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
Find Out if Your Lawmaker Voted to End Operation Choke Point
The House of Representatives concluded a tense debate Thursday by voting 250-169 to end a controversial Obama administration program called Operation Choke Point. Critics say the secretive program, run by the Department of Justice, has been used to target politically unpopular industries such as gun sellers. “We’re elated,” Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told The Daily Signal after…Kelsey Bolar -
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This Lawmaker Wants Congress to Be More Frugal Even in the Little Things
Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., says he has “saved” taxpayers $2 million over the past five years by not spending all of his office budget. Webster says he returned $384,256.64 unused last month in his latest penny-pinching. He adds that Congress could reap $1.5 billion in savings over five years if every member followed his example. “There are plenty of places…Kristiana Mork -
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A Conservative Senator’s 5 Steps to Fix Congress
After Republicans won a majority in the Senate and maintained their majority in the House in November 2014, I proposed that the two chambers take five modest steps to repair what had become a dysfunctional legislative branch. This was part of my effort as the recently elected chairman of the Senate Steering Committee to put…Sen. Mike Lee -
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Lawmakers in Liberal State Move a Step Closer to Repeal of Transgender Bathroom Rule
A bill to repeal a rule allowing transgender individuals in Washington state to use public bathrooms based on their gender identity has cleared a state Senate committee. The Daily Signal reported previously that the state’s Human Rights Commission approved the rule, which requires such access to sex-specific facilities including bathrooms and locker rooms. It took effect Dec….Mariana Barillas -
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One Lawmaker’s Push to Make It Illegal to Abort Down Syndrome Babies
A Missouri state senator proposes to ban abortion based on prenatal screenings for Down syndrome. State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, told The Daily Signal he is sponsoring S.B. 802 in the Missouri Senate at a time when other state legislatures have taken similar action to protect unborn children with Down syndrome. “I think it is discrimination…Mariana Barillas -
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This State Lawmaker Wants to Register Journalists, Comparing Them to Concealed Weapons
To make a point about constitutional rights, a state legislator has filed a bill to create requirements and a registry for journalists and to impose fines and other penalties for violating the provisions. “Every time I turn around, there’s a spin on the Second Amendment,” South Carolina state Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, told the Index-Journal in Greenwood, S.C. He…Leah Jessen -
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Find Out How Your Senators Voted on the Refugee Bill
The Senate voted 55-43 Wednesday to block legislation that would strengthen the vetting process for refugees seeking haven in the United States. As fears of terrorism remain heightened, the bill would have made it more difficult for refugees emigrating from Iraq and Syria to apply for temporary status by requiring the FBI and Department of…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
5 Reasons Why Senate Energy Modernization Bill Is Anything but Modern
Several senators want to advance a massive energy bill called the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015. But there’s nothing modern about the legislation. The bill is an extension of the same, tired “politicians know best” mentality that siphons taxpayer dollars and hands them to special interests. The policy provisions of bills like this take…Nicolas Loris -
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Why Senators Should Want to Preserve the Filibuster
It’s been reported that some Republican senators are looking to eliminate the filibuster on the Motion to Proceed to appropriations bills, citing frustration at the Democrats obstructing their agenda. There are a lot of reasons why conservatives should preserve the filibuster (the practice of allowing a senator to speak, often against a certain bill, as…Jim DeMint -
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A Way for Lawmakers to Show They Believe Black Lives Matter
The great Jack Kemp used to say about politicians that “voters don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Congressional conservatives say they care about the poor and minorities, but do they really? We have a test case in front of us right now over whether congressional leadership will reauthorize and then…Stephen Moore -
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Freshman Senator Fights to Save Senate Tradition
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., has made the case that the Senate filibuster should be preserved. The freshman senator told The Daily Signal: Senators from both parties should be deeply skeptical of any changes that centralize power. The Senate’s filibuster is designed not for obstruction, but genuine debate. Ending the filibuster for small wins today will…Rachel Bovard -
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Find Out If Your Senators Voted to Audit the Fed
Legislation that would have given Congress the authority to audit the Federal Reserve was blocked Tuesday in the Senate. The bill fell seven votes shy of clearing the 60-vote threshold needed to advance out of the chamber. The vote was 53-44. If passed, the legislation would have expanded oversight over the central bank and, for…Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
Why McConnell’s ‘Filibuster Fix’ Won’t Cure the Senate
After another year of a messy appropriations process, which left only Democrats happy, Senate Republican leadership is proposing to eliminate a senator’s right to filibuster whether or not the Senate ought to consider an appropriations bill. This is no small thing. Appropriations bills control the amount of money that the federal government spends every year,…Rachel Bovard -
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Important Lessons One Senator Has Learned After First Year in Congress
Almost a year ago, I stood next to my wife Bonnie, put my hand on my Father’s Bible, and swore to uphold the Constitution and represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. This is a role I never imagined, but one I take very seriously. To emphasize the magnitude of this responsibility,…Sen. David Perdue -
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State Lawmakers Urged to Question Taxpayer-Subsidized Climate ‘Alarmists’
HOT SPRINGS, Va.—Conservative lawmakers, scholars, and activists say it’s time for the Virginia General Assembly to look into the taxpayer funding of academics and scientists who don't want President Obama to tolerate dissenting views on climate change. The question, they told The Daily Signal, is why taxpayers should pay for the work of radical academics and…Kevin Mooney -
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Find Out How Your Senators Voted on the Government Spending Bill
Just before going home for the holidays, Congress passed a $1.8 trillion tax and spending package to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown. On Friday afternoon, shortly after the House approved accompanying legislation, the Senate passed the massive budget bill by a vote of 65-33. >>> Here Are the 95 Republicans Who Opposed the…Philip Wegmann -
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Despite Earmark Ban, Lawmakers Find a Way to Include Pet Projects in Spending Bill
Four years after the House passed a ban on earmarks, lawmakers have found a way to skirt the prohibition and incorporate their own pet projects into massive pieces of legislation, and the $1.1 trillion omnibus passed today is no different. The House first approved a ban on earmarks in 2011, with the Senate soon after…Melissa Quinn -
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Lawmakers Won’t Have Much Time to Read Spending Bill Topping 2,000 Pages
Like shooting a starting gun, House GOP leadership will set off a staffer scramble when they post the text of their proposed omnibus spending bill Tuesday night. Though some lawmakers have debated specifics for weeks, they won’t know what’s in the package until the last minute. It’s still up in the air if they’ll even…Philip Wegmann -
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These Senators Say Their Bill Would ‘Unleash’ Lifesaving Drugs
The process of approving new drugs and medical devices would be sped up under a bill offered by two conservative senators. Sens. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R- Utah, introduced legislation Thursday to accelerate how fast the Food and Drug Administration OKs drugs and devices. Before a drug can reach the U.S. market, it undergoes…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
What Lawmakers Should Do Before Considering Puerto Rico Bailout
With over $42 billion in debt, a five-percent decline in population over just five years, and only half of all working-age residents actually working, Puerto Rico faces a severe economic and financial crisis. Some have even alluded to a potential humanitarian crisis. Attempting to ward off such a crisis, a number of Puerto Rican and…Rachel Greszler