Congressional Climate Camp #5: Bonus Session: Understanding Budget Reconciliation
Channel: eesionline
Date: 24/05/2021

More information at: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/052121camp

Ready to make a difference in climate policy? But not sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for our start-of-the-new-Congress Climate Camp online briefing series. We went over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for achieving near-term and long-term carbon reductions through policy.

Our fifth and final session looked at budget reconciliation, an oftentimes difficult-to-understand process that allows Congress to pass laws related to taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority vote in the Senate (instead of a filibuster-proof 60-vote supermajority). The Senate Parliamentarian determined that the Senate can pass two budget reconciliation bills this year, for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. But how does the process work? What are the major challenges for Congressional lawmakers and their staff in drafting and passing reconciliation bills? And why does it matter for climate policy?

This briefing discusses budget reconciliation procedures along with do’s and don’ts for those involved in the process. A moderated, 40-minute discussion follows the two speaker presentations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00:00 - Start
05:12 - Molly Reynolds, Senior Fellow – Governance Studies, Brookings
18:30 - Zach Moller, Deputy Director, Economic Program, Third Way
30:28 - Q&A

Topics and Speakers:

Molly Reynolds
Senior Fellow – Governance Studies, Brookings
Download Slides: https://www.eesi.org/files/20210521_Molly_Reynolds_Slides.pdf
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/3iE_d7MVgCM?t=05m12s

Zach Moller
Deputy Director, Economic Program, Third Way
Download Slides: https://www.eesi.org/files/20210521_Zach_Moller_Slides.pdf
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/3iE_d7MVgCM?t=18m30s