Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Year: 2025

Senate parliamentarian: Who is the unelected official getting say on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill?’

Senate parliamentarian: Who is the unelected official getting say on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill?’

House and Senate Republicans have been working for months on a sweeping piece of legislation addressing a litany of President Donald Trump‘s agenda items. Such a bill is possible via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party controlling Congress and the White House to pass broad policy overhauls while totally sidelining the minority. It lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, lining it up with the House’s simple majority rules. However, one of the caveats is that the measures tucked into the bill must deal with taxes, spending or the national debt. One key person gets the final say over what is relevant to that sphere – the Senate parliamentarian.  The parliamentarian, who heads the Senate’s parliamentarian office, is a nonpartisan, unelected role appointed by the Senate majority leader. It does not have a fixed term. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION The person’s role is to advise the Senate and its staff on the chamber’s rules and precedent. The normally low-profile role has been thrust into the spotlight several times in congressional history, however, particularly surrounding reconciliation. “At the end of the day, it really is a judgment call. And sometimes you’re making a judgment call where you’re relying on similar situations or maybe analogous situations where we dealt with reconciliation in the past, maybe other times you’re dealing with a completely novel issue, and you’re having to figure it out,” one former senior Senate aide described to Fox News Digital. “Or maybe, and this happens a lot, people are trying get things through, debating or citing past provisions of previous reconciliation bills…saying ‘Hey, this provision is very similar, and this got through.’” The Senate parliamentarian leads the “Byrd bath,” a key part of the reconciliation process where the legislation is carefully examined, and any measures found not relevant to the contours of reconciliation are stripped out. Notably, progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called for the firing of the Senate parliamentarian in 2021 when she forced Senate Democrats to scuttle their $15 per hour minimum wage effort from their reconciliation bill at the time. That same parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who was appointed by the late former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is still serving today and has largely garnered bipartisan respect for her handling of the role. MacDonough, appointed in 2012, is the first woman in the job. She was a part of the parliamentarian’s office before that and briefly served as an attorney in the Department of Justice, according to NPR. “I would say that this particular parliamentarian sees herself more as, almost an administrative law judge, and I think that she has generally viewed some of the things that the Senate has been allowed to get away with in reconciliation as a departure from precedent,” said Paul Winfree, president of the Economic Policy Innovation Center and a former Senate Budget Committee staffer himself, told Fox News Digital. “I think that she has more of a ‘small-c’ conservative approach to what is allowable. At the same time, a lot of what is considered to be allowable under reconciliation is dependent on estimates that are produced by the Congressional Budget Office or the joint tax committee.” When asked if any of the current public reconciliation plans could face issues with the parliamentarian, both people who spoke with Fox News Digital floated an accounting maneuver that would largely obscure the cost of permanently extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That scoring method, known as current policy baseline, would zero out the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts by measuring it as an extension of the current economic conditions, rather than factoring in how much less the government is taking in via tax revenues with the cuts in effect. Senate Republicans have signaled they believe they have the legal basis for moving forward with that calculation, however, without the parliamentarian’s say. “We think the law is very clear, and ultimately the budget committee chairman makes that determination,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters last month. HOUSE REPUBLICANS RELEASE TAX PLAN FOR TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The Senate GOP aide who spoke with Fox News Digital said, “If that were to have fallen out or just, you didn’t know what was going to happen, that would just affect so many provisions in the bill.” “Because all of a sudden, you know, all these things start scoring [as an increase to the deficit]…and things become more problematic with your instructions,” the former aide said. Winfree, however, said Republicans have appeared to be mindful overall with how they have written the text so far. “They’ve actually been pretty conservative in how they’ve approached the language,” he said. He said it was “possible some of the immigration provisions could get a second look,” but that even then, he believed it would “ultimately be okay.” Republican leaders have said they hope to have a bill on Trump’s desk by Fourth of July. Fox News Digital reached out to the current Senate Majority Leader’s office for comment.

