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

    Lawmakers Plot Push to Break Up the Most Liberal Federal Court

    A group of Republican senators will introduce legislation splitting the country’s largest—and some say most liberal—appeals court into smaller, separate jurisdictions. The effort is led by GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who argues the burgeoning docket on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dramatically slowed the pace of justice. “With regard to…
    Kevin Daley
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    • News

    Upcoming Senate Votes Put Pressure on These 12 Vulnerable Democrats

    Confirmation votes for Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees could be the first indicator of how Senate Democrats from states that went for Trump prepare for re-election challenges in 2018. “Democrats will have to balance their party affiliation with the way their states voted,” @InsideElections says. Democrats must defend 25 of the 33 Senate seats that will…
    Fred Lucas
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    • News

    7 Ways This Senator Says Government Wastes Your Tax Dollars

    As Congress enters debate on a new budget, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is making sure wasteful spending remains at the forefront with a report citing examples ranging from a study of how college students party to research on whether dinosaurs could sing. Flake told The Daily Signal that he released the report, “Wastebook: PORKémon Go,”…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • News

    Why This Senator Wants to Extend the Ban on Earmarks

    The Senate’s temporary moratorium on earmarks in the federal budget is about to expire, but one senator says he wants to make sure earmarks don’t make a comeback. “You can’t drain the swamp by feeding pork to the alligators.” —@JeffFlake Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he will propose Tuesday to extend the moratorium on earmark…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • Opinion

    3 Steps Lawmakers Could Take to Roll Back Government Control of School Lunches

    Last year, both the House and Senate introduced bills to reauthorize child nutrition programs, but reauthorization ultimately stalled by the end of 2016. This is good news though, because both bills would have simply doubled down on heavy-handed policies put into place by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Congress should now take the…
    Rachel Sheffield
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    • News

    State Lawmakers Seek to Stop New York City From Destroying ID Records

    A judge is expected to rule soon on whether New York City can destroy records associated with an identification program commonly used by illegal immigrants who lack Social Security cards or driver’s licenses. Earlier this month, Ron Castorina Jr. and Nicole Malliotakis, Republican members of the New York State Assembly from Long Island, filed a…
    Josh Siegel
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    • News

    Remembering George Washington’s New Year’s Victory Over the British at Princeton

    PRINCETON, N.J.—What began as a retreat from battle-hardened, bayonet-wielding British soldiers 240 years ago, Gen. George Washington reorganized into a counterattack after arriving with well-armed reinforcements in a place known as Maxwell’s Field. This battleground in Princeton, New Jersey, is where the U.S. War of Independence reached a critical turning point. “Parade with us, my…
    Kevin Mooney
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    • Opinion

    Live From Washington, It’s The Daily Signal

    You may have noticed that when we describe The Daily Signal, we refer to it as a “multimedia” news organization. That’s because there’s not just one way to tell a story or cover an issue. Sometimes, the best way is via the written word and photos. Other times, it is through a series of information…
    Genevieve Wood
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    • News

    Term Limits Would Infuse Congress With ‘New Blood,’ Lawmakers Argue

    Two conservative lawmakers plan to fight for term limits in the next Congress, saying the effort will foster accountability and complement President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., announced they will introduce a constitutional amendment that would limit members of the House to three two-year…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • News

    Senate Democrats Retreat, Help Pass Spending Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

    Senate Democrats, digging in their heels Friday over health benefits for retired coal miners, threatened to shut down the government over the weekend for lack of a short-term spending agreement by a midnight deadline. “ We’re not going to shut down the government.” —@SenSchumer But Democrats gave in Friday evening, saying they would fight on…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • Opinion

    Senators Vow to ‘Use Any Means Necessary’ to Ensure Taxpayer Bailout of Private Union Pension Plan

    As Congress closes up shop for 2016, a group of four Democratic senators is determined to “use whatever means necessary” to secure a special-interest taxpayer bailout for the United Mine Workers of America union. According to the senators, those “means” will include “blocking other bills” until the bailout is secure. The UMWA represents roughly 100,000…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • News

    Obama’s IRS Commissioner Escapes Impeachment Vote in Congress

    The GOP-led House voted Tuesday against impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, delaying indefinitely the conservative effort to hold President Barack Obama's top taxman accountable for the targeting of tea party groups. The decision to refer the matter to the Judiciary Committee means Koskinen can continue to serve under President-elect Donald Trump in January, unless he's fired…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • News

    Georgia Lawmaker Says Federal Funds Should Not Go to Sanctuary Colleges

    A Georgia state lawmaker said “sanctuary” college campuses should not receive taxpayer dollars. “It’s a simple equation: If you don’t follow the law, the state funds are not going to follow you,” Georgia state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, told Ainsley Earhardt and Pete Hegseth on “Fox & Friends.” “Lawbreaking 101 is a new course…
    Leah Jessen
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    • News

    Sen. Mike Lee Calls for 12-Year Term Limits for Lawmakers

    The 2016 election cycle has sent a signal “loud and clear” that the federal government needs fixing, a U.S. senator said Tuesday. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, voiced his support for 12-year term limits on members in either body of Congress while speaking at The Heritage Foundation this week. “I’m distressed any time I see the…
    Leah Jessen
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    • Opinion

    Artists’ Free Speech Rights at Stake in Washington Florist Case

    An African-American marketer should not be forced to create an advertising campaign for a white supremacist group. Nor should a Muslim graphic designer be required to develop a webpage promoting Jewish teachings, or a Democrat freelance writer be ordered to draft political speeches for Republicans. Most agree with this, but Washington state Attorney General Bob…
    Jim Campbell
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    • News

    Conservative Lawmakers Say Current Welfare System Is ‘Anti-Family’

    With a new Republican administration in tow, conservative lawmakers are renewing their call for welfare reform that incentivizes families rather than punishing them. “When we look at what we want for our society, when we look at the key ingredients that have to be contained within any thriving civilization, there are a couple of common…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    House Passes Bill Blocking Sale of Aircraft to Iran

    House Republicans voted Thursday to block the sale of aircraft to Iran, a move GOP lawmakers and some Democrats said would protect taxpayer dollars from being used to finance the export of airplanes to Tehran. The House voted 243 to 174 to pass legislation sponsored by Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., prohibiting the secretary of the…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    Lawmaker Proposes Bill That Could Defund Post-Election Student Coping Sessions

    “Suck it up, buttercup,” an Iowa lawmaker tells college students upset over President-elect Donald Trump’s win. “I’m trying to prepare kids for the fact that life is going to hand you lemons,” Iowa state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, told The Daily Signal. “And every time it does, if you don’t get your way, you don’t…
    Leah Jessen
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    • News

    Washington Florist Case Goes Before the State Supreme Court

    The Washington Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the case of a 72-year-old florist who is facing fines after declining to make flower arrangements for a gay couple’s wedding. During the hearing, lawyers for the florist, Barronelle Stutzman, were asked to explain how declining to make flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding is different from discrimination…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    As National Debt Nears $20 Trillion, Senator Takes Aim at Government Waste

    How do you begin addressing the U.S. government’s nearly $20 trillion debt? For one senator, the answer begins with wasteful spending. In an interview with The Daily Signal on Monday, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., announced he would release the second edition of his “Federal Fumbles” report on Nov. 28. The first report, which exposed 100 wasteful…
    Rachel del Guidice
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