One unelected woman in the Senate could stand in the way of Trump and his immigration plans

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Many bills need to reach 60 votes in order to be “fillibuster proof.” MacDonough has been Senate parliamentarian since 2012 and is the first woman to hold the position. Republicans are concerned MacDonough could be “problematic” because of a track record of ruling against adding immigration proposals to budget reconciliation bills. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough - its her advisory role in the Senate that might stand in the way of Donald Trump and sweeping immigration reforms “Republicans are already talking about doing three reconciliation measures in the next two years, and one of them will be focused on that, border security,” a GOP strategist told The Hill. Trump has revealed Tom Homan, an immigration hardliner, will be his border czar as the administration looks at sweeping immigration changes MacDonough is the arbiter of whether the reconciliation bill passes the Byrd Rule – which limits the types of provisions that can be included in bills that deal with the budget.