On Expensive Reconciliation Bills, We Need Hearings

It has been no secret that a lot of taxpayer dollars have been spent in the last year. In fact, trillions have been added to the national debt with Congress showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. What has been a secret, however, is the negotiation process behind each of the bills that accumulated this debt. Away from microphones and cameras, Congressional leaders made backroom deals and then jammed the legislation through with little to no debate. The American people were left with the hefty price tags.

Fortunately, there is an opportunity to rectify this problem. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) recently introduced the No Hearing, No Vote Act. The bill prohibits Senate consideration of any budget reconciliation bills unless it has been reported out of the relevant committees of jurisdiction.

When the House passes a budget reconciliation package, it includes reconciliation instructions to committees that will have to debate and amend the package before reporting it to the full Senate. Reconciliation bills are not subject to cloture votes and only require a simple majority to pass the Senate. Their purpose is typically to align actual spending with budgeted spending.

However, recently, budget reconciliation has been used to usher through partisan policy priorities. That being the case, politicians of both parties – when they are in the majority – skip the committee process altogether on these bills. Thus, these important bills are passed with no input from the minority party and without any public debate or amendment process. The most recent reconciliation bill carries a price tag of $3.5 trillion.

Rep. Braun’s legislation ensures that any reconciliation bill going forward will be considered by at least one committee where it will be debated, amended, and only then reported to the full Senate. There is a clause that allows this requirement to be dropped, but the mechanism to waive it would be a vote by the full Senate needing three-fifths approval and, thus, bipartisan support. This would neutralize efforts of partisans to rush through expensive packages without any deliberation. If they want to rush, they need bipartisanship. If they want a partisan bill, it needs to go through the process.

The No Hearing, No Vote Act is – unlike the type of legislation it is trying to slow down – is not a partisan effort. In 2017, an almost identical proposal was introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 39 other Senate Democrats. Both parties have a vested interest in ensuring that a robust process is upheld. No one stays in the majority forever. It is important that the voices of millions who are represented by the Senate minority are not cut out of the conversation on some of the most crucial legislation in the nation.

Before the Senate takes any action to vote on or change the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill coming to the chamber, they should first pass the No Hearing, No Vote Act as introduced by Sen. Braun. Instead of negotiations going on behind closed doors, the American people deserve a public hearing on a bill that will saddle them with more debt and fund a variety of programs that will impact their daily lives.

Daniel Savickas is Manager of Government Affairs at Taxpayers Protection Alliance.