A Way to Move Forward on 2017 Budget Plan

Without any serious progress on a budget resolution in the House, some pragmatic lawmakers are reportedly considering a “Queen of the Hill” legislative rule to break the gridlock.

The rule operates on a simple, common-sense principle: Every lawmaker has an opportunity to put his or her preferred solution on the table, and if no preferred solution receives a majority of votes, a default option is “deemed,” or considered passed by the House.

Without any serious progress on a budget resolution in the House, some pragmatic lawmakers are reportedly considering a “Queen of the Hill” legislative rule to break the gridlock.

The rule operates on a simple, common-sense principle: Every lawmaker has an opportunity to put his or her preferred solution on the table, and if no preferred solution receives a majority of votes, a default option is “deemed,” or considered passed by the House.

Phil LaRue, director of government relations for The Concord Coalition, says in a new blog post that this approach deserves serious consideration.

Last fall a bipartisan agreement set a $1.07 trillion total for Fiscal 2017 appropriations. Some conservatives, however, still oppose the figure and want guarantees of mandatory spending cuts that Democrats would likely reject.

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Penn.) has raised the possibility of a “Queen of the Hill” rule, according to the National Journal. The major House voting blocs could all offer their budgets, with the $1.07 trillion figure being accepted if no option receives a majority.

LaRue says the rule “could open the way for dialogue on the kinds of balanced fiscal plans that have become increasingly uncommon in recent years.”