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Budget reconciliation basics

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Process allows 51-vote Senate passage of revenue and spending bills under certain parameters.

Budget reconciliation is a process that permits legislation impacting revenues and spending to pass the Senate with 51 votes rather than the 60-vote filibuster threshold for most other legislation. Spending, revenue, or the debt limit (though rare) may be addressed under reconciliation together or separately, but only once per budget resolution, and only one budget resolution can be approved for each fiscal year. If either party sweeps in the 2024 elections, the process could be used to enact tax legislation.

chart of budget reconciliation process

Summary 

Reconciliation is a complicated process that can offer procedural advantages, particularly in a Congress with slim margins.

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