Medicaid Still Stands a Chance After Senate Parliamentarian Weighs In on the GOP Bill

Uh oh. The Big Plug Ugly just took one in the chops from the Senate’s parliamentarian. For the benefit of people visiting for the shebeen for the first time, the Senate Republicans are attempting to pass the Big Plug Ugly through the reconciliation process, by which they only have to hold their slim majority in line to drop this load of rotting fish onto the nation.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth MacDonough, the parliamentarian of the United States, sharpened up her gavel and—zip!—please consult the legend of Origen, the Church Father who allegedly took a knife and removed himself from temptation. As was said by St. Augustine to DeSelby in an underwater interview in Flann O’Brien’s The Dalkey Archive:

—You talk of the Fathers. How about that ante-Nicene thooleramawn, Origen of Alexandria? What did he do when he found that lusting after women distracted him from his sacred scrivenery? I’ll tell you. He stood up, hurried out to the kitchen, grabbed a carving knife and—pwitch!—in one swipe deprived himself of his personality! Ah?

—Yes. Let us call it heroic impetuosity.

—How could Origen be the Father of Anything and he with no knackers on him? Answer me that one.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Anyway, Ms. MacDonough eviscerated the Republican strategy using what is called the “Byrd Rule,” not only on the Medicaid cuts but also to cut off the attempt to sell off public lands in the West. From The Denver Post:

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled late Monday that the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management property falls outside the scope of the rules for the Republican-drafted reconciliation bill, according to a news release from Democrats on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget. That means proponents of the sale must either attempt to rewrite the provision so it fits Senate rules or drop it from the budget bill.

But the really big casino in this deal was the cuts to Medicaid, which were simultaneously cruel, needless, and politically meatheaded. In one completely cynical view, MacDonough’s intervention saves cowardly congresscritters from a lose-lose vote. From The New York Times:

Elizabeth MacDonough, the parliamentarian who enforces the chamber’s rules, said several of the measures in the legislation that would provide hundreds of billions of dollars in savings could not be included in the legislation in their current form. They include one that would crack down on strategies that many states have developed to obtain more federal Medicaid funds and another that would limit repayment options for student loan borrowers. Ms. MacDonough has not yet ruled on all parts of the bill.

The tax changes at the centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s agenda are still under review. The decisions dealt a blow to Senate Republicans as they attempt to pass the behemoth legislation by Mr. Trump’s deadline. Party leaders had hoped to begin voting on the bill this weekend, in order to allow time for the House, which must give final approval to any changes, to pass it early next week, clearing it for the president’s signature.

Of course, I do not envy Ms. MacDonough’s in-box for the foreseeable future. Roger Marshall, a completely forgettable senator from Kansas, already has called for her dismissal. (In 2001, Senate Republican leader Trent Lott fired the parliamentarian during a reconciliation fight.) But, interestingly, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that, for now, he will abide by the parliamentarian’s decisions. We’ll see how long that—and he—holds up.