Republicans are now under pressure to employ the Byrd-Reid precedent to nuke the filibuster on legislation. Yet most Republicans—unlike most Democrats—do not believe that the ends justify the means. They believe that the greatest risk posed by actions taken during the Obama presidency lies not in what was done—which voters rejected, and which can be undone—but in how it was done. If Republicans now follow the Democrats’ lead in overriding historical constraints like the filibuster rule on legislation, the damage to the system might never be repaired. Using Mr. Obama’s methods to overturn his agenda legitimizes his methods, and that is the greater peril for limited government in America.

Fortunately there is another way to reverse President Obama’s transformation of America. Using the power of the purse, as our Founding Fathers intended, Congress can defund almost any government action with a simple majority in both houses and the president’s consent. Mandatory spending, which Congress cannot reach with the appropriations process, can be altered through a budgetary process known as reconciliation, which allows the Senate to act with 51 votes to achieve savings mandated in the budget.

Using appropriations and reconciliation, Congress can annul the Obama agenda by simply stanching the lifeblood of government power—money. Republicans could give Democrats a choice: Either allow the Senate an up-or-down vote on replacements for defunded programs, or let those programs cease to function.