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
Republican Senators Look to End Death Tax
Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and John Thune, R-S.D., reintroduced legislation this week to send the death tax to its grave. “Death should not be a taxable event, and I am proud to join with my colleagues to ensure working men and women, including America’s farmers, ranchers, and small business owners, are able to flourish,” Cruz… -
opinion
A Freshman Senator Outlines the Reforms He Will Push in Washington
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., joins us to discuss how he’s ready to change Washington, D.C. The businessman-turned-politician shares why he advocates term limits and wants lawmakers to lose pay if they don’t pass a budget on time. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. We also cover these stories: Second lady Karen Pence… -
opinion
Democratic Senators Are Getting Way Too Comfortable With Religious Tests
This new year will quickly reveal to the American people whether some Democrats in Washington have resolved to abandon their overused—and unconstitutional—religious test for office. Two Democrats in the Senate, Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Kamala Harris of California, recently objected to the nomination of Brian Buescher to a U.S. district court in Nebraska… -
opinion
Senate Vote on War in Yemen Risks Undermining US and Yemeni Interests, While Boosting Iran’s
The Senate voted twice on Thursday to challenge the Trump administration’s policies on Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a unanimous vote, the Senate held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This statement went far beyond what the administration has been… -
news
3 Senate Democrats Sue to Stop Acting AG Whitaker From Serving
Accusing President Donald Trump of taking “dictatorial” action and “evading accountability,” three Senate Democrats are asking a federal court to prevent his acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, from serving in that capacity. The three Democrats, who all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia… -
news
Senate Democrats Cite Problems at HUD, but Block Trump’s Nominees for Key Posts
Senate Democrats have stalled nominees to fill key posts in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, even while complaining about the agency’s performance. An NBC News report last week alleged that HUD’s staffing problems were the fault of President Donald Trump and HUD Secretary Ben Carson. HUD’s enforcement office is at its lowest level… -
opinion
Senate Move to Block Arms Sales to Bahrain Would Undermine US Interests
The Senate is set to vote Thursday on a resolution of disapproval that would block the sale of what advocates describe as “offensive weapons” to Bahrain, an important U.S. ally that faces deadly threats from Iran. Advocates of the ban argue that this denial would somehow ease the humanitarian suffering in Yemen. In reality, it… -
news
Meet the 8 New Members of the Senate
While Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s elections, the GOP likely strengthened its Senate majority by three seats, to gain a 54-seat majority. One race, in Mississippi, won’t be decided until Nov. 27, as incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, appointed in April, is set to face Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff because… -
opinion
Senate Election Results Give Republicans Opportunity to Confirm More Judges Faster
The 2018 election results are encouraging, if for no other reason than that more progress can be made in filling judicial vacancies. First, a snapshot of where things stand right now. President Donald Trump has made almost 40 percent more nominations to life-tenured positions than the average for his five predecessors of both parties at… -
news
With Her Win, Marsha Blackburn Could Become ‘Most Conservative Woman in Senate’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee—Lisa Williams, who cast her ballot Tuesday for Republican Marsha Blackburn in the suburb of Brentwood, said she voted to promote the 15-year House veteran to the Senate because of her character. “I voted for Marsha, I have met her, and I have watched her over the years. And she is as true to… -
opinion
Senate Democrats Should Remember Their Own Advice From 2016
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly in February 2016, and President Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to that vacancy on March 16, 2016. The left had a single mantra for the Senate: Do your job. Specifically, they demanded that the confirmation process move forward, starting with a Judiciary Committee hearing. They have changed… -
news
Capitol Police Arrest Democratic Staffer Suspected of Doxing GOP Senators
U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Democratic staffer suspected of posting the personal information of at least one U.S. senator to the internet. The home addresses and other personal information of three Republican senators, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch of Utah, were posted to Wikipedia on Sept. 27 by an… -
opinion
Investigate the Senate Democrat Wrecking Machine
How did we get here? The Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination circus didn’t happen by accident. The emergence of incredible—and by “incredible,” I mean the literal Merriam-Webster definition of “too extraordinary and improbable to be believed”—accusers in the 11th hour was no mistake. It is my contention that this grand unearth-and-destroy spectacle was planned, coordinated, and… -
news
Democratic Lawmakers in House, Senate Suggest Resurrecting Earmarks
Democrats are floating the idea of reinstating budgetary earmarks as a way to build support for funding the government on time, but some of their Republican counterparts are skeptical. “I don’t know who’s going to be in the majority next year,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said on C-SPAN’s… -
opinion
Senate Is Dragging Its Feet on Major Prison Reform Bill
It is rare these days in Washington to see bipartisan support for anything, let alone for a major issue with far-reaching implications for the nation. This is why the bipartisan passage in the House, 360-59, of the First Step Act to reform our federal prisons is such big news. The 360 “yes” votes included 134… -
news
Democrat Senator Worries His Party Is Going Too Far Left
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is worried his party is alienating moderate voters by moving too far to the left. “If we as a Democratic Party are going to move from a minority at every level that is dedicated to resistance, to a majority that is capable of governing, we have got to move from grievance… -
opinion
Senate Is Killing State Welfare Reform
Few policy reforms have been as popular as welfare-to-work. Why, then, is the U.S. Senate trying to kill state efforts at encouraging able-bodied adults to get a job? Welfare-to-work was one of the signature policy wins of the 1990s, resulting in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The legislation was signed by… -
opinion
Liberals’ Misleading Spin on Senate Republicans’ 2016 Supreme Court Confirmation Approach
Recent remarks by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., show the script that the left will be using to oppose President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy from the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. The most prominent point so far is that the Senate should wait until after the 2018 election to consider Trump’s… -
opinion
Senate Should Be Wary of These 3 Subsidy Myths
As the Senate is considering the farm bill, it should be wary of the many misleading claims made by agricultural special interests. Here are three common myths, debunked: Claim: Farmers are struggling financially. Reality: The opposite is true. Farm households have far greater median income and wealth than non-farm households. In 2016, the median income of farm… -
opinion
What It Takes for the Senate to Solve Our Disastrous Debt Crisis
The Congressional Budget Office’s latest long-term budget outlook, released this week, shows that the nation is still on an unsustainable budget path, with no improvement since CBO’s last long-term report. Without swift action to reverse the current course, the nation is headed toward a fiscal disaster. CBO projects that over the next 30 years, debt…