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

    Conservatives, Liberals Unhappy as Senate Passes Spending Bill, 56-40
    The Senate tonight passed a $1.1 trillion bill to fund most of the federal government through the current fiscal year, averting another partial shutdown amid sharp disagreements on regulating immigration, financial institutions and election campaigns. The Senate’s bipartisan 56-40 vote, coming after an unusual Saturday session, cleared the way for President Obama to sign the…
    Josh Siegel
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  • news

    Tom Coburn’s Stirring Message to Fellow Senators, in 90 Seconds
    In an emotional farewell address, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., today encouraged fellow lawmakers to heed their oath of office, saying it doesn’t include securing goodies for their home states. Coburn, perhaps best known for combating government waste, took to the Senate floor for his remarks. The Oklahoma Republican reminded colleagues that they take an oath to…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • opinion

    Spending Bill: House Caves to Senate on Transportation Funding
    In last minute, high pressure negotiations over spending bills on Capitol Hill, the House often caves to the Senate’s higher, irresponsible levels of spending. On Tuesday, they did it again. This time, they caved with the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2015 spending. Higher spending levels emerged on a variety of programs that merit…
    Emily Goff
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  • news

    5 Things Jonathan Gruber Said on Capitol Hill While Apologizing for ‘Stupid’ Cracks
    Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber took the hot seat before congressional investigators today to address notorious comments he made about the intelligence of the American people. The economist offered up an apology, among other things, for “trying to conjecture about the political process.” Gruber testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the transparency…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Old Friends Go Head-to-Head for Top Spot on Senate Budget Committee
    Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is going up against one of his closest friends in the U.S. Senate for the plum post of Budget Committee chairman — a matchup that could determine, in part, the policy agenda as Republicans take control of the upper chamber next month. Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Budget Committee,…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    The Anti-Gruber: This State Senator Unafraid to Outline Costs of Vermont’s Single-Payer Health Care Plan
    For two years, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has concealed his plans for financing single-payer health care. His lead consultant, Jonathan Gruber, has admitted to deceptive policymaking and called lack of transparency “a huge political advantage.” But at least one man knows what Vermonters can expect to pay for Green Mountain Care and isn’t afraid to…
    Bruce Parker
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  • news

    Virginia Lawmakers Consider Enshrining Privacy Protections in State Constitution
    With technology outpacing privacy laws, Virginia lawmakers are trying to plan for the unexpected. Democratic state Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax and Republican state Del. Richard Anderson of Woodbridge are looking to prohibit state agencies and law enforcement from using any technology — think automatic license plate readers, call databases and drones — to passively…
    Kathryn Watson
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  • news

    Vermont Lawmakers Question Credibility of Health Care Plan Relying on Gruber Research
    Vermont lawmakers say they’re skeptical of Gov. Peter Shumlin’s forthcoming single-payer financing plan because it relies on economic modeling provided by Jonathan Gruber. As Shumlin gets ready to present a health-care financing plan to the legislature in January, key lawmakers who will decide its fate are saying Gruber’s explosive video confessions severely damage the proposal….
    Bruce Parker
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  • news

    Lawmakers, Lobbyists Eye ‘Green’ Energy Subsidies in Lame-Duck Congress
    As the lame-duck Congress limps to the finish line, billions of dollars in federal energy subsidies could be up for grabs. The perennial procrastination has solar and wind-power lobbyists scrambling for tax credits. Last week, lawmakers reached a deal on a $440 billion tax package only to have President Obama threaten a veto. The package would have…
    Kenric Ward
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  • news

    House Panel’s Benghazi Report ‘Full of Crap,’ Senator Says
    Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., today said a new House committee report on the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi is “full of crap.” The report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two years in the making and released Friday evening, asserts that intelligence and military officials responded appropriately during the attacks on the U.S….
    Josh Siegel
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  • opinion

    Republican Senator Calls for Benghazi Select Committee
    Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,  called for the creation of a Senate Select Committee on Benghazi in an interview this week on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. Graham has been one of the most persistent critics of the Obama administration’s handling of Benghazi since day one. The administration was under threat from Graham to hold up the…
    Helle Dale
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  • news

    3 Lawmakers Offer Their Political Smarts to Head This ‘Study’ Group
    One of a trio of Republican congressmen will take over a conservative caucus in the U.S. House with  a 40-year history that some members see as compromised. Although a front-runner has emerged, insiders warn a bump in support for a candidate favored by House leadership could affect the outcome. Next Tuesday, three lawmakers seek the chairmanship…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    From the Classroom to the Capitol: America’s Youngest Lawmaker Is All About Ideas
    She has to go through freshman orientation again. But this time, as the newest representative from the 59th District of the West Virginia House of Delegates. This spring, college freshman Saira Blair will skip class for the state capital to be sworn in as the youngest state representative in the nation. While still a senior…
    Philip Wegmann
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  • opinion

    How the New GOP-Run Senate Can Help Investigate Benghazi
    When the new Republican-led Congress convenes in January, unraveling the Benghazi scandal should be a top priority. The House Select Committee on Benghazi started its work this summer. Soon the Senate will be in position to contribute. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., one of the most vocal critics of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and…
    Helle Dale
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  • news

    Is This Redskins Ad the Reason the Virginia Senate Race Is Shockingly Close?
    U.S. Senate candidate Ed Gillespie ran this ad last week during Monday night football—and some are speculating it’s the reason the Virginia Republican, who was lagging significantly behind incumbent Sen. Mark Warner in the polls, is doing so much better than expected. .@BretBaier speculates that Gillespie’s pro-Redskins ad was effective. #vasen — Kevin W. Glass (@KevinWGlass) November 5,…
    Daily Signal Staff
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  • news

    It’s a Wave: Republicans Take US Senate, Build Majority in House, Grab Governorships
    It was a GOP wave. In a near-sweep of yesterday’s midterm elections, Republicans shifted the balance of power in the U.S. Senate, gaining at least seven seats, widened their majority in the House by at least 11 seats and defeated Democrats in 24 governor's races. "We are headed to Washington and we are going to make ’em squeal,"…
    Josh Siegel | Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Who’s Up, Who’s Down: 11 Hot Senate Races on Election Day
    With only hours to go before the polls open on Election Day, six races that could determine whether Republicans take back the U.S. Senate look to be tight as a tick. Of the nine Senate races identified by The Daily Signal as instrumental to the balance of power, just one — Iowa — is a…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Poll: More Hispanics Want Republicans to Control Senate than Democrats
    Half of Hispanics don’t think it matters who controls the senate after the November election, according to a new poll. When asked. “If control of the Senate switched from the Democrats to the Republicans after this election, do you think that would be a good thing, a bad thing, or wouldn’t it make any difference?”…
    Kate Scanlon
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  • news

    How a ‘Crazy’ Runoff Vote in Georgia Could Decide Control of the Senate
    The U.S. Senate race in Georgia was supposed to be a gimme for Republicans. After all, it’s a reliably red state in the Deep South. Instead, polling now suggests an extremely tight contest, raising the possibility of a runoff election in January if neither candidate can get 50 percent of the vote a week from today–and…
    Josh Siegel
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  • news

    In New Jersey, an Uphill Race for Senate Resets the Gold Standard
    “Hands Across New Jersey.” That was the name given to the grassroots movement that came together in response to the $2.8 billion tax increase New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio pushed through after taking office in 1990. Florio, a Democrat,  had said throughout the campaign that he saw “no need for new taxes.”  When he went…
    Kevin Mooney
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