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

    House Rejects Senate Highway Plan, Vows to Pass Short-Term Bill Without Saving Export-Import Bank
    In a blunt rejection of the Senate’s attempt to enact a longer-term fix for the nation’s roads, rails and bridges, the House of Representatives plans to pass a patch extending the Highway Trust Fund for three months. The House then plans to quickly leave town for the month-long August recess, signaling that it has no…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • opinion

    One Step Lawmakers Could Take to Boost Job Creation
    For the last 30 years start-ups have been steadily declining as a share of total businesses in the U.S. This is especially worrisome given that start-ups account for most of the new job creation in the economy. Entrepreneurship is a key source of innovation in our economy, as well as an important factor driving productivity…
    David Allen
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  • news

    How Senate Conservatives Plan to Challenge GOP Leadership
    Conservatives in the U.S. Senate are gearing up to challenge Republican leadership today, setting their sights on a plan to repeal Obamacare with 51 votes—a measure that will easily pass if the 54 GOP senators support it. The move comes after several contentious days of fighting over the GOP leadership’s priorities. Senate Majority Leader Mitch…
    Robert B. Bluey | Kate Scanlon
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  • news

    Lawmakers Introduce Defund Planned Parenthood Legislation
    Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the wake of two undercover videos sparking concern about the organization’s abortion practices. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., introduced the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., offered corresponding legislation in the Senate. In a speech on the House…
    Kate Scanlon
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  • opinion

    15 Questions on Iran That Should Be Asked in Senate Hearing
    On Thursday morning the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), chaired by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will meet to hold its first hearing on the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Appearing before the Committee will be three administration witnesses, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. There is a significant level of concern…
    Joshua Meservey | Michaela Dodge | Peter Brookes
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  • opinion

    Why the Senate Plan to Save the Highway Trust Fund Falls Short
    Last week, the House passed an $8-billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund using gimmicky offsets and tax increases to finance new highway and transit spending through mid-December. Not to be outdone, the Senate released its 1,030-page, six-year highway deal, including $48 billion in offsets that make even more extensive use of tax increases and…
    Michael Sargent
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  • news

    These Senators Want Planned Parenthood Investigated
    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and 10 other senators sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell requesting that they launch an investigation into allegations that Planned Parenthood is selling fetal organs. Two undercover videos have been released by the Center for Medical Progress showing two Planned…
    Kate Scanlon
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  • opinion

    The Sneaky Way Lawmakers Get Around the Earmark Ban
    In the midst of the horrifying allegations that Planned Parenthood has been selling organs of aborted babies, there’s been at least a bit of good news from Washington. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives scrapped a floor vote which would have given millions of taxpayer dollars to the Susan G. Komen organization, which in turn…
    Jim DeMint
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  • news

    Kentucky Lawmakers Move to Protect County Clerks, Clergy Opposed to Gay Marriage
    Three Kentucky legislators have filed bills to protect county clerks or religious leaders who say their faith does not allow them to help same-sex couples get married. “I won’t say people have fear, but there certainly is heightened concern,”  @addiawuchner says. One bill, announced Wednesday, would shield county clerks from liability if they refuse, citing…
    Ken McIntyre
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  • news

    Senate Passes Education Law Overhaul, but Challenges Remain
    The Senate Thursday passed a bipartisan rewrite of No Child Left Behind, the nation’s Bush-era education standards that extended the federal government’s reach into U.S. public schools. The legislation passed by a 81-17 vote one week after the House voted along party lines to narrowly pass its more conservative version of No Child Left Behind….
    Natalie Johnson
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  • opinion

    Congress Begins Investigation Into Planned Parenthood, but Lawmakers Shouldn’t Stop There
    On Wednesday, two House committees announced they will begin an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s alleged harvesting and sale of body parts from unborn babies. In an undercover video released yesterday, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood, detailed with startling calmness how she chooses to perform abortion procedures in order to…
    Sarah Torre
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  • news

    With Odds ‘Rigged’ Against Them, Skeptical Lawmakers Hope Americans Turn Against Iran Deal
    Congressional opponents of the nuclear deal with Iran are using words like “horrible,” “disgrace” and “disturbed” to describe the agreement, signaling the tough fight ahead as lawmakers impart on a 60-day review period. At a monthly gathering of House conservatives on Capitol Hill, skeptical lawmakers said they hoped the review period—which will overlap with Congress’…
    Josh Siegel
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  • news

    Conservative Lawmakers Vow to Defund Planned Parenthood After Reveal of Graphic Video
    Conservatives in the House were quick to push for defunding Planned Parenthood Wednesday after a video surfaced showing a top official graphically describing the group’s sale of body parts from aborted fetuses. “No taxpayer funds should be affiliated with something that so many people find completely reprehensible,” said Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. Lummis said the…
    Natalie Johnson
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  • opinion

    225 Years Ago Washington, DC, Was Founded: Here’s Why It Will Never Become the 51st State
    It’s that time of the year again: U.S. House Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is ramping up her efforts to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state in the Union. Her bill, which would create the state of New Columbia from the existing District of Columbia, is the latest in a long line of legislative proposals with the…
    Mike Sabo
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  • news

    Top Senate Democrat Unsure Whether Religious Schools That Oppose Gay Marriage Should Keep Tax-Exempt Status
    Following the Supreme Court decision that declared same-sex marriage a constitutional right, Democrats are considering the impact this will have on religious schools and their tax-exempt statuses. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, minority whip and the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, told The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack that he was unsure if he supported…
    Chelsea Scism
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  • news

    Senate Democrats Move to Fund Universal Pre-Kindergarten
    A Democratic senator has introduced an amendment to a rewritten version of the No Child Left Behind Act that would fund universal pre-kindergarten. According to Sen. Bob Casey’s office, the amendment, the Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2015, would fund universal pre-kindergarten by “ending the corporate inversions tax loophole.” Under the legislation, companies…
    Kate Scanlon
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  • news

    How Michigan Lawmakers Want to Make It Harder for Law Enforcement to Take Your Stuff
    Last year, two Michigan self-described “soccer moms” were the victims of raids conducted by local law enforcement officials, who took telephones, televisions and cash from the women’s homes under civil asset forfeiture laws. The women, Ginnifer Hency and Annette Shattuck, have never been found guilty of a crime. Inspired by cases such as these, a…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    What the Newest Addition to the Washington Nationals Can Teach Us About Conservatism
    Baseball fans should be on the lookout for a new addition at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., later this week. Ladies & gents, please meet the newest #Nats Racing President: Calvin Coolidge! Welcome to The Show, Calvin. pic.twitter.com/ZWox6RpSYB — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 1, 2015 Calvin Coolidge will join five other former U.S. presidents in…
    Samantha Reinis
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  • opinion

    In King v. Burwell Decision, Supreme Court Justices Acted as Lawmakers, Not Judges
    It’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for conservatives who pinned their hopes of blocking Obamacare on the Supreme Court. Today’s decision allowing the Obama administration to extend subsidies to the federally-run health care exchange will only encourage more bad behavior on the part of our unbound executive. In a 6-3 decision written…
    Elizabeth Slattery
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  • opinion

    Lawmakers Should Act to Keep Hamilton on the $10 Bill
     Last week the Department of the Treasury announced a plan to remove Alexander Hamilton’s portrait from the $10 bill and replace it with a portrait of “a woman.” While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to include a woman on the nation’s currency, this particular move is a bad idea, for several reasons. In…
    Carson Holloway
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