One of the most powerful women in 2025–you’ve never heard of and why she’s unforgettable
by Dr. Pru Lee (Pru Pru)
On June 20th, 2025 a woman most of this country wouldn’t recognize in a grocery store walked into the Senate chamber with a stack of rules and a spine made of steel.
Her name is Elizabeth MacDonough.
She’s the Senate Parliamentarian.
Not partisan.
Not elected.
Not loud.
But when it comes to reconciliation bills, her word is law.
And baby, she laid that law DOWN.
Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?
She’s not a senator. She’s not a politician.
She’s the nonpartisan Parliamentarian of the Senate—the official who interprets and enforces Senate rules.
She’s served since 2012 under both parties and doesn’t answer to either. She was just appointed by Thune. He backed her decision. She ruled, decisively, that these provisions in this heinous bill had to go—and following Thune’s lead, the rest of the Republicans backed down from challenging her.
Elizabeth came through like the quiet auntie at the reunion who don’t say much, but when she do, everybody listens and the whole room shifts.
So don’t sleep on Elizabeth MacDonough.
She ain’t flashy. She ain’t partisan.
But that woman will pull out her little rulebook and cut your dreams into ribbons if they ain’t tight with procedure LOL.
Last week, in the Big Beautiful Bill they tried to sneak a 10-year ban on state AI regulation into a reconciliation bill.
They tried to make it harder to stop unconstitutional actions in court.
They tried to defund every watchdog with a spine and punish the Defense Department for being too slow with paperwork.
They tried to kill consumer protection agencies, roll back climate policies, sell off National Park land, make it harder for judges to stop unconstitutional laws, and so much more nefarious shit.
They called it a budget.
We called it a lie.
And she called it what it was: a violation of the Byrd Rule.
They wrapped it in budget language, tied it to random funding, buried them deep in a 1000+ page document and hoped no one would look too closely.
But we looked.
We named it.
We raised the alarm.
We called on our reps to use the Byrd Rule.
So what’s the Byrd Rule?
• Named after Senator Byrd not because of his past (yes, he was in the triple K club)—but because of his obsession with Senate procedure and protecting the budget process from abuse.
• He introduced the Byrd Rule in 1985 to stop Congress from stuffing unrelated junk into budget bills under reconciliation—because those bills can’t be filibustered.
• So ironically, the rule he championed has become a tool to stop authoritarian overreach.
Yes, Byrd was in the KKK.
Yes, he was wrong.
But the rule itself ain’t about him anymore—it’s about the firewall he ironically helped build.
And this week, that firewall held.
And we used it against the very kind of abuse he once participated in.
That’s what makes it powerful.
That’s what makes it full circle.
And so today, what was once used to exclude is being used to protect Black people, poor people, the environment, and civil liberties.
And while our Democratic representatives already knew about the Byrd Rule—we didn’t teach them anything new—they didn’t know how many of US knew about the Byrd Rule.
And that’s the part that changes the game.
Because yeah, senators have legal staff. They got policy analysts. They know the rules.
But when thousands of people flood their inboxes quoting section numbers, naming procedural violations, and saying “we’re watching,” that’s not just noise.
That’s support.
That’s pressure.
That’s protection.
That’s a firewall built out of everyday people who refused to let this slip by in silence.
So no, we didn’t teach Congress about the Byrd Rule.
But we damn sure reminded them they should use it.
We showed them that not only did we support that move, we expected it.
We named the violations line by line.
Thousands of us sent that message to Congress—and it landed.
This win belongs to all of us.
To the ones watching closely.
To the ones refusing to be distracted.
To the ones who still believe rules should mean something.
To every staffer, strategist, and senator who stood up: We see you. And we thank you.
This was not a solo act. It was a full-court press by Senate Democrats—led by Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren—with over 60 Democratic staffers filing formal Byrd Rule challenges to expose what we already knew:
This wasn’t a budget bill. It was a Trojan horse.
And then Elizabeth MacDonough, the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian, said what we’ve been saying from the jump: “This violates the Byrd Rule. Strip it out.”
She pulled provision after provision from the bill—every single one we said couldn’t legally pass under reconciliation?
Gone.
Every provision we flagged?
She struck it.
One by one. Clean. Surgical.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)? Gone.
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)? Gone.
AI gag order on every state government? Bond scam where they tried to force people to post a financial bond before they could get a court to block or delay a law they believe is unconstitutional?
Gone. Gone. Gone.
But here’s the part that made my chest burn in the best way: We didn’t just watch this.
We helped shape it.
Thousands of us forwarded the breakdown.
Thousands of us told our Congress: Use the Byrd Rule. Because this bill is illegal AF.
