legislation would be subject to a 60-vote threshold to pass. The Senate currently has 53 Republicans and 45 Democrats, plus two independents who caucus with Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told POLITICO he does not intend to overrule MacDonough’s interpretation of the rule.
“No, that would not be a good option for getting a bill done,” he said.
