Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has rarely been in the news since being appointed in 2012, but she returned to headlines after a Trump Truth Social post targeting her.
MacDonough, a non-partisan official appointed by the Senate Majority Leader, was praised by current GOP Senate Majority Leader Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who said she is 'very steeped in the traditions of the Senate and understands how it works here.'
Trump lashed out at MacDonough over her decision to strike down the reconciliation package to fund the ICE and the Border Patrol that Senate Republicans had put together, which also contained $1 billion in state funding for Trump's contentious ballroom project.
Here are five key points about Elizabeth MacDonough:
1. Originally A Library Assistant and Journalist: MacDonough started her career in the 1990s as an assistant at the Senate library before briefly working as an editor with Congressional Record.
2. Worked On Immigration Cases In New Jersey: Before becoming Senate parliamentarian, MacDonough worked in the Justice Department as a trial attorney handling immigration cases in New Jersey.
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 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.
