Senate Referee Rejects Immigration Regs in Budget Bill

The Senate parliamentarian struck again Friday, rejecting a number of immigration-related fees included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act because they violated the Byrd Rule.

The rule, crafted by the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., in the mid-1980s, states that provisions in reconciliation budget legislation considered extraneous to fiscal matters require 60 votes to pass the Senate. The reconciliation package must undergo a “Byrd bath” to eliminate all provisions that the parliamentarian believes are more about making policy changes than adjusting the federal budget.

Elizabeth MacDonough, who has been the parliamentarian since 2012, rejected a mandatory $1,000 fee for asylum applications, a $100 fee on migrants who request a continuance in immigration court, and a provision to require the Department of Homeland Security to impose a $250 fee for applying to the diversity visa lottery and a $400 fee to process diversity visa applications, The Hill reported Friday.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

There is no custom code to display.