Budget Reconciliation Still In Dispute

The Associated Press reports that the Budget Reconciliation Bill that would, among many other things, change the way in which SSI back benefits are paid, is still up in the air. The versions passed by the two houses of Congress were not precisely the same, a fact that was not recognized until after the President signed the bill. The Republican leaders of the House of Representatives have decided to do nothing about the matter, insisting that the differences between the bills passed by the House and Senate do not affect the validity of passage. There is considerable reluctance to bring the matter to a new vote in the House of Representatives since the bill was extremely controversial and only passed 216-214. An Alabama attorney has now brought a civil action to force a ruling.