Democrats Can Force Progressive Policies Into Law via Budget Reconciliation

Democrats don't have to dwell on the fact that the Senate filibuster likely isn't going anywhere. They can rely on another tool — budget reconciliation — to pass a chunk of their progressive policies where they hold narrow control of the Senate, via the tiebreaker vote of the vice president. Instead of President Joe Biden's promise to seek bipartisan support for policy, the Democrats can simply ignore the Republican Party — and its constituents — with this maneuver and even try to pass parts of their leftist agenda like "Medicare for All."

While not nearly as easy to navigate as a simple majority vote would be if the filibuster was nixed, political strategists say Democrats will be able to pass key policies without the support of Republicans via the budget reconciliation process. Democrats have already floated using the tool to pass the next coronavirus relief package and to even raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 (although it is not clear if the minimum wage can pass by this mechanism).