June 14, 2026

Understanding Budget Reconciliation: How Congress Fast Tracks Major Fiscal Legislation

Budget reconciliation is a special congressional procedure created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that allows Congress to consider legislation affecting federal spending, revenues (taxes), and the debt limit under expedited procedures. Most notably, reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with a simple majority vote rather than the 60 votes normally needed to overcome a filibuster. As a result, reconciliation has become one of the most important tools for enacting major fiscal policy changes. The following is an overview of the congressional budget reconciliation process and a discussion of its importance to librarians, researchers, and the general public.

What Is Reconciliation?

Reconciliation is designed to align existing laws with the fiscal goals established in a congressional budget resolution. It can be used to:

April 9, 2026

Tracking Federal Priorities: A Section By Section Overview of President Trump’s FY 2027 Budget

by David Badertscher

The White House has released the Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2027, offering a comprehensive statement of the administration’s fiscal priorities, policy direction, and economic assumptions. While the President’s budget is not binding law (Congress ultimately determines appropriations) it remains one of the most important primary source documents for understanding the trajectory of federal policy.

This post provides an overview of Issues addressed throughout the FY 2027 budget, followed by a discussion of why it matters across several key audiences.

Full Text of the Budget

March 18, 2026

USPS at a Crossroads: Congress Convenes Urgent Hearing on Its Financial Future

by David Badertscher

The House Subcommittee on Government Operations has now concluded its March 17, 2026 hearing on “Oversight of the United States Postal Service: The Financial Future Under Postmaster General David Steiner,” and the message emerging from Capitol Hill is unmistakable: the United States Postal Service (USPS) faces mounting financial pressure, and time to act may be running short. According to the Subcommittee’s official wrap-up, the Postal Service’s “already-troubled financial situation is getting worse,” prompting renewed concern over whether the agency can remain viable without significant structural change.

A System Under Strain

Testimony before the Subcommittee underscored the scale of the challenge. Postmaster General David Steiner pointed to a dramatic collapse in traditional mail volume, from 213 billion pieces annually at its peak to approximately 109 billion today, representing a loss of over 100 billion pieces of mail and tens of billions in lost revenue. At the same time, while USPS has taken steps to increase revenue and reduce costs, those efforts have not kept pace with rising expenses. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) emphasized, the current trajectory “is not sustainable,” with service performance declining even as costs continue to grow.