Reconciliation

According to press accounts, the United States Congress is in a state of irreconcilable conflict due to differences among the two major political parties. Ironically, the ongoing healthcare reform debate, which has been dragging on for nearly a year, could lead to “reconciliation”.
Let me explain. President Obama released the text of a new proposal for healthcare reform yesterday and according to the White House it has been carefully drafted in anticipation of a Republican filibuster attempt, which likely means that Congress may attempt to pass the bill through a process known as reconciliation.
Reconciliation is a controversial process, but a truly bipartisan one. Republicans used the budget procedure, which requires 51 votes in the Senate rather than the 60 normally required to overcome a filibuster, to enact three major tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 during the administration of President George W. Bush.
Essentially, reconciliation is a legislative process in the United States Congress, not so significant for the House and primarily used by the Senate, that allows consideration of budget bills without the threat of filibuster. Reconciliation limits debate and amendment, and therefore favors the majority party. A reconciliation bill makes changes in law required to meet pre-set spending and revenue levels. In other words, Congress uses the reconciliation process to legislate policy changes in mandatory spending (entitlements) or revenue programs (tax laws) to achieve budgetary goals. Since first used in 1980, the policy changes brought about by reconciliation have served as constraints on spending and as such the reconciliation process has served as a vehicle for deficit reduction.