The Senate parliamentarian has struck down a key part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” aimed at handing states the power to enforce immigration laws—a clear overstep of federal authority that has long been reserved for the federal government.
Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate’s top rule enforcer, ruled the GOP’s plan “out of bounds.” She rejected the proposal as part of a package of provisions that break Senate rules, specifically the Byrd Rule, which limits what can pass through the fast-track budget reconciliation process with just a simple majority.
This move is a major blow to Republicans trying to fast-track parts of former President Trump’s agenda. Allowing states to take over immigration enforcement would have fundamentally shifted power away from the federal government, something MacDonough said the Senate cannot approve under reconciliation rules.
But the immigration enforcement plan wasn’t the only GOP idea blocked. MacDonough also nixed proposals that would:
Force new federal employees to give up civil service protections to avoid higher retirement contributions, let the president reorganize or even shut down entire federal agencies without Congress’s approval, et federal agencies cancel funds already approved by Congress by creating a program for employees to report “unnecessary spending” and send the money back to the Treasury.
Additionally, it would require the U.S. Postal Service to sell all its electric vehicles and charging stations.
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, slammed the rejected bill.
“There is no better way to define this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill than families lose, and billionaires win,” Merkley said. “Democrats are on the side of families and workers and are scrutinizing this bill piece by piece to ensure Republicans can’t use the reconciliation process to force their anti-worker policies on the American people.”
He added, “The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced.”
With these rulings, Republicans face a serious setback. Their attempts to push sweeping immigration and government changes through budget reconciliation—skipping normal Senate debate and blocking—have been stopped dead in their tracks.
This decision puts a clear line in the sand: the Senate will not let GOP lawmakers use procedural shortcuts to hand states immigration powers or sidestep Congress on major government moves.
