Roadmap to the Reconciliation Process

Thursday, November 12, 2026

The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) recently co-hosted a panel discussion on Capitol Hill with American University’s Program on Legislative Negotiation (PLN) and the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) entitled “Roadmap to the Reconciliation Process.” A follow-up to this summer’s “Roadmap to the Budget Process” session, the event served as a guide to the complex reconciliation process, and to connect high-level fiscal and negotiation concepts directly to a staffer’s legislative work, with nearly 100 Hill staffers participating. The panel featured the following moderators/speakers:

• (Moderator) Craig Volden, Co-Director of the CEL and Professor of Public Policy and Politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
• Tom Kahn, Distinguished Faculty Fellow and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University.
• Chris Bertram, Fellow of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and a Co-founder of the PLN.
• Adam Shifriss, Senior Director of Legislative Strategy for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

At the start, PSA Executive Director John Sullivan introduced Co-Director Volden. The panelists followed, each giving their own presentations about the basic concept and rules of reconciliation, how the procedure has evolved over time, the legislative players involved and their respective roles, specific concepts such as the Byrd Rule, and how it has affected fiscal deficits.

The rest of the program was set aside for a Question and Answer session from the congressional staff, as well as follow-up questions from Co-Director Volden. Issues included: how reconciliation came into being, how it affects the trust funds, how staff can deal with the fiscal shortfalls, common misperceptions about it, potential reforms to the process, and what to expect in the future.

The CEL is once again thankful to the organizers and participants for creating a great event. We look forward to more such gatherings, as well as holding CEL Office Hours and PLN programming as future opportunities for further staff support.