Truth and Reconciliation: Sidestepping the Filibuster

Brookings Institution ^ | Feb 23, 2010 | Thomas E. Mann,Norman Ornstein, Molly Reynolds

[marstegreg]

I thought you might be interested to see how reconcilliation was used in the past.

Twenty-two reconciliation bills were passed between 1980 and 2008, although three (written by Republican majorities in Congress) were vetoed by President Clinton and never became law.

[marstegreg]

I thought you might be interested to see how reconcilliation was used in the past.

Twenty-two reconciliation bills were passed between 1980 and 2008, although three (written by Republican majorities in Congress) were vetoed by President Clinton and never became law. Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980

First use of reconciliation process.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981

Made significant cuts to discretionary programs, including welfare and food stamps.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982

Reauthorized and made changes to food stamp program. Made changes to federal employee pay formula and to the farm support program.

Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA)

Rescinded some provisions of the previous year's Kemp-Roth tax cuts.

Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1983

Made changes to federal employee pay and retirement formulas.

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985

Mandated an insurance program giving some employees the ability to continue health insurance coverage after leaving employment (COBRA) and amended the Internal Revenue Code to deny income tax deductions to employers for contributions to a group health plan unless such plan meets certain continuing coverage requirements.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986

Ordered the sale of Conrail. Made minor changes to Medicare hospital provisions.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987

Created federal standards for nursing homes under Medicare and expanded Medicaid eligibility

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989

Made approximately $10 billion in spending cuts

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990

Established Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) rules for the first time and implemented a range of tax increases

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993

Created two new personal income tax rates and a new tax rate for corporations. The cap on Medicare taxes was repealed, and gas taxes were raised. The taxable portion of Social Security benefits was increased. The phase-out of the personal exemption and limit on itemized deductions were permanently extended, and the earned income tax credit was expanded.

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (1996)

Clinton's welfare reform bill

Balanced Budget Act of 1997

Contained first portion of Clinton's plan to balance the federal budget by FY 2002. Created the Children's Health Insurance Program. Made changes to Medicare hospital payment policy.

Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997

Clinton's tax cut package

Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001

First Bush 43 tax cuts

Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003

Second Bush 43 tax cuts

Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

Reduced Medicare and Medicaid spending, changed student loan formulas, and reauthorized the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005

Extended several of the earlier Bush tax cuts, including the reduced tax rates on capital gains and dividends and the alternative minimum tax (AMT) tax reduction.

College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007

$20 billion student aid reform package. Included grant increases, loan rate reductions, and created public service loan forgiveness program.

[bboop]

Doesn’t Reconciliation have to do with avoiding the 60 votes needed for a budget item? Can someone explain it in a sentence or two. (I’m a TeaParty supporter...).

[deport]

Also they have a 10 life time after which they die just like the first Bush 43 reconciliation tax cuts are doing this year.

[marstegreg]

This is the definition directly from the Brookings article:

“Reconciliation was designed as a narrow procedure to bring revenue and direct spending under existing laws into conformity with the levels set in the annual budget resolution. It was used initially to cut the budget deficit by increasing revenues or decreasing spending but in more recent years its primary purpose has been to reduce taxes.”

Hope this helps! :)

[VeniVidiVici]

Health reform 2009 style would be the most ambitious use of reconciliation but it fits a pattern used over three decades by both parties to avoid the strictures of Senate filibusters.

Bullshit.

But thanks for the link that shows the Democrats to have used the "nuclear option" far more than Republicans.

[bolobaby]

Lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Just take a look at the way he frames up the Bush tax cuts. All a net ADD to the deficit. If that is so, how come federal tax receipts increased after those tax cuts were passed?

This guy clearly believes that tax cuts must “be paid for.”

[marstegreg]

Do you happen to know which way The Brookings Institute leans? I didn’t really get a feeling either way based on this article, but I would be curious to find out.

[Cyber Ninja]

[BrewingFrog]

Brookings is a libtard “think tank,” or at least what passes for one...

[marstegreg]

I re-read the article, and when I saw that they called healthcare “ambitious” it hit me like a ton of bricks. I just didn’t know it was a “libtard think tank”. Thanks for the education! :) I can’t believe I missed that!

[bolobaby]

Doesn’t matter - this analyst has shown *his* hand.

[bboop]

thx