‘Byrd rule’ shadow could fall on Biden coronavirus relief plan - Roll Call

As Democrats prepare to pounce on the opportunity to move President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package through Congress, legislative experts are scrutinizing budget law to see how much of the plan could be passed through the procedure known as reconciliation.

The answer could determine whether Biden gets just half a loaf done or closer to his full proposal and have any hope of meeting targets like administering 100 million vaccine doses and safely reopening schools within his first 100 days.

Under a reconciliation package, there’s a school of thought that says only about $1 trillion of Biden’s proposal could make it through the complicated “Byrd rule” process in the Senate, mainly provisions for direct aid to individuals and households.

New legislative provisions that Biden wants, like raising the minimum wage, could not survive a Byrd test, nor could the bulk of funds for vaccine distribution, schools and more that are considered crucial to finally turning a corner in battling the pandemic, the thinking goes.

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