(#4933) The reconciliation package is now on track

      Tomorrow the fun begins in the Senate at 12 noon eastern time when the Senate gavels in to address, among other things, to start the process of completing the reconciliation bill in the next few days. I will be tuned into it on Cspan2 as if it was a championship football game. The reconciliation process of getting a bill passed from the Senate to the House is a convoluted one but one that is assured of passing because all 50 Democratic Senators are on board. In reconciliation, a budget process, there is no filibuster rule that applies. So the 50 Democratic Senators, 2 Independents caucus with Democrats, King and Sanders, will be able to move the legislation quickly although not without some gimmickry.
     Of course the gimmickry will be from the republicans who don't want this reconciliation bill to pass at all. So they will likely make the Democrats read the entire bill on the Senate floor as a delaying tactic, over 700 pages, poor Senate clerks will suffer the republican abuse not the Democratic Senators. But that is the way of republicans, make others suffer at their discretion. But the bill will be read and the amendments of idiocy will be attempted but when all is exhausted the bill will pass with all 50 on the Democratic side voting for it. Then next week Nancy Pelosi will gavel back in the House from the August recess to pass the reconciliation bill and immediately send it to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.
     So sometime next week Joe will sign the bill and then the effect of the bill will begin to reshape our society. Green energy will start to dominate our transportation and manufacturing, Medicare, the largest group of prescription drug users, will finally get to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies the price of prescription drugs. Also extending subsidies for Obamacare expansions. The final bill has yet to be shown but the basics are there for many now to start getting excited that a slimmed down build back better bill, now known as the Inflation Reduction Act, will pass. After much wrangling this process of reconciliation will advance and Democrats will have achieved yet another policy victory over the uncaring republican obstructionists!