U.S. Senate News
This section focuses on the upper chamber of Congress, from major policy debates to confirmation hearings. The Daily Signal provides a conservative look at Senate priorities.
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- Opinion
Congress’ Overspending Is the Problem, Not a Lack of Tax Dollars
The left-wing Tax Policy Center reported that in 2021, 57% of Americans didn’t pay federal income taxes. The reason that this eye-popping statistic is higher than usual is the myriad “stimulus” checks distributed by the IRS last year. Those checks more than offset the income taxes paid or withheld from the average American’s paychecks. Of…Joshua Loucks -
- Opinion
Despite Failed History of Energy Tax Credits, Some in Congress Push for More
The White House and some in Congress are reportedly testing the waters to see what energy tax carveouts might be salvageable from President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar spending package, the Build Back Better Act, which fell apart last winter. Democrats are laboring to reframe the energy price crisis as an argument for increasing taxpayer spending on…Joshua Loucks -
- Opinion
Despite Raging Inflation, Congress Bent on Continuing Spending Spree
Inflation, which was already a problem at the start of the year, is now reaching levels not seen in decades. Real wages are down 4.5% since President Joe Biden took office, and inflation is hitting all 50 states. Some aspects of inflation are seen across the global economy. However, inflation is higher in the U.S….David Ditch -
- Opinion
At 85, She Has Stood for Unborn Outside Planned Parenthood, at Supreme Court, and Before Congress
For more than 20 years, Eleanor McCullen has taken time every week to stand outside a Planned Parenthood clinic and offer help to women in crisis pregnancies. At the age of 85, McCullen says she has been a part of saving the lives of about 300 babies from abortion. She adds that it’s not about…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Efforts to Bar Members of Congress From Running for Reelection Because of Jan. 6 Are Unconstitutional
No matter what one may think about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, efforts now underway to block certain members of Congress from running for reelection are without merit. Several voters have filed a challenge in North Carolina to the candidacy of Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, seeking to have him disqualified from the ballot. A…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
How This Oklahoma State Senator Wants to Make Elections More Secure
As discussions intensify across the nation on voter fraud and election integrity, many Americans want to know that their voices are being heard accurately at the ballot box. In Oklahoma, one state senator is taking steps to ensure that his state is on the front line when it comes to safe and secure elections. State…Douglas Blair -
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What These 5 Congressmen Expect From Biden’s State of the Union Address
The nation, and the world, will be watching President Joe Biden Tuesday night as he delivers his first State of the Union address. The Daily Signal spoke with members of Congress on Capitol Hill Monday about the issues the president should address, and their expectations for the speech. Here’s what they had to say: 1….Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Congress Should Ban Foreigners From Interfering in Referenda
Do U.S. election laws need reform? Yes. But not the misguided reforms being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. While federal law bars foreigners from participating in U.S. elections, it does not keep them from influencing referenda and issue-based ballot measures. That’s a problem Congress should fix. The Federal Election…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Congress Must Strike While Iron Is Hot to Preempt Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
The danger of the newly completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline to trans-Atlantic security is a rare issue of bipartisan agreement. Many in Congress recognize that the pipeline is neither economically necessary nor geopolitically prudent. If it becomes operational, Nord Stream 2 will increase European dependence on Russian natural gas, thereby magnifying Moscow’s ability to use its…Daniel Kochis -
- News
Can Congress Overturn Electoral College Results? 4 Things to Know About 1887 Law
Members of Congress attempted to disqualify state Electoral College votes in four of the past six presidential elections using an ambiguous 1887 law. None of those objections, made in joint sessions of Congress since 2001, were successful in reversing a presidential election result. The election objections that stand out in history came last year, preceded…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Falsely Advertises Build Back Better in Memo to Senate
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is carrying out a desperate, last-ditch effort to sell the increasingly unpopular Build Back Better Act before the year ends. Yellen sent a memo to the Senate Dec. 9 titled “Fiscal Responsibility and the Build Back Better Act.” She wanted to get ahead of major reports that delivered a one-two punch…Scott Zipperle -
- Opinion
Atheist Congressman Fetes Public Lands at Lighting of Capitol Christmas Tree
The Freedom From Religion Foundation honored Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., three years ago with what it calls its “Emperor Has No Clothes Award,” named after the story by Hans Christian Andersen. “In the story, two weavers con a gullible emperor by selling him expensive cloth they claim is so exquisite only the very wise can…Terence Jeffrey -
- News
‘I Give Myself an A’: 4 Highlights of Mayorkas’ Senate Testimony on Border Crisis
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gave himself an A grade Tuesday and told senators what they should do about illegal immigration, while many lawmakers had questions for him about border security as well as Afghan refugees. Mayorkas testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing where he also said the U.S. immigration system is…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Senate Turns Long-Overdue Attention to National Defense Authorization Act
Every year since 1961, the Department of Defense has had a National Defense Authorization Act, which sets defense policy and procurement for the coming fiscal year. Some years, the congressional passage of the law is delayed until after the fiscal year has started on Oct. 1. However, this year’s version of the bill has languished…Frederico Bartels -
- Opinion
Congress’ Wasteful Spending Spree Must End With Infrastructure Bill
Last weekend, the House finally passed the nearly $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. The vote followed months of tedious back-and-forth drama between various factions within the Democratic Party. Ideally, that would be the final act in an overly long spending spree from Congress that began last year, but there’s an all-too-real chance the worst is yet…David Ditch -
- Opinion
Why Is Defense Authorization Bill Languishing in Senate?
The first 10 months of the Biden administration have brought us numerous indicators that national defense is not a priority for it—from a defense budget that fails to meet current challenges to continual expansion of nonmilitary tasks such as climate change and hitting diversity quotas to the debacle in Afghanistan. Now, Senate Democrats—seemingly taking their cues from…Frederico Bartels -
- News
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, One of Trump’s Fiercest GOP Critics, to Quit Congress
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of the most prominent Republican critics of former President Donald Trump, announced his retirement from Congress on Friday. Kinzinger, R-Ill., delivered the news in an announcement video, saying that he remembered “saying that if I ever thought it was time to move on from Congress, I would. And that time is…Andrew Trunsky -
- Opinion
Why Congress Shouldn’t Rush to Enact Poorly Conceived New Taxes to Fund Spending Spree
In ongoing discussions with House Democrats about their ever-evolving plan to expand the role of government in American life, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told her members: “There is no bad decision.” With trillions of dollars at stake, bad decisions are inevitable if Congress rushes through a poorly vetted plan to pay for its buffet…Preston Brashers -
- News
6 Takeaways From Merrick Garland’s Senate Testimony on Activist Parents and Other Issues
Attorney General Merrick Garland stood firm at a Senate hearing Wednesday on his memo directing the FBI to look into parents who speak out at local school board meetings. Garland faced some tough questions from Republican senators, mostly on treating dissenting parents as “domestic terrorists” but also on FBI abuses in the past and on…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Congress Shouldn’t Exempt Medicare From Mandatory Budget Cuts
The federal budget’s largest programs, especially Medicare, are growing at unsustainable rates. To ensure fiscal responsibility, Congress needs to control the growth of programs that operate on autopilot, known as mandatory spending. Although most of the congressional debate related to the Budget Control Act of 2011 over the past decade has been about placing caps…Matthew Dickerson