Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and other members of the House Freedom Caucus hold a news conference on March 7. “They have made clear that is their belief,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Tuesday. The decision on what is permissible in a reconciliation bill — and what House provisions would be fatal — lies in the hands of the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough. Numerous Freedom Caucus members subscribe to an argument, most prominently advanced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex. ), vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said Wednesday that overruling the parliamentarian on a Byrd ruling would virtually guarantee that the GOP health-care law would be challenged in court.

Source: Washington Post March 22, 2017 22:42 UTC