Senate Parliamentarian Strikes Provisions From Immigration Bill

The Senate parliamentarian ruled Friday that four sections of a Republican-led immigration enforcement package would need to be reworded because they violated the Byrd Rule. The impacted provisions involved funding for Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security appropriations and additional funds to screen unaccompanied migrant children.

The spending package would fund approximately $71.7 billion to $72 billion in new mandatory spending, with $38.2 billion going toward ICE and between $22 billion and $26 billion to CBP.

The parliamentarian also struck language regarding Secret Service measures for a White House ballroom project. Officials said the provision fell outside the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee. The ruling came after the parliamentarian determined the language violated the Byrd Rule, which requires provisions in a reconciliation bill to have a direct, non-incidental impact on the federal budget.

John Thune said calls to replace the parliamentarian were concerning. A spokesperson for Thune said the ruling was not abnormal. "Redraft. Refine. Resubmit. None of this is abnormal during a Byrd process," the spokesperson said. The parliamentarian was appointed in 2012. Officials noted that similar rulings have occurred in prior budget processes.