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President Donald Trump pressured Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to remove Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, once again voicing his distaste over her rulings on key GOP legislation.
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune should immediately fire the Parliamentarian, who treats Republicans, and everything that they stand for, horribly!” President Trump said in a lengthy Truth Social statement.
“She was put there by then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Barack Hussein Obama, need I say more?” he continued.
The Senate parliamentarian is a non-partisan role. This individual is in charge of advising the Senate on interpretations of the standing rules and procedures, as reported by RSBN. It is very rare for a parliamentarian to be dismissed from their role, but the Senate majority leader has the authority to do so.
President Trump seemed to accuse MacDonough of blocking the SAVE America Act – integral election integrity legislation that would codify voter ID as a requirement to cast a ballot in federal elections.
“Just the other night, as an example, she ruled against us on a proposal that would have easily been approved, and should have been, by anyone else,” President Trump argued of the advisor. “We have every right to change her, and should do so, IMMEDIATELY. As long as she’s there, we will never get our desperately needed, SAVE AMERICA ACT, approved, and put into full force and effect!”
Last week, the U.S. Senate failed to move the SAVE America Act into a position where it may have been attached to its budget reconciliation package – a move that would have squeaked the legislation past the frustrating filibuster. However, MacDonough ruled that the Save America Act was not eligible to be attached to the budget package, due to the Byrd Rule, per The Hill.
The Byrd Rule simply requires budget reconciliation bills to remain exclusively focused on fiscal issues. To consider attaching the SAVE America Act to the budget package last week, the legislation would have had to waive the budget rule by achieving 60 votes, which it did not do, despite Republican efforts.
This is not the first time President Trump has attacked MacDonough and pressured Thune to remove her. “Over the years, she has been brutal to Republicans, but not so to the Dumocrats — So why has she not been replaced?” he remarked last month.
