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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- News
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 -
- Opinion
New Report Shows Why Congress Must Address National Debt
The Congressional Budget Office released an update to its federal budget projections—the first full update to include effects from COVID-19. While the federal government’s finances were already grim in January despite several years of solid economic growth, this updated report details how things have gone from bad to worse. First, the deficit for 2020 is…David Ditch -
- News
Senate Intel Panel Finds ‘Absolutely No Evidence’ of Collusion, Faced Roadblocks
The Senate Intelligence Committee said in a long-awaited report released Tuesday that there is no evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election, affirming the findings of other investigations into an alleged Trump-Kremlin conspiracy. The Intelligence Committee's report, which clocks in at 966 pages, also offers a scathing assessment…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
After the Supreme Court’s Oklahoma Decision, the Rights of Accused on Tribal Land Are Up in the Air. Congress Should Make Things Clearer, Not Less So.
On the last day of the Supreme Court’s pandemic-extended term, the court declared that nearly half the state of Oklahoma remained reservation land. This thrust matters concerning jurisdiction on reservations and tribal lands on the center stage. The implications of the Supreme Court’s decision are staggering, especially in the criminal justice context. Some 2,000 convictions…Zack Smith -
- Opinion
How Leftists Would Destroy Congress’ Bipartisan US-Colombia Policy
Bipartisanship might be rare in the halls of Congress, but the U.S.-Colombia relationship defies that stereotype. For decades, policymakers on both sides of the aisle have understood the importance of sustained U.S. commitment to Colombia’s peace, stability, and security. While legislators often lose sight of the long view required in foreign policy, congressional oversight and…Ana Quintana -
- Opinion
How Congress Could and Should Modernize Federal Regulation of Meat Inspection
The federal government has created numerous barriers to the sale of meat and poultry, but underlying those restrictions is a complete disregard for many farmers, states, and consumers. Recently, COVID-19-related bottlenecks at meat processing plants have shone a spotlight on the flawed federal meat inspection system. Congress now seems to be paying attention. Several pieces…Daren Bakst -
- Opinion
House, Senate Defense Authorization Votes Are Rare, Welcome Show of Bipartisanship
The House of Representatives and the Senate approved their respective versions of the National Defense Authorization Act last week. Both passed with strong bipartisan support. The House version passed 295 to 125, while the Senate bill was approved 86 to 14. The lopsided margins in favor show there are strong majorities in both parties and…Frederico Bartels -
- Opinion
Mindless Defense Cut Loses Big in Congress
The Congressional Progressive Caucus introduced a measure in both the Senate and the House to cut the U.S. defense budget by 10%. The proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act was bolstered by a flood of op-eds from think tanks advocating a “more restrained U.S. foreign policy”–shorthand for the U.S. abdicating its current global…Frederico Bartels -
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Job Numbers Show Why Congress Shouldn’t Rush to Pass Another Massive Stimulus Package
For a second month in a row, the U.S. economy gained a record number of jobs. Following job gains of 2.7 million in May, the economy added 4.8 million more jobs in June. And even as the labor force grew by 1.7 million workers, the unemployment rate fell by 2.2 percentage points, from 13.3% to…Rachel Greszler -
- News
‘They Nearly Killed Me’: Journalist Andy Ngo Testifies Before Congress on Antifa Violence During Portland Protests
Journalist Andy Ngo shared his personal experience with Antifa violence and his firsthand knowledge of its strategies during a congressional hearing Monday. Ngo testified in a virtual briefing called “The First Amendment Under Attack: Examining Government Violence Against Peaceful Civil Rights Protesters and the Journalists Covering Them” before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform…Kaylee Greenlee -
- Opinion
Yes, Senator, Parents Can Educate Their Own Kids
High school-educated, working-class parents aren’t capable of overseeing their own child’s education, a state lawmaker said last week. New Hampshire state Sen. Jeanne Dietsch, D-Peterborough, made the comment at a committee hearing last Tuesday while promoting a bill that would stop the state Board of Education from creating a new way of allocating high school…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
5 Questions Congress Should Ask Ambassador Lighthizer
Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. chief trade negotiator, will testify Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. He is expected to defend the Trump administration’s trade agenda since 2017 and shed light on what Congress can expect the future goals of the Trump administration to be on trade. Lighthizer…Tori K. Smith -
- Opinion
Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act Has Right Focus
The Senate Armed Services Committee last week passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021. The bill passed by a wide bipartisan margin of 25-2. From the summary we have, it appears the bill focuses, appropriately, on great power competition. The most recent National Defense Strategy outlines the need for…Frederico Bartels -
- Opinion
An Open Letter to Congress on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reform
As former national security officials, we write to express our deep concerns about the current debate over suggested amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Contrary to popular narratives making the rounds on the extremes of both sides of the political aisle, the fact is that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a critical…Ed Meese -
- Opinion
In History of Congress, House Democrats’ New Proxy Voting Is Radical
We have been reminded in this time of pandemic that necessity is the mother of invention. People have modified many regular activities. They’ve gone to telework and contactless delivery and even virtual church services. And now the House of Representatives has adopted a resolution that, for the first time, no longer would require members to…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
Proxy Voting Lets ‘20 People Control’ Congress, Warns Kevin McCarthy
Democrats passed proxy voting in their fourth coronavirus recovery bill on Friday. “Instead of 435 [people] representing districts across the nation … 20 people control all of Congress,” says House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, referring to the effect of Democrats’ proxy voting push. “Each member can call up to 10 proxies,” McCarthy tells The Daily…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Americans, and Congress, Are Ready to Get Back to Work, Indiana Lawmaker Says
American workers are more than ready to get back to work, according to Rep. Trey Hollingsworth. The Indiana Republican joins The Daily Signal Podcast to talk about how his state is handling the impact of the coronavirus, state bailouts, sheltering in place, what the economic effects of the coronavirus shutdown will be, and much more….Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
How and When Should States Reopen? This Congressman Has Answers
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a member of President Donald Trump’s congressional task force on economic recovery, joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss the economy’s devastation by the coronavirus and how America should get back to work. The House Freedom Caucus chairman talks about how the nation should balance the contagiousness of COVID-19 with the…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
3 Reasons Why States Shouldn’t Get a Congressional Bailout
Illinois State Senate President Don Harmon sent a letter April 14 on behalf of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus to members of Congress requesting $40 billion in federal funds for the beleaguered state. Although the letter comes under the guise of unprecedented COVID-19 disruptions, the purposes for which Illinois and other states seek additional federal…Rachel Greszler -
- Opinion
Can the President Adjourn Congress and Make Appointments Without Senate Confirmation?
President Donald Trump expressed frustration Wednesday that the Senate has not confirmed his pending nominees to various posts. “The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people cannot afford during this crisis,” Trump told reporters. The president warned that if the House does…Hans von Spakovsky