The Fate of Republicans’ Health Bill Might Rest With This Unelected Official
CBO Says GOP Health Plan Leaves Millions More Uninsured
The fate of the Republican-led health-care overhaul promised by U.S. President Donald Trump may have received a death blow from a government employee little-known even around Washington, D.C. The Senate’s parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, issued a preliminary finding that key parts of the Republicans’ replacement plan don’t qualify for a fast-track procedure that’s crucial to the party’s legislative strategy. This puts an obscure, nonpartisan office in the middle of the highly partisan debate over whether and how to replace Obamacare, the health-insurance system put in place under former President Barack Obama.
She and her handful of assistants, from seats on the Senate dais, provide advice to the Senate’s gavel-wielding presiding officer (usually a senator from the majority party) on interpreting Senate rules. Rarely is the parliamentarian’s work front-page news.