Daily on Energy: Here’s how Democrats could pass legislation in a split Senate Print this article
Subscribe today to the
Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what s going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!
RECONCILIATION GUIDE: Democrats’ victory in the Georgia runoffs unlocks a powerful procedural tool called budget reconciliation, which enables the passage of fiscal legislation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes, meaning Republican votes aren’t necessary.
Republicans with full control of Washington used it in 2017 to pass tax cuts, and liberal activists are eying it as a mechanism in 2021 to pass tax and spending climate policies.
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council convened on Dec. 4 to pass several motions and discuss recent student activism that has been pressuring the administration into adopting the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) policy for Fall 2020 semester courses. The council also voted to approve a motion which will provide an explicit statement by SSMU on the society’s official stances on a range of political issues.
SSMU Music Senator Addy Parsons briefed the council on the Senate Steering Committee’s arguments against implementing the S/U policy this semester. Parsons highlighted the shortcomings of the administration’s proposed issues with reimplementing the S/U grading option policy, explaining that many students are struggling with their mental health and that this policy may ease some of the stress.