House Republicans are preparing to amend their large tax and spending bill in the Rules Committee to address issues flagged by the Senate parliamentarian as non-compliant with Senate rules. Senior GOP aides have warned that certain provisions could be ‘fatal’ to the bill’s ability to comply with the rules surrounding the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process. The House GOP leaders are currently working through the bill text, planning to 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, 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.