In Dodging a Budget Vote, Dems Take Reconciliation Off the Table

[tritsofme]

Recognizing that Democrats would be reluctant to record “yes” votes for a budget that would augment the deficit, the House leadership opted to deem as passed a “budget enforcement resolution” instead, just before the July 4 recess. While the distinction between an enforcement resolution and a full budget is largely technical, there is one crucial difference: Under the enforcement resolution, Democrats can no longer use a parliamentary tactic known as budget reconciliation next year — a process Democrats had hoped might allow them to pass key pieces of legislation, such as a jobs bill, with 51 votes in the Senate, as opposed to the usual 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.

Under the arcane rules of the Senate, budget reconciliation can only be used if it was written into the budget rules passed the previous year. With no full budget, there can be no reconciliation. As a consequence, Democrats lose a valuable tool for passing budget-related items on a majority-rules vote. Stimulus and jobs measures, if they combined short-term spending with longer-term deficit reduction, would have qualified for reconciliation.

Some policy advisers and members of Congress pushing for a such a measure — and recognizing that it could not make it past a Republican filibuster — viewed reconciliation as a last hope. “What we want to do is end up with legislation that is going to create a substantial number of jobs,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters. “We don’t have 60 votes to do that. We could do that through majority rule, 51 votes.”
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http://washingtonindependent.com/91566/in-dodging-a-budget-vote-dems-take-reconciliation-off-the-table

Very disappointing, reconciliation, while imperfect, is one of our few "ace in the hole" tools to battle GOP obstructionism, and now it has been voluntarily surrendered. It will be even more important after November when there are more Republicans and less Democrats in Washington.

[msongs]

1. the dems new motto - "it's better than nothing" lol nt

[Riftaxe]

2. Passing the buck has consequences,

They sacrificed this tool in order to further their own political goals, if they had performed their job and passed a budget they would still have access to it.

It is a bit hard to get worked up over it.

[unblock]

3. unless they change the rules, which is a possibility.

[tritsofme]

4. It is a possibility at the start of each new Congress

I wouldn't hold your breath.

[unblock]

5. well, there's actually been some talk of it this time.

i agree that i'd bet more likely nothing changes, but it is more likely than usual that they actually do change the filibuster rules. the changes they made in 1975 haven't panned out as planned.