Byrd rule News

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Opinion: Reconciliation Isn't Health Reform Answer

(March 10) -- The Democrats' plan to pass health care reform using the so-called "reconciliation" process is at odds with both congressional intent and the history of this budgetary practice. And before you dismiss this as just a partisan view intended to stop health reform, let's set the record straight: Arguments...

Background on Byrd rule

The Byrd Rule is a Senate rule that amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to allow Senators, during the Reconciliation Process, to block a piece of legislation if it purports significantly to increase the federal deficit beyond a ten-year term or is otherwise an "extraneous matter" as set forth in the Budget Act.

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