A Guide to the Powerful But Limited Budget Reconciliation Process

(L-R) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) talk with each other as they walk down the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 13, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

News Analysis

The reconciliation process has been in the headlines for months as Democrats have moved ahead with the process to pass their expansive $3.5 trillion budget bill, a move that Republicans have strongly criticized. The process, while very powerful, must comply with a slew of rules and restrictions that normal legislation is not subject to.