Using Reconciliation to Pass COVID-19 Relief Legislation

What You Need to Know

The House and Senate this week are working to pass a budget resolution for fiscal year 2021 giving Congress an additional legislative tool to pass COVID-19 relief legislation that enacts President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Reconciliation is a complicated legislative process with limitations about what can be included in legislation. The following resources provide more details on the reconciliation process and can be used to help explain the process to others.

Here is a quick overview of the budget reconciliation process.

Want to hear more? Mary Naylor, AHA senior associate director of federal relations, discusses the reconciliation process and how Congress is preparing to use it, possibly more than once, this year.

Other Resources

• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Materials – The CRS works exclusively for Congress providing policy and legal analysis to committees and members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. The CRS recently released documents on:
  • The Budget Reconciliation Process: Stages of Consideration
  • The Budget Reconciliation Process: The Senate’s Byrd Rule

AHA Resources

• As Congress Begins Process of Using Reconciliation to Pass COVID-19 Relief Legislation, Here’s What You Need to Know
• Fact Sheet: More Funding Needed for the Provider Relief Fund