--- title: Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Pushing for Her to Be Fired? description: Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed concern over Trump's targeting of the Senate parliamentarian. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/ author: Tiago Ventura article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-21T17:43:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-09T11:54:37.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Again Pushing for Her to Be Fired? og:description: Senate Majority Leader John Thune previously expressed concern over Trump's targeting of the Senate parliamentarian. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa479c9ffab597d/6a0f1c2bcbdd671c155e2a14/Elizabeth_MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Elizabeth MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Again Pushing for Her to Be Fired? twitter:description: Senate Majority Leader John Thune previously expressed concern over Trump's targeting of the Senate parliamentarian. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa479c9ffab597d/6a0f1c2bcbdd671c155e2a14/Elizabeth_MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Again Pushing for Her to Be Fired? by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/) and [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) Updated: Jun 9, 2026 11:54 AM UTCPublished: May 21, 2026 5:43 PM UTC  Inset: Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough; President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on May 20. Inset: Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough; President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on May 20.U.S. Senate/Reuters; Kent Nishimura—AFP/Getty Images by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/) and [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) Updated: Jun 9, 2026 11:54 AM UTCPublished: May 21, 2026 5:43 PM UTC President[ Donald Trump](https://time.com/article/2026/05/20/the-truth-about-donald-trump-s-sanity/) has again called on Republicans to remove Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, this time in order to clear a route to pass the SAVE America Act. “Senate Majority Leader John Thune should immediately fire the parliamentarian, who treats Republicans, and everything that they stand for, horribly,” Trump [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116715864662361245). “Just the other night, as an example, she ruled against us on a proposal that would have easily been approved, and should have been, by anyone else. We have every right to change her, and should do so, immediately,” he continued. “As long as she’s there, we will never get our desperately needed SAVE America Act approved, and put into full force and effect.” MacDonagh reportedly ruled that the SAVE America Act did not comply with the Senate’s Byrd Rule in relation to the Republicans’ $70 billion reconciliation package. Reconciliation bills can pass with a simple majority of 51 votes and avoid the Senate’s 60-vote [filibuster](https://time.com/7330524/what-is-a-filibuster-trump-fights-to-terminate-it/) threshold. The Byrd Rule is intended to prevent major policy changes from being inserted into fast-track budget legislation. Instead, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced a motion to waive all budgetary procedural objections in an effort to get parts of the SAVE America Act included in the reconciliation package. But the Republicans on June 4 fell short of the votes they needed to push the amendment through. GOP Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina joined Democrats in voting against the motion. The [legislation](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1192/vote%5F119%5F2%5F00144.htm) would have required voters to show a document proving their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in elections for federal office and provide photo identification when casting their ballot. Trump has long implored Republicans to pass the[ SAVE America Act, encouraging them to ](https://time.com/article/2026/04/03/voting-restrictions-citizenship-proof-state-laws-ballot-measures-trump-save-act/)terminate the filibuster in the Senate in order to get the legislation over the threshold. And this also isn’t the first time the President has called for the Senate parliamentarian to be fired. He delivered the same demand last month when MacDonough ruled against including funds for the[ White House ballroom](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/trump-white-house-ballroom-WHCA-shooting/) as part of the party’s budget reconciliation bill. “Shockingly, Republicans have kept the very important position of 'parliamentarian' in the hands of a woman, Elizabeth MacDonough,” Trump[ said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116607551580410444) on May 20. He went on to claim that MacDonough has been “brutal” to Republicans but not to Democrats, asking: “Why has she not been replaced? There are many fair people who would be qualified for that vital job.” MacDonough had ruled security funding for Trump’s new[ White House ballroom](https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/trump-s-white-house-ballroom-keeps-growing-in-size-and-cost/) did not meet the strict guidelines governing what Republicans can include in the budget reconciliation package they are trying to pass. The proposal to allocate $1 billion in security additions for the White House and ballroom violated the[ Byrd Rule,](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48640) she[ determined](https://www.budget.senate.gov/ranking-member/newsroom/press/golden-ballroom-slush-fund-violates-byrd-rule-according-to-senate-parliamentarian). The decision came after some GOP[ Senators](https://www.axios.com/2026/05/18/tillis-senate-reconciliation-cassidy-cornyn) had already voiced[ concern](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhtwScO3v5Q) about including any ballroom funding in the bill and it was later scrapped from the reconciliation package. But Trump’s targeting of MacDonough and his call for her to be removed from the nonpartisan position she has held since 2012 caused concern across party aisles. Thune, when asked about Trump’s post last month, told reporters: “Obviously, it’s concerning when anybody gets targeted like that. But it’s, I guess, his opinion… We’ll make sure everybody’s got security around here.” “The question around the parliamentarian is one that happens every time there's a reconciliation bill, whether it's a Democratic majority or a Republican majority,” he said. “And there are always people who are unhappy with some of the decisions that come down.” The opposition, meanwhile, celebrated the parliamentarian ruling as a win. “Democrats derailed the GOP’s ridiculous ballroom proposal, and now they're scrambling to come up with a new ballroom provision to put into their bill,”[ said](https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2056496749615722896) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The proposed[ ballroom](https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/trump-s-white-house-ballroom-keeps-growing-in-size-and-cost/) has been a source of controversy, with rising costs drawing concerns from lawmakers across party aisles. As well as receiving criticism from several lawmakers, it also faces a lingering legal challenge. