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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16 Senate Republicans Urge Colleagues to Work Through August, Get Nominees Confirmed Faster
Sixteen Republican senators are asking their colleagues to pass a budget and confirm President Donald Trump’s nominees before the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30. “It is time to drain the swamp, and we can help do that by keeping the pumps running in August,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said at a press conference…Rachel del Guidice -
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GOP Lawmakers Use Rare Procedural Tactic in Attempt to Vote on Amnesty Bill
A group of centrist Republicans in the U.S. House is trying to force a vote on an immigration bill to protect so-called “Dreamers” from deportation, much to the displeasure of conservatives and House GOP leadership. Using a procedural tactic know as a discharge petition, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., joined 17 other Republicans and one Democrat…Rachel del Guidice -
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2 Conservative Lawmakers Express Concern Farm Bill Hurts Taxpayers, Encourages Government Dependency
The 2018 farm bill does too much to artificially support the agricultural sector, according to two Republican lawmakers. “By subsidizing crops, subsidizing the insurance of these crops, we end up with surpluses of one commodity at the expense of a shortage of other crops that should have and could have and would have been planted…Rachel del Guidice -
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We Asked 16 Senators Advocating More Government-Run Health Care About Alfie Evans. None of Them Responded.
Sixteen liberal lawmakers who support a “Medicare for all” plan declined to respond to The Daily Signal on how they anticipate cases such as that of British toddler Alfie Evans should be handled in the United States. Alfie died Saturday morning at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, England, five days after the hospital followed government…Rachel del Guidice -
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Exclusive: Conservative Lawmakers’ Blueprint Would Trim Nondefense Spending, Balance Budget in 8 Years
House conservatives propose to cut nondefense spending and balance the federal budget within eight years in a blueprint released Wednesday. The document produced by the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of GOP lawmakers in the House, includes a long list of policy goals such as repealing Obamacare, restoring power to states, making tax cuts…Rachel del Guidice -
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Liberal Senators’ Push to Investigate Sinclair Chilling Attempt to Silence Speech
Last year, the Sinclair Broadcast Group agreed to acquire the Tribune Media Company. Since then, the competitors of free-to-the-home broadcast television have been among the loudest voices crying “the sky is falling,” and the government—the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department—should deny approval of the merger. This chorus has been joined by adversaries wishing to…Armstrong Williams -
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How 4 Big Comey Claims Stack Up to His Senate Testimony
Portions of former FBI Director James Comey’s new book on the end of his law enforcement career conflict with the facts as presented by the Trump administration, Comey’s recently fired top deputy, and both Republican and Democrat leaders. “My experience with Comey is [that he is] a patriotic, engaging, smart American who tried to find…Fred Lucas -
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Senators Wanted the FCC to Investigate Sinclair. Read Chairman Pai’s Brilliant Response.
Perhaps dangers to our democracy need to be better defined. After the popular news site Deadspin released a video showing multiple journalists reading the same lines for local stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, social media became inundated with overheated takes from members of the media, celebrities, and politicians saying that it was a harbinger…Jarrett Stepman -
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Unhappy With Quick Vote on Spending Bill, Lawmaker Proposes More Time to Read Bills
One conservative lawmaker, upset by the $1.3 trillion spending bill last month, wants to pass legislation that would give lawmakers more time to read bills before they vote on them. “This isn’t a very big ask,” Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Va., told The Daily Signal in a phone interview. Garrett’s bill would amend House rules, requiring…Rachel del Guidice -
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Conservative Leaders, GOP Lawmakers Voice Support for Scott Pruitt
A growing number of conservative leaders and GOP lawmakers are voicing their support for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt amid some calls for him to resign. The Conservative Action Project released a letter Friday with 113 signatures of conservative leaders calling on President Donald Trump to keep Pruitt in the administration. “Conservatives stand behind…Rachel del Guidice -
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Vermont Lawmakers Leave Law-Abiding Young Adults Defenseless
Law-abiding young adults living in Vermont will soon find it much more difficult to defend themselves and their families after state lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting the sale of any firearm to individuals under 21, unless he or she completes a nearly 15-hour hunter safety course with little practical bearing on personal self-defense. The bill…Amy Swearer -
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Lawmaker Shielded Chief of Staff Accused of Hitting, Threatening to Kill Female Employee
Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., kept her chief of staff on the job for three months after he was accused of punching and threatening to kill a female staffer, and then recommended him for his next job, according to news reports. Esty’s former chief of staff, Tony Baker, allegedly abused and sexually harassed the female staffer…Peter Hasson -
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NC Lawmaker Fights Earmark for Rail, Tunnel Project
A North Carolina lawmaker is determined to derail $900 million in federal funding for a rail and tunnel project from New York to New Jersey considered likely to be part of a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill the House is expected to pass this week. Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., has been working since September to…Kyle Perisic -
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Senate ‘Loan’ Bill Is a Poorly Disguised Bailout for Private Pensions
Making loans to private individuals or entities has no foundation in the Constitution, but that doesn’t stop government from using lending to encourage desirable behaviors, such as investing in a college education or buying a home. But one proposal before Congress, introduced at the urging of private-sector unions and employers, goes further, calling for taxpayers…Rachel Greszler -
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Senate ‘Reform’ Bill Would Barely Change Dodd-Frank
It looks as if the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act is heading toward a vote in the Senate, making it clear that Congress no longer views the Dodd-Frank Act as sacred text. But although this development is welcome, it is a stretch to say the bill undoes, or even amends, much of…Norbert Michel -
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See How Your Lawmakers Voted on the Budget Bill
During a brief halt in government funding early Friday morning, the Senate voted 71-28 to pass a budget deal, pushed by Republican and Democrat leaders, that will raise caps on spending by $300 billion over two years. The Senate approved the deal at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, and the House passed it 240-186 around 5:30…Rachel del Guidice -
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House Committee Votes to Release Democrats’ Memo on FISA Application
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence voted unanimously Monday evening to release Democrats' Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act memo to the public, sending the document to the president to decide whether he wants to approve its release. Republicans voted to declassify the Democrats' memo, which reportedly weakens allegations made in the memo crafted by the…Amber Randall -
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Canadian Senate Passes Bill to Make Anthem ‘Gender-Neutral’
The Canadian Senate passed a bill Wednesday to change the lyrics of its national anthem so that they will be “gender-neutral.” The bill would replace the lyrics “in all thy sons command” with “in all of us command,” according to CBC News. Former member of the Canadian House of Commons Mauril Bélanger first introduced the legislation in…Grace Carr -
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Earmarks Promote ‘Banal Interests,’ Not ‘Highest Interests,’ Former Senator Warns
Reinstating earmarks would encourage corrupted self-interest, a former U.S. senator warns. “Earmarks are about going to your banal interests rather than your highest interests; they’re about you, rather than the country,” former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. “The people that want to do earmarks say it is Congress’…Rachel del Guidice -
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Senate Democrats’ Bid to Overturn Net Neutrality Repeal Unlikely to Prevail
Senate Democrats say they have 50 votes to block the Federal Communications Commission’s December repeal of net neutrality, the 2015 policy of the FCC under the Obama administration that required internet service providers to treat all data on, and users of, the internet equally. They are still one vote short of the 51 needed to…Kyle Perisic