Could the lameduck Senate use reconciliation to push thru tax cut extension for middle class?

[scheming daemons]

get that on the books and force the new GOP House to argue ONLY for the cuts for the rich...

That's a harder sell for the GOP, and it would be popular for Obama to veto that or for the Dems in senate to kill it in January.

The House has already passed the middle class ones, right? So no new legislation needs to be drafted.

[BzaDem]

1. No. Budget reconciliation cannot be used when no budget was passed. n/t

[OHdem10]

2. Absolutely and they had better do just that.

[qazplm]

3. I thought

all spending legislation had to start in the House?

I think we are facing a standoff in the coming months. The republicans may or may not be willing to shut down the government for a long time, but there is absolutely no harm to them in their view from at least shutting it down for a little while to see if the other side blinks, so I think that's what we will see.

[tritsofme]

4. Democrats did not pass a budget this year, there is no vehicle for reconciliation.

A bill passed through reconciliation would also have to be deficit neutral, while there's an exception in the PAYGO rules for the MC tax cuts.

Also the House or Senate did not vote on any tax cut extender bills before the election.