Skip to content

How does budget reconciliation work?

How this parliamentary tool skirts the Senate “cooling saucer”

House committees are busy preparing reconciliation bills that can skate through Congress. This round, the goal is to get a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Budget reconciliation is a parliamentary tool that would allow the package to pass in the Senate with just a simple majority, bypassing that chamber’s usual 60-vote threshold to end debate.

But how does this process work, and why can Congress do it at all? Watch as we explain.

[Read more: The cooling saucer and other Senate hooey]

Recent Stories

‘Red to Blue’ Democrats rake in more than GOP rivals in third quarter

Senate Democratic candidates in red states dominate third-quarter fundraising

Capitol Lens — Canvassing the Keystone State

Diesel dilemma squeezes Republicans in America’s heartland

‘Scrappy’ conference chair helped shape GOP midterm message

‘Should be shot’: Trump intensifies midterms messaging