Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has rarely been in the news since being appointed in that role back in 2012. But on Wednesday she returned to headlines, thanks to a Trump Truth Social post targeting her.
Not only did Donald Trump target MacDonough, but he also blasted the Senate Republicans for retaining the Obama-era appointee in the post. Article of Senate Parliamentarian goes to a non-partisan official appointed by the Senate Majority Leader.
With Trump’s post, the current GOP Senate Majority Leader, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, has come under extreme pressure. But Thune has previously praised MacDonough saying that she is “very steeped in the traditions of the Senate and understands how it works here.”
Trump lashed out at the Senate Parliamentarian over the latter striking down the reconciliation package to fund the ICE and the Border Patrol that Senate Republicans had put together. Last Thursday, when the $72 billion package was presented to Elizabeth MacDonough, she disagreed with the key provisions of the bill. Notably, the reconciliation bill also contained $1 billion in state funding for Trump’s contentious ballroom project.
Trump’s post has triggered a sudden spark of attention on the Senate Parliamentarian. In this article, we will take a look at what we know about her in five key points.
Who Is Elizabeth MacDonough? 5 Things To Know
1. Originally A Library Assistant and Journalist
She started her career in the 1990s as an assistant at the Senate library before briefly working as an editor with Congressional Record.
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2. Worked On Immigration Cases In New Jersey
Before becoming Senate parliamentarian, MacDonough worked in the Justice Department as a trial attorney handling immigration case in New Jersey. A 2012 profile described her as a prosecutor working out of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
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3. Lives in Arlington, Virginia
Public profiles place MacDonough in the Washington, D.C., area, with reporting commonly identifying Arlington, Virginia, as her home base.
4. Suffers from Stage 3 Breast Cancer
MacDonough suffered from breast cancer and, according to a Politico report, she was absent from the Senate for two weeks in September 2021 after undergoing surgery for Stage 3 breast cancer.
5. First Woman To Hold The Position
With her appointment in 2012, she became the first woman ever to hold the Senate Parliamentarian post.
