Tuberville Calls for Senate Parliamentarian to be Fired

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) kicked off a firestorm of commentary Thursday with a series of social media posts calling for the immediate dismissal of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.

The calls for MacDonough’s firing came after several decisions that would block large portions of the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’—most notably, cuts to Medicaid spending—from the budget reconciliation process.

MacDonough, who was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in January 2012, struck down proposals that would:

• Ban Medicaid and CHIP funding for individuals whose immigration status could not be immediately verified,
• Limit federal Medicaid funding for states providing coverage to undocumented immigrants, and
• Restrict state provider taxes used to secure extra Medicaid funds

Calling her “the WOKE Senate Parliamentarian,” Tuberville posted:

“The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian… just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. … THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.”

Tuberville is not alone in calling for MacDonough’s removal. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) told Fox News that "This is NOT an elected position. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Term limits on a person with this absolute power need be implemented."

The Parliamentarian serves at the pleasure of the Senate, and there is precedent for the Majority Leader firing them over just such a budgetary dispute.

Senate Republicans are attempting to use budget reconciliation rules to pass their bill to avoid a Democrat filibuster. Under reconciliation, Republicans can pass the bill with a simple majority. With Democrats opposing the Medicaid cuts, reconciliation is the only viable path forward for the bill. However, to comply with reconciliation rules, every provision must pass the Byrd Rule test to ensure it primarily affects spending or revenue—a determination made solely by the Parliamentarian.

MacDonough’s ruling on Medicaid is seen as a major blow to GOP efforts to cut federal Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars—savings would help offset the cost of former President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts.

In all, some 15 components of the bill have been rejected by MacDonough, including provisions barring ACA subsidies for plans that cover abortion, a measure requiring the Postal Service to sell its electric vehicle fleet, and a proposal by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to sell off millions of acres of federal land.

MacDonough was appointed in 2012 and is the first woman to serve in the position. As Senate Parliamentarian, her role includes interpreting the Byrd Rule, which limits the content of budget reconciliation bills to provisions that directly impact federal spending or revenues. Her rulings determine what can and cannot be included in legislation passed through the reconciliation process.

Despite Tuberville’s outrage, Senate Republican leaders have shown little interest in removing MacDonough. Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters Thursday that he would not pursue a floor vote to overturn the ruling. “That would not be a good outcome for getting a bill done,” Thune said, noting the importance of maintaining procedural integrity.

Thune also downplayed the setback, calling the parliamentarian’s decision a “speed bump” rather than a fatal blow to the legislation. “We were obviously trying to get as much in terms of savings as we could. We pushed hard to try and achieve that… There are other ways of getting to that same outcome,” he said. Thune emphasized the bill’s core objective: “This is all about saving the taxpayers money.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) also pushed back on the idea of firing MacDonough. “I don’t think that will happen,” he said Thursday. “We all have respect for the parliamentarian. I think that she’s very fair, and I don’t think that she should be fired nor do I think she will be fired.”

While Tuberville has doubled down on his demand for MacDonough’s removal, GOP leadership appears focused on revising the language of the Medicaid provisions to pass procedural muster. As the July 4 legislative deadline approaches, GOP leaders say they are determined to salvage as much of the bill as possible. Whether MacDonough’s ruling alters the final shape of the bill or simply delays its progress remains to be seen. For now, her decisions stand.