House Republicans will try to fix issues with their megabill in the Rules Committee this week based on provisions the Senate parliamentarian has identified as non-compliant with the chamber’s rules, according to five people with direct knowledge of the plans.
Republicans need to send their massive tax and spending package to the Senate to make its own changes. But without making certain revisions to the House-passed bill first, it could run afoul of the chamber’s parliamentarian.
In the words of one senior House GOP aide, granted anonymity to speak candidly, certain House-approved provisions could prove “fatal” to the bill’s ability to comply with the rules surrounding the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process, which Republicans are relying upon to pass their domestic policy measure without Democratic votes.
House GOP leaders are currently working through the bill text and will either strike small pieces of the legislation or drop certain sections altogether.
One provision the parliamentarian has raised concerns about is a clearinghouse to crack down on duplicative food aid, Medicaid and other safety net benefits, according to two other people aware of the emerging plan. This issue is currently in limbo between two panel jurisdictions.
Among the many rules Senate Republicans must adhere to in a reconciliation bill is that it can’t include a policy that falls outside the jurisdiction of one of the committees empowered through the budget resolution Republicans approved in April to set parameters for the larger package. It also can’t include a policy that would affect federal spending, when the committee in question was instructed to change revenue.
Lawmakers will work within the House Rules Committee to make these tweaks, according to the people, inserting the new language into an unrelated rule which the panel will adopt Tuesday to govern floor consideration for other legislation.
That tactic would negate the need to have House Republicans vote on the party-line tax and spending package as a standalone measure, when passing the bill the first time around through a razor-thin GOP majority was a painful enough episode for leadership.
The GOP plan to make technical corrections to the megabill inside the Rules Committee was first reported by Punchbowl News.
