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
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Win Georgia’s 2 Senate Races
Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff appear to have defeated Georgia’s incumbent Republican senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, giving the Democrats a majority in the U.S. Senate. Georgia’s two runoff elections were required under state law after no candidate received a majority of the vote Nov. 3. Janae Stracke, the grassroots director of Heritage… -
news
7 Big Moments in Congress’ Debate of Electoral College Vote for President
Congress has certified Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, making him the nation’s 46th president, following lawmakers’ debate Wednesday that went past midnight after being interrupted by rioters who stormed the Capitol in the afternoon. The rioters forced a lockdown of the Capitol that suspended lawmakers’ debate in a joint session of Congress over counting and… -
news
Everything You Need to Know as Congress Debates Electoral College Vote for President
President Donald Trump sounded confident during a rally Monday night in Georgia about his chances for victory after the House and Senate convene a joint session Wednesday to count the Electoral College votes for president. But the probability of altering former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead of 302 votes to Trump’s 232 votes in the… -
opinion
How Does Congress’ Electoral College Certification Process Work?
Congress is set Wednesday to certify the results of the Electoral College vote. What is the Electoral College certification process, and how does it work? Additionally, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and 10 other Republican senators are asking for an “emergency ‘audit’ of results in battleground states where President Donald Trump disputes the outcome,” according to DallasNews.com…. -
news
3 Keys to Understanding Senators’ Proposal to Audit Presidential Election
In a move that isn’t without precedent, 11 Senate Republicans are pushing for a special panel to investigate questions of fraud arising from the presidential election. Some conservatives oppose such objections to the election outcome, in which former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, claimed an Electoral College victory of 306 votes to the… -
news
Conservatives Mock Use of ‘Amen and Awoman’ to End Prayer Opening 117th Congress
Conservatives mocked a Democratic representative’s decision to conclude a Sunday prayer opening the 117th Congress with the words “amen and awoman.” “We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, [unintelligible], and God known by many names and by many different faiths. Amen and awoman," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., an ordained United Methodist pastor, said at… -
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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…