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
The Reason Liberal Lawmakers Are to Blame for High Gas Prices
With consumer confidence at a 17-year high and economic prospects looking relatively strong, congressional Democrats have taken to grousing about the gas pump as a midterm strategy. “These higher oil prices are translating directly to soaring gas prices,” declared Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, “something we know disproportionately hurts middle- and lower-income people.” If this… -
news
Republican Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Rescind $15 Billion in Spending
Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would claw back $15 billion in appropriated spending, following the lead of President Donald Trump, who submitted a rescission request earlier this month. “Yes, a $15 billion spending reduction is a drop in the bucket compared to a $15 trillion debt,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a… -
opinion
Q&A: Why Some GOP Lawmakers May Be Able to Force an Amnesty Vote
This is a lightly edited transcript of an interview on The Daily Signal podcast Monday. Since the interview was recorded, House GOP leadership announced there will be a vote on the Goodlatte-McCaul bill in June. Katrina Trinko: Immigration was supposed to be dead as an issue, but in recent weeks a number of Republicans have… -
opinion
Podcast: GOP Lawmakers Are Trying to Force a Vote on Amnesty Bill
Against the wishes of House GOP leadership, some Republican lawmakers are working with Democrats to force a vote on controversial immigration legislation. The Heritage Foundation’s Tommy Binion explains. Plus: Classical music can change people’s behavior—and public spaces are taking advantage of this. -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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…