Republicans are weighing reconciliation to pass a voter ID bill without 60 votes, but the Senate's Byrd rule requires real budgetary impact, and precedent isn't on their side.

One Senate procedure lets any senator force a vote on almost anything, as long as they're willing to stay past 3 a.m.

One procedural rule, named for a West Virginia senator, decides which provisions survive a reconciliation bill — and it shaped how the 2025 tax law was written.