The GOP Has a New Public Enemy Number One
Being a reconciliation bill—which can pass with a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster—the legislation cannot contain provisions unrelated to the budget. Currently, MacDonough is tasked with whittling away at 'extraneous' measures that run afoul of that rule.
In doing so, she has incensed some MAGA hardliners, most recently pushing some over the edge by lopping off a number of Medicaid cuts on Thursday morning.
Reacting to the news, Senator Tommy Tuberville on X accused MacDonough of advancing 'a woke agenda,' writing, 'THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.'
Senator Roger Marshall joined Tuberville, citing the firing of Parliamentarian Robert Dove in 2001 and declaring that 'we need to again fire the Senate Parliamentarian.'
The calls are coming from inside the House, as well.
Representative Dan Crenshaw—who was particularly upset about the removal of his proposal to ban federal Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care—said MacDonough 'has shown clear political bias, applying ideology and not the rules of the Senate.'
Also pushing to remove or override MacDonough are Representatives Greg Steube, Keith Self, and Jeff Van Drew.
As the majority leader, Thune could theoretically call for a vote to overrule MacDonough, or fire and replace her. But the South Dakota senator seemingly has no intention of doing so, telling reporters on Thursday that overruling her 'would not be a good option for getting a bill done'—echoing his previous comments.
'These are … short-term setbacks,' Thune said, according to The Hill. 'Speed bumps, if you will.' GOP lawmakers endure these speed bumps as they race toward Trump's July 4 deadline to pass the bill.
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At the Alaska Summit, an Unlikely Local Dish Gets a Cameo
In the end, the high-stakes summit meeting of Presidents Trump and Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage proved notably short on specifics. But one tiny detail caught the eye of many Alaskans: a lunch menu featuring a humble, nostalgic local dish called halibut Olympia. 'It has the vibe of being homey and comforting and mildly retro, but palatable,' said Jeremy Pataky, an editor and co-publisher of Edible Alaska magazine. 'I would not characterize it as haute cuisine. To see that on the menu for an extremely high-level state dinner felt a bit surprising.' Images of the menu were published Saturday by National Public Radio, which said it was among documents that appeared to have been created by the American staff and accidentally left on a hotel printer. The menu included a green salad, a 'duet' of filet mignon and halibut Olympia, and crème brûlée. Sadly, halibut Olympia did not get its Mount Olympus moment. The summit ended early, and lunch was canceled. But its appearance on the menu prompted some head-scratching. 'In our culinary Venn diagram of what's possible to harvest at sea between Alaska and Russia, I mean certainly we have halibut, so there's that,' Mr. Pataky said. Though the seafood dish is eaten elsewhere and possibly named for a town in Washington State, Alaskans feel a keen sense of ownership about it, and there are even regional variations. In general, it is prepared with fish generously covered in a mayonnaise-based sauce, sprinkled with cracker crumbs and baked atop a bed of sautéed onions. Versions of it have appeared in the state's community cookbooks from at least as far back as the late 1950s, many calling specifically for Best Foods mayonnaise. Some who grew up in Alaska have negative memories of the once-common weeknight dish, comparing it to tuna casserole. 'Freezer-burned, squeaky halibut, coated in mayonnaise and bread crumbs and sometimes bacon,' recalled the chef Beau Schooler, of In Bocca al Lupo in Juneau. At the close of the last century in Alaska, halibut were large and abundant, often caught by sport fishermen, portioned, frozen and served in regular rotation over the winter until people grew tired of them. In recent decades, Alaskans' attitudes toward the fish have changed. Halibut have grown smaller on average, less plentiful and much more expensive, at times costing up to $40 a pound. With that shift, new takes on Olympia have emerged on restaurant menus. Mr. Schooler makes a version with salt-brined fresh fish topped with a sauce made with mayonnaise, crème fraîche and Dijon mustard, and sprinkled with buttery, crumbled Ritz crackers. He bakes it on top of a soubise of onions and cream. 'I think there's a soft spot for it because of, you know, you eat it when you're over at your friend's house or family get-togethers,' he said. Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
