House Republicans this week cleared a major hurdle in their drive to pass what President Trump calls the “big beautiful bill,” advancing legislation to enact his sweeping domestic policy agenda.
The measure would extend Mr. Trump’s existing tax cuts and implement new ones he promised on the campaign trail; increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement; and cut Medicaid and food assistance for the poor to pay for the measure.
Republican leaders are pushing the legislation through Congress using a powerful tool that allows them to enact the measure without a single Democratic vote. The process is called budget reconciliation and has been used by both parties for decades. It allows measures that affect government revenues to pass the Senate on a simple majority vote, avoiding a filibuster. It’s not a given that Republicans will be able to accomplish that, as they have razor-thin margins in both chambers and many divisions in their ranks over the plan.
In exchange for their special, fast-track status, reconciliation bills must comply with strict rules and move through a byzantine set of steps before they can be enacted.
Here how’s the reconciliation process works:
