TRANSCRIPT: Former Senate Democratic Budget Chairs Make Series Of Parliamentary Inquiries Regarding Republicans’ Unprecedented Use Of Current Policy Baseline

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democrats, all who once led the Budget Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor and raised parliamentary inquiries in regards to Senate Republicans using creative math to push their “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” confirming with Senate rulemakers that the tactic Republicans will use to explode the debt while claiming their tax cuts are free, called Current Policy Baseline, is an unprecedented farce. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks and the Presiding Officer’s responses on behalf of the Senate Parliamentarian:

Senator Merkley: When the House bill was first laid before the Senate, was the operative baseline under which it would be considered the current law baseline under section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985?  

[The Chair responded in the affirmative.]

Senator Schumer: Has the Senate ever used a baseline other than the current law baseline under 257 for enforcement of budget points of order, including under section 313 of the Budget Act, during the consideration of a reconciliation measure?

[The Chair responded in the negative.]

Senator Wyden: Does the score of the Finance title of the Senate substitute – which the Chairman asserts complies with its instruction - rely on the use of 2 distinct baselines: current policy for taxes and current law for health provisions (like Medicaid)?

[The Chair responded in the affirmative.]

Senator Murray: Are the remaining 9 titles of the Senate substitute scored by CBO using a current law/257 baseline? 

[The Chair responded in the affirmative.]

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