Correa Leads Call to Overrule Parliamentarian's Ruling
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Correa led a letter with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chuy Garcia, and Adriano Espaillat urging the Senate to disregard the advisory opinion of the Senate Parliamentarian. Congressman Correa leads 42 of his colleagues to call on the Senate to overrule the Parliamentarian—an unelected official. This authority has been invoked previously; therefore, there is a precedent of the Presiding Officer overruling the opinion of the Senate Parliamentarian.
Congressman Correa said: “I remain committed to withholding my vote for the reconciliation package unless immigration is included. If a pathway to citizenship for millions of Dreamers, farmworkers, essential workers, and TPS recipients fails, it means people will be deported and lives will be shattered. They are our friends and neighbors, and many of these individuals have only known their lives here in the United States.”
The Members write: “In denying any possible pathway to citizenship or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) status, the Parliamentarian, an un-elected official, is denying the economic impact of such legislation and the tributes that millions of undocumented individuals have paid to this country.”
Background: According to 2 U.S.C. § 644, the Senate’s Presiding Officer has the ability to issue a binding ruling on a parliamentary point of order. During the consideration of the reconciliation bill, any appeal of the Presiding Officer’s binding ruling would require 60 votes to overrule the ruling. After the ruling, the Senate would be able to consider a reconciliation bill that includes the immigration language that the Parliamentarian previously ruled was in violation of the Byrd Rule.
This is a critical moment for our nation’s history, and we strongly urge the Presiding Officer to use their authority to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling.
The full letter can be found here.
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