Bernie Sanders promises Republicans that if they try to block COVID relief, he'll use budget reconciliation (that they used to push through tax cuts for billionaires) to get real help to working families. SNAP!
January 21, 2021

Bernie Sanders is the new Senate Budget Chairman. Bernie Sanders. Let that sink in.

Making the rounds yesterday and in an op-ed for CNN.com, the Vermont senator threw down the gauntlet to Republicans so-called "60 vote threshold":

The Senate's 60-vote threshold to pass major legislation has become an excuse for inaction. But let's be clear: We have the tools to overcome these procedural hurdles. As incoming Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I will use a process known as budget reconciliation that will allow us to pass comprehensive legislation with only 51 votes.

This is not a radical idea.

When the Republicans controlled the Senate during the George W. Bush and Trump presidencies, they used reconciliation to pass trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations. They also used reconciliation to try and repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Today, Democrats must use this same process to lift Americans out of poverty, increase wages and create good-paying jobs.

As the kids say, "It's gonna be lit."

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