Trump’s Saudi talks, Houthi ceasefire strain ties with Netanyahu ahead of Middle East trip

Trump’s Saudi talks, Houthi ceasefire strain ties with Netanyahu ahead of Middle East trip

President Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week to advance a flurry of high-stakes negotiations, but his trip comes as cracks seem to have appeared in his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On the agenda are reviving hostage talks with Israel and Hamas, exploring an off-ramp for the Russia-Ukraine war and potentially a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, even if the kingdom refuses to normalize ties with Israel. However, an apparent chill between Trump and Netanyahu has grabbed the attention of Middle East watchers. Yanir Cozin, a correspondent for Israeli Army Radio, claimed this week that Trump had “cut contact” with the Israeli leader. That report has not been independently confirmed, but it aligns with an emerging perception in Israeli political circles that the Trump-Netanyahu axis may be fraying. 4TH ROUND OF US-IRAN TALKS ENDS AS TRUMP SET TO EMBARK ON HISTORIC MIDDLE EAST TOUR “There’s always a method to the president’s madness, so to speak,” said Scott Feltman, executive vice president of the One Israel Fund. “There is a prevailing thought that [Trump] very much wants Israel to stand on its own two feet… To some extent, he may be giving the prime minister a little bit of tough love.” Sources told Reuters Trump is prepared to move forward with a civil nuclear deal with Riyadh even if Saudi Arabia holds off on normalizing relations with Israel – a dramatic shift from both his first administration and Biden’s, which had tied such deals to broader normalization goals. For Israel, that shift may be unsettling. Riyadh has long insisted on the creation of a Palestinian state as a precondition for full ties with Israel, an outcome Netanyahu has rejected. Over the weekend, it was revealed Trump was in talks with Doha officials about a potential deal for Qatar to loan the U.S. a jet to replace Air Force One. Israeli supporters have long been skeptical of Qatar, claiming it has ties to Hamas.  Meanwhile, frustration in Jerusalem grew this week when the U.S. reached a ceasefire agreement with Yemen’s Houthi militants. The deal, brokered without Israeli input, required the Houthis to halt attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes but made no mention of their assaults on Israel. “Trump, to a large extent, basically threw Israel under the bus,” said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst. “I think the Israeli government is puzzled, embarrassed … particularly in the context of the Houthis.” Netanyahu made clear Israel would not rely on the U.S. to handle the Houthi threat. “Israel will defend itself by its own forces,” he said Thursday, with Defense Minister Israel Katz echoing that position. TRUMP SAYS LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER WILL BE RELEASED BY HAMAS Despite the rhetoric, the U.S. continues to support Israel’s defenses. On Friday, a U.S. THAAD missile system intercepted rockets fired toward Israel by Houthi forces. “The United States isn’t required to get permission from Israel to make some type of arrangement that would get the Houthis from firing on our ships,” U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told Israel’s Channel 12 this week.  However, Huckabee shot down any report of tensions between the two world leaders.  “It’s reckless & irresponsible for press to allege that @POTUS and @IsraeliPM are not getting along,” Huckabee said in a post on X. “Bibi has spent more time with @realDonaldTrump than I have in past 3 months & I’m his ambassador! The relationship between US & Israel remains STRONG!” “Israel has had no better friend in its history than President Trump. We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to ensure remaining hostages in Gaza are freed, Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East,” National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt told Fox News Digital in response to the reports of tensions.  Other experts caution against reading too much into the friction. “The Israelis never had any false impressions that the U.S. was striking the Houthis to defend Israel,” said Gregg Roman of the Middle East Forum. “It was to protect global commerce… And it’s not like the U.S. has abandoned Israel.” Roman also downplayed tensions over the potential Saudi nuclear deal. “I think a safer Saudi Arabia, at the end of the day, will lead to a safer Israel.” Adding to the regional uncertainty is Netanyahu’s silence on Iran. While his government has tallied recent gains against Iranian proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime – he has so far refrained from weighing in publicly on nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Still, Netanyahu says he remains in close contact with the Trump team about Iran. “I said to President Trump that I hope that this is what the negotiators will do,” he recently told reporters. “We’re in close contact with the United States. But I said one way or the other—Iran will not have nuclear weapons.” Trump “is not scheduled to visit Israel on this trip, and I actually think that that might very well be a good thing, because he may find that he hears from the Sunni states that they’re just as upset about the path that is taking place right now with negotiations with Iran,” said Feltman. “They have just as much to lose from a nuclear Iranian regime.”

