Senate Parliamentarian Kills Civil Service Cut In Continued Scrub Of 'Beautiful Bill'

The GOP legislation has been taking a beating from the Senate's nonpartisan stickler for budget rules.

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s rules referee has thrown a roadblock in front of congressional Republicans’ plan to gut job protections for federal workers through their “big, beautiful bill.”

The Senate’s parliamentarian ruled lawmakers cannot include the proposal under the fast-track procedures they’re using for President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, Democrats said late Sunday.

It’s the latest in a series of decisions by the parliamentarian dismantling key provisions of the bill, including a major change to federal food benefits and an attempt to stop courts from enforcing injunctions against the Trump administration.

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The so-called budget reconciliation process allows Republicans to pass legislation through the Senate with a simple majority vote, which is a huge convenience, but there are rules against provisions deemed “extraneous” to the budget. It’s up to the parliamentarian to decide what counts.