She could upend Trump's 'one big beautiful' bill: Who is Senate official Elizabeth MacDonough?

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An obscure but powerful Senate official is suddenly in the spotlight. Elizabeth MacDonough, the parliamentarian, has just ruled against several Republican provisions in Trump's signature bill. Now, a few Republicans want her gone. But who is MacDonough, and why does her word matter so much in Washington, DC? read more
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough watches during the certification of Electoral College ballots in the presidential election, in the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2021. File Image/AP
In a dramatic turn that has disrupted Republican plans to fast-track Donald Trump's ambitious tax and immigration legislation, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has emerged as an unexpected yet pivotal figure in American lawmaking.
A career nonpartisan official whose rulings carry weight but whose name is rarely in headlines, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough decision to block multiple provisions from the GOP-backed reconciliation bill has resulted in calls for her dismissal by Republicans.
MacDonough's moves have disrupted Republican plans to fast-track Donald Trump's ambitious tax and immigration legislation dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'.
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Why Republicans are targeting MacDonough
The Republican Party's legislative strategy hinges on the use of reconciliation — a parliamentary process that allows legislation with budgetary consequences to pass with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster and the 60-vote threshold normally required in the Senate.
But the Byrd Rule, which governs reconciliation, prohibits the inclusion of provisions whose budgetary impact is considered incidental or peripheral.
This is where MacDonough's rulings become decisive. Last Thursday, MacDonough ruled that several provisions within the GOP's sprawling domestic package could not proceed under reconciliation.
The blocked elements included cuts to Medicaid and Medicare coverage for undocumented immigrants, prohibitions on federal funds being used for transgender healthcare and efforts to restrict state-level 'provider taxes,' which states use to increase federal Medicaid contributions.
These rulings could remove as much as $250 billion in projected savings from the bill — dealing a serious blow to Trump's legislative priorities and sending Senate Republicans scrambling to rework the proposals.
Her decision immediately triggered a political backlash from within the Republican ranks, especially from those already sceptical of Washington institutions.
How Republicans are calling for MacDonough's dismissal
US Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is preparing for a gubernatorial run, wrote on X, 'Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE.' He demanded that MacDonough be fired 'ASAP.'
US Representative Greg Steube of Florida echoed this sentiment, questioning why a 'swamp bureaucrat' appointed more than a decade ago should be able to determine the contents of a bill that affects national policy.
Similarly, US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas suggested that MacDonough's rulings show a political bias, stating, 'I think her rulings very much would look like, politically, that she's leaning to the left.'
He added that the parliamentarian 'doesn't answer to anybody' and advocated for term limits on the position.
In the House, several members also urged the Senate to overrule her. US Representative Keith Self of Texas wrote, 'The rogue Senate Parliamentarian should be overruled, just like activist judges,' while US Representative Dan Crenshaw, also from Texas, insisted that this was 'a hill we should fight for.'
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Despite this rising criticism, top Senate Republicans signalled they were not inclined to take the drastic step of ignoring or removing her.
US Senate Majority Leader John Thune rejected the idea of invoking the so-called 'nuclear option' to override the parliamentarian's judgment, a move that would fundamentally alter Senate procedures.
'We're doing the usual process of trying to figure out how to achieve the same goal without having to go there,' said US Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
What the US Senate parliamentarian's role entails
The office of the Senate parliamentarian was created in 1935 to help maintain order and provide expertise on the chamber's complicated rules and precedents.
Although the position operates largely behind the scenes, the parliamentarian's guidance on what legislative language can be included in bills — especially those moved under reconciliation — can effectively shape the fate of major political agendas.
The parliamentarian's advice is nonbinding, but it is almost always respected by the presiding officer and senators alike.
In reconciliation matters, their interpretation of the Byrd Rule determines whether specific provisions meet the budgetary threshold or are deemed to be extraneous.
If a provision fails to qualify under this rule, it must be removed unless the presiding officer chooses to ignore the ruling — something that is rare and institutionally discouraged.
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While the presiding officer of the Senate technically makes the final rulings, the parliamentarian's recommendations carry such weight that they are often treated as de facto decisions.
Michael Thorning, director of structural democracy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, noted that lawmakers across the political spectrum see MacDonough as 'very much an honest broker,' saying, 'Sometimes, those decisions cut your way, and sometimes, they don't.'
What we know about MacDonough's time in the US Senate
Although she is currently facing fire from Republicans, MacDonough is no stranger to criticism from both sides of the aisle.
In 2021, she rejected two major Democratic proposals — first by ruling against including a $15 federal minimum wage in the COVID-19 relief bill, and then by advising Democrats to drop a provision in their climate package that would have allowed millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the country temporarily.
Her earlier rulings also played a central role in the 2017 Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. She determined that several key parts of the proposed legislation were more about setting policy than adjusting the federal budget and therefore did not qualify for reconciliation.
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However, she did approve the GOP's move to reduce the ACA's individual mandate tax penalty to zero, freeing up hundreds of billions of dollars for additional tax cuts in the party's larger overhaul.
In both cases, her judgments upended months of work by the majority party, causing frustration and occasionally sparking calls for her removal.
But most lawmakers, even those who disagree with her decisions, recognise the institutional value of her office. 'It's the institutional integrity, even if I'm convinced 100% she's wrong,' said US Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
How MacDonough got to the US Senate
MacDonough's path to one of the Senate's most powerful behind-the-scenes positions was unconventional. A former English literature major, she started her career in the Senate library before earning a law degree from Vermont Law School.
She worked as a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice before returning to Capitol Hill in 1999 as an assistant in the parliamentarian's office.
She was appointed Senate Parliamentarian in 2012 by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), becoming the first woman ever to hold the role.
She retained the position through subsequent changes in party leadership, including under Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and now under Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).
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Over the years, she has been involved in some of the most critical moments in recent Senate history. During Donald Trump's impeachment trials, MacDonough was a central figure assisting US Chief Justice John Roberts and later US Senator Patrick Leahy as they presided.
On January 6, 2021, as rioters stormed the US Capitol, she and her staff secured the mahogany boxes containing Electoral College votes, moving them to safety and ensuring that the certification process could continue later that night.
Her office, located on the Capitol's first floor, was later found ransacked and declared a crime scene.
Her deep institutional knowledge and legal training make her well-suited to the role, but that hasn't shielded her from political attacks.
Nonetheless, her predecessors warn against interpreting her judgments as partisan. Alan Frumin, who held the office before MacDonough, once said the limited number of calls for her firing 'tells you all people need to know about the current parliamentarian.'
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Can MacDonough's decisions be overruled?
Technically, yes. The presiding officer of the Senate may choose to ignore the parliamentarian's recommendation, and the full Senate can vote to sustain or reject that decision.
However, this approach is extremely rare and carries the risk of undermining the chamber's institutional credibility. In 2017, US Senator Ted Cruz argued that then-US Vice President Mike Pence could have disregarded MacDonough's advice on repealing the Affordable Care Act.
But other Republicans refused to support the move, seeing it as a backdoor attempt to weaken the Senate's longstanding filibuster rule.
The last time a parliamentarian was fired over such a dispute was in 2001, when then-Majority Leader Trent Lott dismissed Robert Dove amid disagreements over reconciliation rulings.
Since then, the office has generally enjoyed a reputation for nonpartisan professionalism, even as its rulings have occasionally derailed landmark legislative initiatives.
Thorning warned that dismissing MacDonough would come at a high cost. 'Once you start treating the parliamentarian's advice as just something that could be easily dismissed, then the rules start to matter less,' he said.
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With inputs from agencies