Republican attempt to rein in federal judges is stripped from Trump's big bill

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats forced the removal of a provision in Republicans' sweeping domestic policy bill that sought to restrict the power of courts to block federal government policies with injunctions or restraining orders

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats forced the removal of a provision in Republicans' sweeping domestic policy bill that sought to restrict the power of courts to block federal government policies with injunctions or restraining orders.

Democrats are challenging a broad range of provisions in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" for compliance with Senate budget rules that Republicans are relying on to bypass the 60-vote hurdle in the chamber to advance most legislation.

A Democratic aide on the Senate Budget Committee confirmed that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, the in-house referee, ruled the provision did not comply with the “Byrd rule,” which says provisions must be directly related to taxes or spending.

Senate Republicans added the provision in the wake of a flurry of federal court rulings that have stymied President Donald Trump's domestic agenda since he took office, including by blocking some of his most aggressive uses of executive power in pursuing his hard-line immigration crackdown and downsizing of federal agencies.

Trump and his allies have harshly criticized judges who have ruled against the administration. Although nationwide injunctions have only become commonplace in recent years, Trump is not the only president to have been frustrated by them, with the Biden and Obama administrations both suffering similar fates on various fronts.