Congressional & Capitol Hill News

The Daily Signal delivers comprehensive congressional news with reporting and conservative commentary on House and Senate activities, legislative priorities, committee investigations, leadership battles, and the fight for conservative policy in both chambers of Congress.
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    • News

    Washington Post Asks Court to Dismiss Covington Lawsuit

    The Washington Post asked a federal court Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann in February. Several Covington Catholic boys, including Sandmann, were caught in a viral encounter with American Indian activist Nathan Phillips in January. An initial video made it appear like the boys donning Make America…
    Neetu Chandak
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    • Opinion

    Senate Republicans Have Triggered the ‘Nuclear Option.’ They Are Completely Justified.

    Most people agree that our system of government depends on an informed, participating citizenry. It can be hard enough to understand what Congress is doing, but it’s even harder to grasp how Congress operates.   And yet, rules that govern how things get done often determine what those things end up being. As such, it’s…
    Thomas Jipping
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    • Opinion

    Senate Poised to Put More Disaster Spending on the Nation’s Credit Card

    The Senate is at it again, maneuvering to consider another poorly targeted disaster aid package that would add billions of dollars in deficit spending. At a $13.5 billion price tag for this latest disaster bill, Congress continues to abuse the disaster and emergency spending designation as a means to circumvent the Budget Control Act spending…
    Justin Bogie
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    • News

    Senate Democrat Says He Can’t Support Equality Act in Current Form

    Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Monday that he cannot support the Democrats’ “gender equality” legislation as pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “I strongly support equality for all people and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” Manchin said in a formal statement. “No one should be afraid of losing their job or losing their…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • Opinion

    These 2 Senators Don’t Want Taxpayers Paying for ‘Plush’ Pensions for Wealthy Lawmakers

    With the federal debt now over $22 trillion, does it really make sense to provide “plush” pensions to federal lawmakers—many of whom are millionaires in their own right? Freshman Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., don’t think so, and they’ve introduced the End Pensions in Congress Act, legislation to phase out congressional pensions. …
    Rachel Greszler
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    • News

    Covington Student Sues Washington Post

    Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann is suing The Washington Post over its coverage of a January incident involving himself and Native American protester Nathan Phillips. Attorneys for Sandmann filed the lawsuit Tuesday, accusing the Washington newspaper of engaging in a “modern-day form of McCarthyism.” The lawsuit also blames CNN and NBC, “among others,” for taking…
    Tim Pearce
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    • News

    Washington Post Calls Ocasio-Cortez’s Claim of ‘Doctored’ Green New Deal Documents ‘Misleading’

    Washington Post fact-checkers ruled Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim of “doctored” Green New Deal FAQ documents floating around as “misleading,” but the outlet curiously did not give her any “Pinocchios.” “No one created ‘doctored’ versions of the Green New Deal that included these outlandish proposals,” Rizzo wrote in an article published Monday. Rizzo’s article…
    Michael Bastasch
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    • News

    Senate Democrat Blocks Infanticide Ban

    Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., blocked Monday night Republican Sen. Ben Sasse’s push to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act by unanimous consent. “We’re actually talking about babies that have been born,” Sasse, who represents Nebraska, said in a Senate floor speech Monday. “The only debate on the floor tonight is about infanticide.” The Born-Alive Abortion…
    Katrina Trinko
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    • News

    Republican Senators Look to End Death Tax

    Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and John Thune, R-S.D., reintroduced legislation this week to send the death tax to its grave. “Death should not be a taxable event, and I am proud to join with my colleagues to ensure working men and women, including America’s farmers, ranchers, and small business owners, are able to flourish,” Cruz…
    Courtney Joyner
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    • Opinion

    A Freshman Senator Outlines the Reforms He Will Push in Washington

    Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., joins us to discuss how he’s ready to change Washington, D.C. The businessman-turned-politician shares why he advocates term limits and wants lawmakers to lose pay if they don’t pass a budget on time. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. We also cover these stories: Second lady Karen Pence…
    Robert B. Bluey
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    • Opinion

    Democratic Senators Are Getting Way Too Comfortable With Religious Tests

    This new year will quickly reveal to the American people whether some Democrats in Washington have resolved to abandon their overused—and unconstitutional—religious test for office. Two Democrats in the Senate, Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Kamala Harris of California, recently objected to the nomination of Brian Buescher to a U.S. district court in Nebraska…
    Lathan Watts
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    • News

    Trump on Impeachment Talk: I ‘Had the Most Successful First 2 Years of Any President’

    President Donald Trump issued a rhetorical question on Twitter Friday morning addressing the calls for impeachment against him, which have been increasingly apparent as Democrats officially took over the House on Thursday. “How do you impeach a president who has won perhaps the greatest election of all time, done nothing wrong (no collusion with Russia,…
    Hanna Bogorowski
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    • News

    Re-Enactors Show How a Militia Ensured Washington’s Revolutionary Charge at Princeton

    PRINCETON, N.J.—Before Gen. George Washington entered the battlefield with reinforcements on the morning of Jan. 3, 1777, members of the Pennsylvania militia fired off two cannons to halt the advancing British troops. What Washington needed most 242 years ago was for the militia to delay the bayonet-wielding British soldiers operating under the command of Lt….
    Kevin Mooney
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    • Opinion

    Senate Vote on War in Yemen Risks Undermining US and Yemeni Interests, While Boosting Iran’s

    The Senate voted twice on Thursday to challenge the Trump administration’s policies on Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a unanimous vote, the Senate held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This statement went far beyond what the administration has been…
    James Phillips
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    • News

    Census: Wealthiest Counties All Surround Washington

    The five jurisdictions with the highest median income are all suburbs of the nation’s capital, according to numbers released by the United States Census Bureau Thursday. The rankings are a result of a five-year study called the 2013-2017 American Community Survey and measured over 40 features, including housing, demographics, as well as health insurance rates and education levels….
    Joe Simonson
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    • News

    3 Senate Democrats Sue to Stop Acting AG Whitaker From Serving

    Accusing President Donald Trump of taking “dictatorial” action and “evading accountability,” three Senate Democrats are asking a federal court to prevent his acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, from serving in that capacity. The three Democrats, who all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia…
    Fred Lucas
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    • News

    Senate Democrats Cite Problems at HUD, but Block Trump’s Nominees for Key Posts

    Senate Democrats have stalled nominees to fill key posts in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, even while complaining about the agency’s performance. An NBC News report last week alleged that HUD’s staffing problems were the fault of President Donald Trump and HUD Secretary Ben Carson. HUD’s enforcement office is at its lowest level…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Senate Move to Block Arms Sales to Bahrain Would Undermine US Interests

    The Senate is set to vote Thursday on a resolution of disapproval that would block the sale of what advocates describe as “offensive weapons” to Bahrain, an important U.S. ally that faces deadly threats from Iran. Advocates of the ban argue that this denial would somehow ease the humanitarian suffering in Yemen. In reality, it…
    James Phillips
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    • News

    Meet the 8 New Members of the Senate

    While Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s elections, the GOP likely strengthened its Senate majority by three seats, to gain a 54-seat majority. One race, in Mississippi, won’t be decided until Nov. 27, as incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, appointed in April, is set to face Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff because…
    Tristan Justice
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    • Opinion

    Senate Election Results Give Republicans Opportunity to Confirm More Judges Faster

    The 2018 election results are encouraging, if for no other reason than that more progress can be made in filling judicial vacancies. First, a snapshot of where things stand right now. President Donald Trump has made almost 40 percent more nominations to life-tenured positions than the average for his five predecessors of both parties at…
    Thomas Jipping
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