Here’s a rundown of what happened:
Eight MAJOR provisions were stripped because they violated reconciliation rules, including:
• Defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Eliminating the Office of Financial Research
• Cutting Federal Reserve staff pay ($1.4 billion)
• Abolishing the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
• Rolling back EPA vehicle emissions standards
• Slashing funding tied to the Inflation Reduction Act
• Triggering Defense Department cuts over delayed reports
• Blocking states from regulating AI for 10 years
The AI preemption clause (banning states from regulating AI for 10 years) was not struck down. It survived Byrd Rule review and remains in the bill—but it still needs to pass by simple majority. Several Republicans and Democrats have voiced opposition, so it’s on thin ice.
• Requiring court bonds to stop unconstitutional laws
The judicial bond requirement (which would force people to pay financial bonds to get an injunction against unconstitutional laws) is still pending a final ruling. It may be struck, but as of now, it’s still technically in the bill.
Every single one? Gone.
And dozens of provisions were challenged.
The federal land grab provision—an attempt to sell off public lands to cover budget gaps—was also flagged in the Byrd Rule review.
The public lands sell-off provision (an attempt to auction off national park land to offset costs) was not struck either. Instead, it was flagged as noncompliant with reconciliation—which means it now requires 60 votes to pass. That doesn’t kill it outright, but it makes it damn hard to sneak through.
While it hasn’t been officially cut yet, it’s now subject to a 60-vote threshold.
That means Republicans can’t sneak it through with a simple majority.
So while it’s not dead yet, it’s standing on shaky ground.
Is the bill dead?
No—but the worst parts are.
The Parliamentarian didn’t kill the whole bill.
She stripped out every provision that broke reconciliation rules under the Byrd Rule.
And guess what?
Those were the parts with the fangs.
The bans. The defunding. The authoritarian tools.
So what’s left?
Just the stuff that actually affects the federal budget—like basic funding levels and tax adjustments.
The meat of the “culture war” sabotage? Gone.
Can they rewrite it and try again?
Yes, but not easily.
To reinsert the stripped provisions, they’d need 60 Senate votes.
Republicans only have 53.
So unless they flip 7 Democrats—which ain’t happening—they can’t bring that mess back.
What are their options now?
1. Pass the gutted bill as-is—boring, basic, budget-only.
2. Rewrite and break it into multiple bills (which would face public backlash).
3. Try to overrule the Parliamentarian (but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already said he’s not willing to do that—too risky for their party long-term).
This was their legislative warhead.
And Elizabeth MacDonough just disarmed it.
The reconciliation trick won’t get them their wish list.
They’d have to do it the real way—with votes, hearings, and public accountability.
And they don’t want that smoke.
So while the bill technically lives. Politically? Strategically? Morally? It just flatlined.
Now, to the naysayers. The negative Nellies (you know who you are LOL). The folks who said writing doesn’t matter…contacting Congress doesn’t matter…
Peaceful protesting doesn’t matter…
that rules don’t work…
that knowing the law isn’t a benefit…
that resistance is useless…
Look me in the eye and say it now.
We came together.
We did the research.
We made our voices heard.
And this time—we won.
Not a full win yet, but not a complete loss either.
Thank you to everyone who sent updates and helped me cross-check with care. This is what real-time civic action looks like.
That means Republicans can’t sneak it through with a simple majority.
So while it’s not dead yet, it’s standing on shaky ground.
Is the bill dead?
No—but the worst parts are.
The Parliamentarian didn’t kill the whole bill.
She stripped out every provision that broke reconciliation rules under the Byrd Rule.
And guess what?
Those were the parts with the fangs.
The bans. The defunding. The authoritarian tools.
So what’s left?
Just the stuff that actually affects the federal budget—like basic funding levels and tax adjustments.
The meat of the “culture war” sabotage? Gone.
Can they rewrite it and try again?
Yes, but not easily.
To reinsert the stripped provisions, they’d need 60 Senate votes.
Republicans only have 53.
So unless they flip 7 Democrats—which ain’t happening—they can’t bring that mess back.
What are their options now?
1. Pass the gutted bill as-is—boring, basic, budget-only.
2. Rewrite and break it into multiple bills (which would face public backlash).
3. Try to overrule the Parliamentarian (but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already said he’s not willing to do that—too risky for their party long-term).
This was their legislative warhead.
And Elizabeth MacDonough just disarmed it.
The reconciliation trick won’t get them their wish list.
They’d have to do it the real way—with votes, hearings, and public accountability.
And they don’t want that smoke.
So while the bill technically lives. Politically? Strategically? Morally? It just flatlined.
Now, to the naysayers. The negative Nellies (you know who you are LOL). The folks who said writing doesn’t matter…contacting Congress doesn’t matter…
Peaceful protesting doesn’t matter…
that rules don’t work…
that knowing the law isn’t a benefit…
that resistance is useless…
Look me in the eye and say it now.
We came together.
We did the research.
We made our voices heard.
And this time—we won.
Not a full win yet, but not a complete loss either.
Thank you to everyone who sent updates and helped me cross-check with care. This is what real-time civic action looks like.