Rosen claims reconciliation "used only" to reduce deficit -- but GOP used it for tax cuts
On August 4, Fox News Washington correspondent James Rosen reported that the budget reconciliation process Democrats have "threatened" to use to pass health care reform legislation is an "arcane parliamentary tactic" and that it "is, as a matter of law, used only for budget bills to achieve deficit reduction." In fact, during the Bush administration, the Republican majority frequently used reconciliation to pass major initiatives not aimed at deficit ... Full Story »
Posted by Dwight Rousu
The 2/3 and the 60% senate rules for ending debate only were put in place in 1949 and 1959. It is not a constitutional requirement.