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
New Radical Rules for a New Radical Congress
The House of Representatives was expected to vote Monday afternoon on a rules package that will govern their processes for the 117th Congress. This package represents an ultimate power grab by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was reelected to the post by a razor-thin vote of 216-209. The rules give us an insight as to…Mike Howell -
- News
11 Republican Senators Will Object to Electoral College Certification
Eleven Republican senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, announced Saturday that they would object to the certification of states’ Electoral College votes when Congress meets Wednesday in a joint session “Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns…Andrew Trunsky -
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Congress Braces for Dramatic End to Disputed 2020 Election
The House and Senate are poised to debate a presidential election outcome for only the third time since 1887, when Congress passed the Electoral Count Act. The prospect comes amid litigation that seeks to force the hand of Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress to finalize the election…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Congress Is Right Not to Pass Bailouts for States and Cities
It looks as though Congress won’t be including additional direct aid to state and local governments in the end-of-year COVID-19 relief package. Congress is right to deny an additional bailout. >>> What’s the best way for America to reopen and return to business? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, assembled…Adam Michel -
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Flying Blind: Congress Votes on 11th-Hour, 5,600-Page Spending Bill Unread
A terrible 2020 is coming to a close, and the American people are about to get handed a massive bill. After months of delays and waiting, a federal stopgap spending package, combined with $900 billion in COVID-19 relief, is finally being released to the public. The bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, is nearly 5,600 pages…Jarrett Stepman -
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The Rich History of Jewish Prayer on the Floor of Congress
Between policy debates and competing political agendas, Congress is not exactly known for being a place of peace, except when members pause for a moment of prayer before each session. Today, Howard Mortman, director for communications at C-SPAN and the author of the book “When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers…Virginia Allen -
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3 Things to Know as 2020 Election Challenge Moves to Congress
After their party’s presidential nominee lost in the Electoral College, some House members lined up to object to and challenge the results during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes. House Democrats made 11 objections. In each case, then-outgoing Vice President Joe Biden—presiding over the session in his role as…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Congress Should Renew the Generalized System of Preferences Trade Law Without Add-Ons or Delay
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, chairman of the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee, introduced legislation this week that would renew a trade program that eliminates tariffs on certain products from developing countries. Americans save roughly $1 billion annually in tariffs on imports, thanks to the Generalized System of Preferences, but the program is currently set to…Tori K. Smith -
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Congress Should Not Kick Small Businesses While They Are Down
Progressives and some Republicans are trying to sneak a bill into the National Defense Authorization Act that would impose a beneficial ownership reporting regime on small businesses. It would create a large compliance burden on approximately 11 million businesses with 20 or fewer employees (the only non-exempt category) and would create as many as a…David Burton -
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Problematic Women: Meet One of Congress’ Youngest New Members
Rep.-elect Kat Cammack, R-Fla., faults an Obama-era policy for leaving her and her mother homeless in 2011. After spending months living in a motel, an opportunity arose for Cammack to work on the successful campaign of Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. Cammack’s passion for politics only grew as she continued to work for Yoho after his…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
This Business Owner-Turned-Congresswoman Will Go to DC to Fight for American Jobs
The House of Representatives will welcome new conservative members in January. Rep.-elect Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., is one such member, and today she joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how she plans to further and protect American’s founding principles in Washington. As a former business owner, Herrell, who is of Cherokee descent, says her top…Virginia Allen -
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Not Just Talk: How Congress Can Reduce Health Care Premiums and Improve Access to Care
If there’s one thing Americans agree on, it’s the need for change in our health care system. The pandemic has further exposed the need for reform to lower health care costs and make it easier to see the doctor of your choice. Leaders on the left try to claim that only big-government solutions driven from Washington can…Jessica Anderson -
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6 Key Senate Races Called, but Control of Senate Still Up for Grabs
Control of the Senate remains up for grabs, with no declared victor in several key races. Prior to Tuesday night, Republicans held 53 of 100 seats. Democrats, including the two nominal independents in their caucus, held 47. Democrats needed to pick up four Senate seats to control the upper chamber if former Vice President Joe…Rachel del Guidice -
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4 Big Takeaways From Senate Hearing on Tech Bias
The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google defended themselves Wednesday on Capitol Hill from charges of political bias in how they share news and other information. They testified before a Senate committee roughly a week after Twitter and Facebook suppressed a New York Post expose on the lucrative foreign business dealings of Hunter Biden, son…Fred Lucas -
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‘Fill the Seat!’: Barrett Backers Rally as Senate Panel Advances Her Nomination
“Fill the seat! Fill the seat!” That was what a crowd gathered in front of the Dirksen Senate Office Building chanted Thursday, hours after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The committee’s action sends the nomination to the full Senate, where it’s scheduled for a Monday vote. …Fred Lucas -
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Barrett Will Be ‘Role Model’ for Our Daughters and Granddaughters, Female GOP Senators Say
Female Republican senators praised Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday, saying that Barrett will inspire their daughters and granddaughters through her example as a dignified legal jurist and successful mother. “Folks, this is what a mom can do,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said at a Wednesday press conference. “I tell my daughter…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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4 Questions James Comey Actually Answered in Senate Hearing
Former FBI Director James Comey took questions from a Senate committee for almost four hours Wednesday, but had the same answers for many of them. Comey, who President Donald Trump fired in May 2017, fielded questions remotely by video link primarily about the FBI’s Russia-Trump investigation, code-named “Crossfire Hurricane,” before the Justice Department named a…Fred Lucas -
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The Left’s Anti-Christian Dogma Is Living Loudly Within Senate Democrats
While President Donald Trump has not yet announced a nominee for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s vacant Supreme Court seat, politicians and members of the press have already launched a full-scale assault on federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett—who has emerged as a leading contender for the vacancy—over her faith and religious beliefs….Tony Perkins -
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How Fast Can Senate Move? 1 Supreme Court Justice Confirmed Same Day Nominated
The Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg focuses attention on an obscure—but very important—process within our system of government; namely, how does such a job opening get filled? First, there’s no manual, rulebook, or set of instructions. The Constitution, in fact, has very little to say about it. It…Thomas Jipping -
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Senator Questions Whether Mueller Team’s Wiped Cellphones a ‘Widespread Intentional Effort’
A leading Senate Republican is questioning whether deletions from more than two dozen cellphones used by the special counsel’s team in the Trump-Russia probe were part of a “widespread intentional effort” to scrub data from the devices. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, asked Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher…Chuck Ross