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
House Rejects Senate Highway Plan, Vows to Pass Short-Term Bill Without Saving Export-Import Bank
In a blunt rejection of the Senate’s attempt to enact a longer-term fix for the nation’s roads, rails and bridges, the House of Representatives plans to pass a patch extending the Highway Trust Fund for three months. The House then plans to quickly leave town for the month-long August recess, signaling that it has no…Melissa Quinn -
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One Step Lawmakers Could Take to Boost Job Creation
For the last 30 years start-ups have been steadily declining as a share of total businesses in the U.S. This is especially worrisome given that start-ups account for most of the new job creation in the economy. Entrepreneurship is a key source of innovation in our economy, as well as an important factor driving productivity…David Allen -
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How Senate Conservatives Plan to Challenge GOP Leadership
Conservatives in the U.S. Senate are gearing up to challenge Republican leadership today, setting their sights on a plan to repeal Obamacare with 51 votes—a measure that will easily pass if the 54 GOP senators support it. The move comes after several contentious days of fighting over the GOP leadership’s priorities. Senate Majority Leader Mitch…Robert B. Bluey -
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Lawmakers Introduce Defund Planned Parenthood Legislation
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the wake of two undercover videos sparking concern about the organization’s abortion practices. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., introduced the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., offered corresponding legislation in the Senate. In a speech on the House…Kate Scanlon -
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15 Questions on Iran That Should Be Asked in Senate Hearing
On Thursday morning the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), chaired by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will meet to hold its first hearing on the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Appearing before the Committee will be three administration witnesses, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. There is a significant level of concern…Joshua Meservey -
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Why the Senate Plan to Save the Highway Trust Fund Falls Short
Last week, the House passed an $8-billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund using gimmicky offsets and tax increases to finance new highway and transit spending through mid-December. Not to be outdone, the Senate released its 1,030-page, six-year highway deal, including $48 billion in offsets that make even more extensive use of tax increases and…Michael Sargent -
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These Senators Want Planned Parenthood Investigated
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and 10 other senators sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell requesting that they launch an investigation into allegations that Planned Parenthood is selling fetal organs. Two undercover videos have been released by the Center for Medical Progress showing two Planned…Kate Scanlon -
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The Sneaky Way Lawmakers Get Around the Earmark Ban
In the midst of the horrifying allegations that Planned Parenthood has been selling organs of aborted babies, there’s been at least a bit of good news from Washington. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives scrapped a floor vote which would have given millions of taxpayer dollars to the Susan G. Komen organization, which in turn…Jim DeMint -
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Senate Passes Education Law Overhaul, but Challenges Remain
The Senate Thursday passed a bipartisan rewrite of No Child Left Behind, the nation’s Bush-era education standards that extended the federal government’s reach into U.S. public schools. The legislation passed by a 81-17 vote one week after the House voted along party lines to narrowly pass its more conservative version of No Child Left Behind….Natalie Johnson -
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Congress Begins Investigation Into Planned Parenthood, but Lawmakers Shouldn’t Stop There
On Wednesday, two House committees announced they will begin an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s alleged harvesting and sale of body parts from unborn babies. In an undercover video released yesterday, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood, detailed with startling calmness how she chooses to perform abortion procedures in order to…Sarah Torre -
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With Odds ‘Rigged’ Against Them, Skeptical Lawmakers Hope Americans Turn Against Iran Deal
Congressional opponents of the nuclear deal with Iran are using words like “horrible,” “disgrace” and “disturbed” to describe the agreement, signaling the tough fight ahead as lawmakers impart on a 60-day review period. At a monthly gathering of House conservatives on Capitol Hill, skeptical lawmakers said they hoped the review period—which will overlap with Congress’…Josh Siegel -
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Conservative Lawmakers Vow to Defund Planned Parenthood After Reveal of Graphic Video
Conservatives in the House were quick to push for defunding Planned Parenthood Wednesday after a video surfaced showing a top official graphically describing the group’s sale of body parts from aborted fetuses. “No taxpayer funds should be affiliated with something that so many people find completely reprehensible,” said Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. Lummis said the…Natalie Johnson -
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Top Senate Democrat Unsure Whether Religious Schools That Oppose Gay Marriage Should Keep Tax-Exempt Status
Following the Supreme Court decision that declared same-sex marriage a constitutional right, Democrats are considering the impact this will have on religious schools and their tax-exempt statuses. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, minority whip and the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, told The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack that he was unsure if he supported…Chelsea Scism -
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Senate Democrats Move to Fund Universal Pre-Kindergarten
A Democratic senator has introduced an amendment to a rewritten version of the No Child Left Behind Act that would fund universal pre-kindergarten. According to Sen. Bob Casey’s office, the amendment, the Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2015, would fund universal pre-kindergarten by “ending the corporate inversions tax loophole.” Under the legislation, companies…Kate Scanlon -
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In King v. Burwell Decision, Supreme Court Justices Acted as Lawmakers, Not Judges
It’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for conservatives who pinned their hopes of blocking Obamacare on the Supreme Court. Today’s decision allowing the Obama administration to extend subsidies to the federally-run health care exchange will only encourage more bad behavior on the part of our unbound executive. In a 6-3 decision written…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
Lawmakers Should Act to Keep Hamilton on the $10 Bill
Last week the Department of the Treasury announced a plan to remove Alexander Hamilton’s portrait from the $10 bill and replace it with a portrait of “a woman.” While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to include a woman on the nation’s currency, this particular move is a bad idea, for several reasons. In…Carson Holloway -
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Lindsey Graham Introduces Senate Plan to Ban Late-Term Abortions
Getting one step closer to what could be the most significant pro-life victory since the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, Sen. Lindsey Graham today introduced a measure in the U.S. Senate that would drastically limit women’s ability to access abortions past a certain point in their pregnancy. The legislation, called the Pain-Capable Unborn…Kelsey Bolar -
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Why These Senators Want to Ban Microbeads in Cosmetics
A bill has been introduced in the Senate that would ban the use of microbeads in household products such as soap. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats from Michigan, introduced the Senate version of a House bill on Tuesday. The House bill was introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., in March. The Microbead-Free…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
There’s Good and Bad in Senate’s Version of Defense Authorization Bill
As early as next week, the full Senate could take up legislation to establish the defense budget for the 2016 fiscal year. The Senate Armed Services Committee has finished its work, approving a 900-page bill on May 14 and releasing its text last week. The National Defense Authorization Act likely will be amended on the…Justin Johnson -
- Opinion
Lawmakers Had 10 Months to Fix Broken Transportation Funding. They Didn’t Do Anything.
Another day, another punt on important policy matters by members of Congress. Faced with a May 31st deadline, lawmakers’ latest “fix” for highway funding—a two-month extension of current policy—comes after members had given themselves ten months to devise a long-term solution. To almost no one’s surprise, the ten months flew by without a whisper of…Michael Sargent