What the heck is reconciliation?

(a) The rite in the Catholic Church formerly known as penace.

(b) A process whereby congressional resolutions are harmonized with the budget.  Under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, it provides a procedure to consider (certain types of) bills without allowing a fillibuster in the Senate.  As such it’s suddenly become the hot topic legislatively.  I would explain further but I’d muck it up.  Instead, read this by Sarah Binder over at the Monkey Cage.  It’s very lucid.