Did you see the big headlines this afternoon that report that Congress has now taken the first step to repeal Obamacare? The news is all over the place, but here's the problem: Congress said nothing about Obamacare today. What Congress did is to pass a budget for the next year. That's something that Congress is supposed to do every year. The point of the budget is to outline the level of federal spending on various departments and programs during the course of the next fiscal year.
Now it is true that unless there is a budget, the Senate cannot use reconciliation to pass a bill. That is the process that prevents a filibuster from occurring. Under reconciliation, bills that affect the budget can be limited to a certain minimum amount of debate, something that shuts off the filibuster. To that extent, today's vote on the budget will affect the ultimate vote on Obamacare. It is not, however, a first step in repeal.
Now it is true that unless there is a budget, the Senate cannot use reconciliation to pass a bill. That is the process that prevents a filibuster from occurring. Under reconciliation, bills that affect the budget can be limited to a certain minimum amount of debate, something that shuts off the filibuster. To that extent, today's vote on the budget will affect the ultimate vote on Obamacare. It is not, however, a first step in repeal.
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