More Litigation on Budget Reconciliation

The 2005 budget reconciliation bill, labeled as the "Deficit Reduction Act of 2005", was passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. It contains provisions affecting the Social Security Administration, primarily a new requirement for staged payments of back SSI benefits. The versions passed by the two houses of Congress were not identical, a fact that was known before the President signed the bill. Since the bill passed by the narrowest of margins in each house, Republican leaders have been very leery of a legislative correction to the problem, insisting that the bill became law despite the differences in the bills passed by the House and Senate. This brought about first a lawsuit in Alabama filed by a Republican lawyer and politican, then a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen, a Washington based public interest group, and now a lawsuit by eleven members of the House of Representatives, filed in Detroit. There may also be a lawsuit in Florida on the same issue. The matter is likely headed to the Supreme Court.