A few Republicans reacted with indignation Thursday after the Senate parliamentarian advised that some of the measures in their tax and immigration bill could not be included in the legislation.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., tweeted on X that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough should be fired, "ASAP." Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., intimated that she was partisan, asking why an "unelected swamp bureaucrat, who was appointed by Harry Reid over a decade ago" gets to decide what's in the bill?"
It's hardly the first time the parliamentarian's normally low-key and lawyerly role has drawn a blast of public criticism.
MacDonough also dashed Democratic plans over the years, advising in 2021 that they couldn't include a minimum wage increase in their COVID-19 relief bill. Later that same year, she advised that Democrats needed to drop an effort to let millions of immigrants remain temporarily in the U.S. as part of their big climate bill.
But the attention falling on MacDonough's rulings in recent years also reflects a broader change in Congress, with lawmakers increasingly trying to wedge their top policy priorities into bills that can't be filibustered in the Senate. The process comes with special rules designed to deter provisions unrelated to spending or taxes - and that's where the parliamentarian comes in, offering analysis of what does and doesn't qualify.