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump Administration last year after Trump had the East Wing of the White House [demolished](https://time.com/7327200/trump-white-house-ballroom-east-wing-demolition/) to make room for the grandiose design.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during a news conference following a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on May 19, 2026. Anna Moneymaker––Getty Images ### **Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?** MacDonough began her Senate[ career](https://web.archive.org/web/20090211162310/http://vermontlaw.edu/Career%5FPaths/Alumni%5FProfiles/Elizabeth%5FMacDonough.htm) in the library before leaving to get a law degree at Vermont Law School. She worked briefly as a Justice Department trial attorney before returning to the Senate in 1999, this time as an assistant in the parliamentarian’s office and in 2002 she was promoted to senior assistant parliamentarian. MacDonough was appointed Senate parliamentarian in 2012, by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of the Democrats during President Barack Obama’s tenure. She was the[ first female parliamentarian](https://rollcall.com/2012/01/30/senate-will-see-first-female-parliamentarian/) in the chamber and has since served in the role under both Democratic and Republican presidencies. MacDonough’s appointment was[ referred](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2012-pt1/pdf/CRECB-2012-pt1-Pg473.pdf) to as a “milestone moment” by then-Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. The SAVE America Act and ballroom saga is not the first time Trump has[ clashed](https://time.com/7296762/big-beautiful-bill-byrd-rule/) with MacDonough. Last year, he said she had been[ “a little difficult”](https://youtu.be/XkgLela6l6o?t=2728) after rulings that constrained parts of his “[Big, Beautiful Bill,](https://time.com/7299256/big-beautiful-bill-polling-takeaways/)” which was eventually signed into law on[ Independence Day](https://time.com/7300177/trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill/). MacDonough guided the Senate through both of Trump’s[ impeachment trials](https://time.com/5939232/senate-acquits-donald-trump-second-impeachment-trial/). But she has also drawn the ire of Democrats on occasion. In 2021, during President Joe Biden’s presidency, she ruled the Democrats’ federal minimum wage boost could[ not be included](https://time.com/6099839/immigration-senate-infrastructure/) in the COVID-19 relief plan under reconciliation rules. ### **What is the role of the House and Senate parliamentarians?** The House and Senate[ parliamentarian offices](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS20544) are formally designed to be nonpartisan and confidential. According to Congress, the role exists to “provide expert advice and assistance on questions relating to the meaning and application of that chamber's legislative rules, precedents, and practices.” Gregory Koger, a professor of political science at the University of Miami who specializes in the study of Congress, tells TIME that because each chamber of Congress has the authority to determine its own rules, this can “create the potential for majorities to interpret rules in ways that are favorable to the majority but not consistent with the traditional meaning of those rules.” The role of the parliamentarian was created, he says, “to try to make the interpretation of those rules more fair and more consistent over time.” As nonpartisan officials, parliamentarians make their expertise on legal and procedural matters available to all members of the chambers. Whenever the House or Senate is in session, the parliamentarian—or one of the office’s deputies or assistants—is present on the chamber floor at all times. Parliamentarians in the House and Senate, along with their deputies, are responsible for maintaining, complaining, and publishing the rules and precedents of its chamber. When advising lawmakers the parliamentarian will consult a variety of sources to inform their decision. In the case of the Senate, these are the[ standing rules](https://www.rules.senate.gov/rules-of-the-senate) of the Senate,[ chamber precedents](https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/riddicks-senate-procedure?path=/GPO/Riddick%2527s%20Senate%20Procedure),[ expedited procedures](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RL30599), and[ unanimous consent agreements](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS20594). In the House, the parliamentarian office publishes the[ House Rules and Manual](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/hman/), to ensure guidance followed is up to date. According to the[ Bipartisan Policy Center](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-is-the-role-of-the-senate-parliamentarian/), the office of the parliamentarian in the Senate was established in 1935, and only six individuals have held the position. The role was[ established](https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/officers-and-organizations/parliamentarian-of-the-house) in the House in 1927 and six individuals have held the title of parliamentarian. The center notes that “the scripts and verbal advice provided to senators by the parliamentarian are merely advice, not rulings” and adherence to that advice “is meant to create a predictable standard for doing business.” Although the majority party can ignore and overrule a parliamentarian's advice, Koger says, this has historically been avoided by Congress. “Traditionally, officials really have not wanted to do that, because they value having a chamber that has at least some degree of professionalism and some minimal commitment to bipartisanship,” he notes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/"},"headline":"Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Again Pushing for Her to Be Fired?","datePublished":"2026-05-21T17:43:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T11:54:37.000Z","description":"Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed concern over Trump's targeting of the Senate parliamentarian.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa479c9ffab597d/6a0f1c2bcbdd671c155e2a14/Elizabeth_MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tiago Ventura","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia-Anne Cleary","jobTitle":"Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau.","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa479c9ffab597d/6a0f1c2bcbdd671c155e2a14/Elizabeth_MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Elizabeth MacDonough-donald-trump.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"U.S. Senate/Reuters; Kent Nishimura—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/trump-demands-republicans-fire-senate-parliamentarian-elizabeth-macdonough/","name":"Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough—and Why Is Trump Again Pushing for Her to Be Fired?"}}]}] ```