ACN Business

What is reconciliation − the legislative shortcut Republicans are using to push through their ‘Big Beautiful Bill’?

Written by Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance, Harvard Kennedy School

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks with reporters about the reconciliation process to advance President Donald Trump's spending and tax bill on June 3, 2025. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The word “reconciliation” sounds benign, even harmonious.

But in Washington, D.C., reconciliation refers to a potent legislative shortcut that...

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