Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is furious over a Senate ruling that blocked GOP plans to slash Medicaid spending — and he’s calling for someone to lose their job over it.
On Thursday, Tuberville publicly demanded that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough “ASAP” after she rejected a Republican push to gut federal Medicaid funds. The GOP wanted to use those cuts to help pay for former President Donald Trump’s tax agenda.
MacDonough also blocked two other GOP-backed measures: one that would have banned Medicaid and CHIP coverage for immigrants whose legal status can’t be quickly verified, and another to reduce federal support for states that give Medicaid to undocumented immigrants.
Tuberville didn’t hold back in his response.
“The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and advised Al Gore, just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP,” he wrote on X.
“Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke agenda. THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP,” he added.
Despite Tuberville’s outrage, Thune said he won’t move to overrule the parliamentarian’s decision or push for her removal.
“That would not be a good outcome for getting a bill done,” Thune told reporters Thursday.
Republicans were trying to pass their plan through budget reconciliation — a process that avoids the Senate filibuster and allows legislation to pass with a simple majority. But the parliamentarian acts as the gatekeeper, deciding if provisions meet the strict rules for this process. MacDonough ruled the Medicaid cuts didn’t pass the test.
Still, GOP leaders say they’re not giving up.
“We’ll continue our work and find a solution to achieve the desired results. Also, this is not as fatal as Dems are portraying it to be,” said a Senate GOP source.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) defended MacDonough, saying most Republicans respect her decisions even if they disagree.
“I don’t think that will happen,” Kennedy said of firing her. “We all have respect for the parliamentarian. I think that she’s very fair, and I don’t think she should be fired nor do I think she will be fired.”
Thune echoed that sentiment and said the ruling didn’t kill the bill.
“We were obviously trying to get as much in terms of savings as we could. We pushed hard to try and achieve that… There are things we can do,” Thune said. “We may not have everything that we wanted in terms of the provider tax reforms, but if we can get most of the reforms there, get the savings that come with it — this is all about saving the taxpayers money.”
MacDonough has held the parliamentarian job since 2012, appointed by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). She’s the first woman in the role and has worked in the Senate’s rules office since 1999.
