UMBC Political Science Professor Roy T. Meyers offered a dissenting voice in PolitiFact’s recent analysis of comments by White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew on President Obama’s 2013 budget proposal. Lew said, “You can’t pass a budget in the Senate of the United States without 60 votes” — a statement rejected by critics who note only a simple majority is needed for a budget vote.

Meyers offers the counterargument that “Lew is absolutely on the mark on the bigger picture” given that the budget resolution requiring a majority vote is just a blueprint and legislation to actually implement the budget’s provisions will likely require 60 votes eventually, to reach the cloture threshold.