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
Why Congress Shouldn’t Increase Obamacare Spending
A recent analysis of federal health spending by the Congressional Budget Office suggests that allowing temporary expansions of Obamacare subsidies to expire in December would save taxpayers billions of dollars without reducing the number of those covered by individual health insurance. Senate Democrats nevertheless seek to extend the expansion of Obamacare and salvage a few… -
opinion
House’s Annual National Defense Authorization Act Scrum Reflects Best and Worst of Congress
Only one bill in Congress reliably makes it into law every year: the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. The NDAA has passed for 62 years in a row, making it the extreme rarity among bills. It is meant to authorize the funding and provide key policy provisions for our country’s national defense. However, this… -
opinion
These 7 Charts Show Why Congress Must Get Spending Under Control Immediately
Millions of American families are reeling from the worst wave of inflation in more than four decades. Reduced purchasing power and shortages of basic goods, such as baby formula, have caused consumer confidence to hit record lows. Those looking to Washington for real solutions will be left wanting. Both the Biden administration and congressional Democrats… -
opinion
Senate Republicans’ Report Condemns ‘Biden’s Border Crisis’
Consumers of the mainstream media might think that all news stopped on Jan. 6, 2021, but readers of The Daily Signal know that illegal crossings at the U.S. border are at “astronomical and record-breaking levels,” as a just issued report from the Republican minority on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee puts it. The 47-page report,… -
news
Forbes Bludgeons Build Back Better Bill as Senate Democrats Seek to Revive It
“Don’t call it an ideology. Call it an idiot-ology,” Steve Forbes says of President Joe Biden’s defeated Build Back Better economic plan, which Democrats in the Senate are now trying to revive. Build Back Better is a multitrillion-dollar legislative package proposed by Biden consisting of massive spending on social, infrastructure, and environmental programs. Forbes, the CEO of Forbes… -
opinion
Congress Ignores Pressing National Business While It Obsesses on Jan. 6
As the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol starts public hearings, we must ask what motivates those on the committee. Is the sole concern the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States? Or is it to get media to attack and… -
opinion
Will Congress Ignore Latest Medicare Warning?
Heads up. The Medicare trustees issued their annual report last week, buried under other “important” news from the Department of Health and Human Services—including the announcement of a new Office of Environmental Justice. Apparently, the administration is more interested in advancing its woke ideology than addressing the real and immediate warnings outlined in the Medicare… -
opinion
Evidence Is In, Rep. Mark Green Says: Democrats’ Control of Presidency, Congress ‘Very Bad for America’
What will happen if illegal immigrants continue to pour across the southern border? What should the Biden administration be doing to address soaring inflation? And what threat does China actually pose to the U.S. right now? Over and over, Americans are witnessing the “failures of this administration,” Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., says. “Obviously, Democrat control… -
news
5 Takeaways From Congressional Hearing on Baby Formula Shortage
Lawmakers pressed Food and Drug Administration officials and a baby formula manufacturer Wednesday at a tense congressional hearing on the massive formula supply shortages that are leaving infants hungry across the nation. The hearing, held by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, was the first to focus specifically on the topic since the formula shortage… -
opinion
How Congress Undermines Constitution, Federalism
The American republic was created by a remarkable generation of men who turned a rebellion against the British crown into a transforming moment in human history, one based on the revolutionary proposition that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with fundamental rights that no government has the moral authority to… -
opinion
Why Tennessee’s New Residency Requirement for Congressional Candidates Is Blatantly Unconstitutional
After the Civil War, Southern politicians fearful of losing their grip on power decried the influx of “carpetbaggers” from the North. Tennessee lawmakers today seem to have similar fears. On April 13, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, returned SB 2616 to the legislature (meaning it became law despite his lack of signature). The bill… -
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… -
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… -
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…. -
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
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…. -
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… -
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…