DNC vice chair slams Trump as ‘punk,’ ‘would-be dictator’ in fiery Pa. town hall

DNC vice chair slams Trump as ‘punk,’ ‘would-be dictator’ in fiery Pa. town hall

A Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chairman fired up a crowd outside Philadelphia on Saturday after calling President Donald Trump a “punk” and accusing his administration of modern-day book burning for adjusting content on government websites. “There is a strategy of authoritarians and would-be dictators and punks like Donald Trump,” Malcolm Kenyatta said at a town hall in Levittown that was officially targeting swing-district Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. As part of that “strategy,” Kenyatta said, “one of the first things they go after is history.” “We know that before, they used to take the books, put them in a little pile and burn them. Now they try to delete stuff off of our federal websites. But the effect is the same. They want us to forget what we are made of,” he went on, in a clip circulated by the left-leaning outlet “The Keystone.” OBAMA SLAMS PRO-TRUMP MEN AT PHILADELPHIA RALLY WHILE SPRINGSTEEN WARNS GOP NOMINEE IS ‘AN AMERICAN TYRANT’ Since taking office, Trump has overseen agencies that have altered or removed content relating to DEI, climate change and gender ideology. “Donald Trump is not the first bully or would-be authoritarian that Americans have taken on. We know it here in Pennsylvania. We don’t have a good relationship with kings,” he said, as Penn’s Woods was founded by Quakers and other religious exiles fed up with European authoritarians. “I’m not bowing to a king.” Kenyatta is also the state representative for the Temple University area of North Philadelphia, and the first openly gay person of color to serve in Harrisburg. WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT ICE DETENTION CENTER? He added that “people like Fitzpatrick” lack the “guts” to stand up to Trump. At another recent appearance in Berks County – which includes Reading and Hamburg – Kenyatta railed against the arrest of Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka at an ICE detention facility there. “He was peacefully protesting and speaking up for his constituents and his neighbors. He wasn’t inciting an insurrection… because if he was doing that, they might have offered him a position in the Cabinet,” Kenyatta said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kenyatta notably finished third in the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate primary won by Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and unsuccessfully ran for auditor general in 2024 against GOP incumbent Timothy DeFoor. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields responded Monday, telling Fox News Digital that Kenyatta is a “no-name state representative who was trounced in the Pennsylvania Senate primary due to his radical and unserious positions.” “The prominence the Democrat Party affords him reflects the party’s disarray and desire to satisfy its radical base,” Fields said. Fox News Digital reached out to Fitzpatrick for comment.

Homeland Security subpoenas California for possible cash benefits to illegals

Homeland Security subpoenas California for possible cash benefits to illegals

The Department of Homeland Security issued subpoenas to the government of California on Monday seeking records related to alleged disbursements of federal funds to illegal immigrants. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations [HSI] office in Los Angeles filed the subpoenas this week, targeting the state’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants [CAPI].  According to the program’s website, CAPI is intended to provide monthly cash benefits to aged, blind, and disabled non-citizens who are ineligible for federal Supplemental Security Income, but the White House claims it provides benefits to illegal immigrants who cannot access social security benefits. DHS Sec. Kristi Noem criticized California politicians in a statement, saying, “Radical left politicians in California prioritize illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits. The Trump Administration is working together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally.” She added, “If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County – it is just the beginning.” TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN HSI’s subpoenas seeks records including the name and date of birth of CAPI applicants dating back to 2021, as well as copies of applications, the immigration status of those applicants and other documents relating to the program. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. ICE ARRESTS MORE THAN 530 MIGRANTS IN ONE DAY AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN The investigation comes more than a month after a separate study found that California is funneling billions of federal taxpayer dollars into paying for illegal immigrants. The Economic Policy Innovation Center [EPIC] report drew a line between California’s Medicaid provider taxes and what, on paper, appears to be nearly $4 billion in state funding going toward illegal immigrants’ healthcare and other initiatives. But that funding is actually coming from the federal government, according to EPIC, via reimbursements to California. “The state of California, colluding with insurance companies who cover Medicaid beneficiaries, has created one of the most outrageous ones yet, a money laundering scheme that results in California obtaining more than $19 billion in federal money without any state contribution over the period from April 2023 through December 2026,” EPIC’s report says. The paper continued that those funds were “used to implement major expansions in the Medicaid program to fund illegal immigrants and long-term care (LTC) for the wealthy.” A spokesperson for California’s Department of Healthcare Services pushed back on EPIC’s report, arguing it is “misleading” and urging people to visit a link on their website “for accurate information on this topic.” Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.