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
Liberals Told Senators ‘Do Your Job’ on Court Nominee. What the Constitution Says.
Following President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C. Circuit to fill the vacancy left by sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, there has been an intense clamor from the left for the Senate to “do your job!” By this, they mean that the Senate has a constitutional obligation to give Garland a…John G. Malcolm -
- News
Conservative Leaders Back Senate Republicans’ Stand on Supreme Court Seat
Over 100 conservatives from 29 states and Washington, D.C., voiced their support for Senate Republicans in a memo commending them for their resistance to any Supreme Court nominee put forward by President Barack Obama. “We applaud Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for promising not to hold a…Kristiana Mork -
- Opinion
Senate Bill Would Effectively Support Mandatory Labeling of GMOs
Last year, the House passed a bill to pre-empt states from imposing mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food, also known as GMOs. While it looked like the Senate was going to follow suit, in the last minute, the new Senate bill would actually effectively mandate the labeling of genetically engineered food. In the Senate bill,…Daren Bakst -
- News
49 Senators OK Common Core Advocate as Education Secretary
The Senate voted 49-40 Monday evening to confirm John B. King Jr., President Barack Obama’s nominee, as secretary of education. A total of 11 senators did not vote on King’s confirmation, while those who voted against him cited his loyalty to the system and support for Common Core education standards. >>> Here's the roll call vote for…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
GOP Senator’s Energy Bill Is Not So ‘Clean’
Some Senate appropriators are already settling for business as usual going into the federal budget process. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has stated that only a “clean” energy and water development appropriations bill will be considered by the subcommittee, according to a Washington Examiner article. As with many words in Washington, “clean” does not mean what…Katie Tubb -
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How This Conservative Freshman Lawmaker Aims to Force Congress to Balance the Budget
As a method to control spending, conservative lawmakers often propose imposing a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution that would require the federal government not to spend more than it earns. This effort has always failed. Such an amendment has never been enacted at the federal level. But that isn’t stopping one freshman…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
This Senator Sees ‘No Wavering’ on Waiting to Fill Supreme Court Vacancy
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., says he has “no doubt” Senate Republicans will hold firm and not consider a successor to Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court until a new president takes office. “You’ve got to go all the way back to 1888 before you actually nominated and confirmed a Supreme Court justice in the last year…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
How Reagan Disappointed This Conservative Lawmaker
President Barack Obama has “essentially ordered the Border Patrol to stand down,” Rep. Steve King says. The Iowa Republican, speaking with me at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, said Americans shouldn’t be surprised that more illegal immigrants seek to enter the country. “That’s what law is about, a deterrent. So when you reward people…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Lawmakers Grapple With Ethical Issues of Tissue Procurement From Aborted Babies
After a series of undercover videos produced last year by pro-life activists raised questions about Planned Parenthood’s harvesting of fetal tissue from aborted babies, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., attempted to address the issue of whether or not the practice is legally and ethically permissible when used for medical research. The topic was debated on Wednesday…Kelsey Bolar -
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GOP Lawmaker: Is There an ‘Amazon.com for Human Parts’?
Speaking at a hearing investigating the procurement of fetal tissue from aborted babies, Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., asked a panel of experts Wednesday: “Have we reached a point in our society where there effectively is an Amazon.com for human parts, including human babies?” While asking the question, Black showed those testifying an email from a…Kelsey Bolar -
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State Lawmakers Fight Teaching Students Just One Side of Climate Change Debate
West Virginia state lawmakers are digging in against new science education standards in public school curricula that reflect only one side of the climate change debate. The West Virginia House of Delegates voted 73-20 on Friday to delay implementation of the standards, based on Next Generation Science Standards and originally set to go into effect…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
Senate Energy Bill Will Only Increase Government Cronyism
Do we need a national energy plan? Many politicians think so. In fact, the Senate is considering a massive new energy bill that’s more than 400 pages long. But energy is one of the last sectors of the economy that needs help from the federal government. The bipartisan bill illustrates why bipartisanship isn’t always a…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Senate Democrats Say GOP Will Back Down on Supreme Court Nominee
Senate Democrats are predicting with certainty that Republicans will fold on their pledge not to hold hearings on President Obama’s eventual Supreme Court pick. “We’ve been here with Republican leadership before,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a press conference Wednesday. Schumer and other Democrats say they see the GOP’s current strategy as a bad…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Senate Republicans Plan to Follow Joe Biden’s Advice on the Supreme Court Vacancy
Months before the 1992 presidential election, Joe Biden urged fellow U.S. senators to shut down the nomination process and block President George H.W. Bush’s judicial picks from a confirmation vote. Today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, called on the Senate to follow what he dubbed “the Biden Rules.” The lawmakers should leave Antonin Scalia’s…Philip Wegmann -
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Now That the House Has OK’d a Curb on Menu Labeling, the Senate Steps Into the Food Fight
The battle over the Obama administration’s effort to require convenience stores, pizzerias, and other eateries to list calorie counts for food offerings goes next to the Senate, with the House’s passage of legislation to rein in the Obamacare-related regulations. “Accidentally putting too many pickles on a sandwich and increasing its calorie count shouldn’t be a criminal offense,”…Leah Jessen -
- News
5 Things Said by 5 Lawmakers at the Conservative Policy Summit
Lawmakers speaking at the recent Conservative Policy Summit in Washington shared hopeful visions of what could be accomplished if Americans embrace conservative reforms. The public will be won over by real solutions, “not talking points,” Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., said during the afternoon session. The Conservative Policy Summit, an annual event organized by Heritage Action for America,…Mariana Barillas -
- Opinion
It’s Time for GOP Lawmakers to Slash Spending
You would think hitting $19 trillion in debt would be a serious wake-up call for Washington. But we’ve been at this crossroads, at the intersection of prioritizing and cutting spending and pretending that the bills will never come due. President Barack Obama has already shown his hand: His new budget increases spending and taxes and ignores…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
What Lawmakers Can Still Do to Push Back on Iran Deal
Some may think Congress has given up on taking further action against the Iran deal, but in a video interview with The Daily Signal, Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., says it’s not time for lawmakers to give up. Since the deal was officially recognized by President Barack Obama, Iran’s behavior has remained antagonistic, including the seizure…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Conservative Lawmaker: Democrat Policies Have Hurt Black Communities
Conservative members of Congress think Republicans could improve on their outreach to the black community. “I think we need to do a better job of reaching out to the African American community,” Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, said at The Heritage Foundation’s monthly Conversations With Conservatives. “We need to do a better job of showing the…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Freshman Senator Tries to Bump-Start Stalled Overhaul of Filibuster
Senate Republicans are quickly running out of runway to get a filibuster overhaul package off the ground. The political will is directly proportional to the proximity of the general election: The closer November comes, the less likely reform becomes. One of the chief advocates for change, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., says he knows how tight…Philip Wegmann