Reporter's Notebook: Power player on Capitol Hill
Whether or not congressional Republicans are able to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" of tax and spending cuts may hinge on one person. Not a swing vote. Not someone like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., or Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who occasionally bucks their party. But someone you've probably never heard of.
After all, Washington is stocked with power players. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
But how about Elizabeth MacDonough?
I ventured outside the Capitol onto the plaza near the Library of Congress to see if any of the tourists visiting Washington for the spring cherry blossoms had heard of Elizabeth MacDonough. There I came across Billy Coman from Dublin, Ireland, visiting Washington for the first time.
"Here's a name that sounds kind of Irish," I said to Coman. "Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?"
Coman pondered the question for a moment.
"Elizabeth MacDonough," Coman said with an Irish lilt. "Is that the comedian?"
I asked a woman named Shirley from Anchorage, Alaska, if she knew the name.
"Oh s---. I don't know," she replied.
I posed the same question to Julia Lowe from Washington state.
"Have you ever heard the name Elizabeth MacDonough?" I asked.
"It sounds familiar to me," answered Lowe.
"Do you know who she is?" I countered.
"A historical figure possibly or someone currently in government?" responded Lowe.
Well, Elizabeth MacDonough is in fact in government. And when it comes to Congress, she's one of the most powerful people you've never heard of.
MacDonough is the Senate parliamentarian. A sort of referee who decides what's allowed in the big, beautiful bill pushed by President Trump — based on special Senate budget rules.
"The parliamentarian is pretty important," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. "But parliamentarians don't have the last word to say about (the bill). The Senate governs the Senate. Not the parliamentarian."
That's why Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., forged ahead on the Senate's latest framework for the tax cut package. Graham felt he didn't need to make his case before MacDonough for this phase.
"As Budget Chairman, under Section 312 of the Congressional Budget Act, I have the authority to determine baseline numbers for spending and revenue," said Graham. "Under that authority, I have determined that current policy will be the budget baseline regarding taxation."
In other words, Graham felt he didn't need MacDonough to tell him the "baseline" to determine whether this package comports with special budgetary provisions in the Senate. But the next step in passing the tax cut bill could be trickier.
Everyone will watch what MacDonough rules is in or out. In fact, her calls could alter the trajectory of the president's "big, beautiful bill."
"We are in conversations, as you know, with the parliamentarian about the best way to get budget reconciliation we're trying to help across the finish line," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Otherwise, the bill could face a Senate filibuster and likely die. So there's an advantage for Senate Republicans to handle their framework within the parameters of the unique budget rules — lest they run afoul of an adverse ruling from the parliamentarian.
In fact, consulting with the parliamentarian mirrors football. Case in point, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. Tuberville was the head football coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati before coming to Capitol Hill.
"You've worked the refs before, and I've seen people work the parliamentarian," said yours truly to Tuberville.
"We've had to work the parliamentarian since I've been here," replied Tuberville. "Sometimes you might get a surprise. But you've got to have a referee in the game. You can't just freelance."
House conservatives are aiming to implement especially steep spending cuts in the tax cut package. But those special Senate budget rules make it hard for GOP senators to go as deep as the House would like. Some on the right are mystified about the role of the Senate parliamentarian.
"It is an unusual thing that one unelected official has so much authority," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.
House members struggle to understand the purpose and power of the Senate parliamentarian. Some of that stems from the customary rivalry and suspicion between the House and Senate, which dates back nearly to the beginning of the republic.
"The parliamentarian. Who is she? Who elected her? I don't know," mused House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Tex. "Where is it in the Constitution?"
Well, Article I, Section 5 to be precise. That provision grants the House and Senate the right to create their own rules and standards of operation. The parliamentarian plays a key role in the budget reconciliation process — the mechanism Republicans are using to advance their tax cut and spending reduction bill.
The Senate stuck around into the wee hours of Saturday morning, approving the latest budget framework crafted by Graham for the legislation. It's now onto the House. House GOP leaders would like to tackle the bill Wednesday. But they're starting midway through the week on the bill in case there are hiccups.
Or worse.
More than a handful of House Republicans say they oppose the Senate's latest framework. The House and Senate must approve the same blueprint in order to actually do the bill itself. That's key because the Senate needs a unified framework in place to use the budget reconciliation process to avoid a filibuster. And MacDonough's rulings on whether various provisions fit into this bill — in compliance with the Budget Act — could have sway. Budget rules do not allow the legislation to add to the deficit over a 10-year window.
Tariffs are not in the bill. But Democrats claim tariffs and tax cuts are linked.
"They're using tariff revenue to balance out the money that they're going to shovel to a bunch of billionaires," claimed Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, of the tax cuts.
The Trump administration asserts that the tax cuts will ease tariff anxiety, which has rattled the markets in recent days.
"The sooner we can get certainty on tax, the sooner we can set the stage for the growth to resume," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to colleague Bret Baier at the White House last week.
Regardless, the House may struggle to align with the new Senate package. And it's likely the House must adjust to whatever the Senate requires in order to comply with the parliamentarian.
There are a lot of players whom you will hear about in the next months as Republicans try to finish the bill. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex. All are key players as Republicans continue on this trek.
It is often said in officiating that good referees are invisible. The ones you don't notice.
But with so much at stake, it will be hard for Republicans to avoid noticing the calls by the parliamentarian.
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