Even if implemented only as a “fixer” bill, reconciliation could still be used only for changes that are truly budget-related — meaning they affect revenue or spending. Changes to improve the affordability of health care or adjust the amount of federal aid going to states for Medicaid could be good candidates for a reconciliation bill. But changes involving strictly policy matters, which do not have a budgetary impact, would likely have to be addressed some other way.
This “fixer” reconciliation bill would also still have to meet the requirement that reconciliation be used only for deficit reduction. In fact, the bill would have to include at least $2 billion in deficit reduction over the first five years and would have to be at least deficit-neutral in every year beyond that.
Some question how the then-Republican majority used reconciliation to pass a $1.3 trillion tax cut in 2001 and another $350 billion tax cut in 2003, all entirely unpaid for. These were clear abuses of the process.
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