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
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… -
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… -
news
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,”… -
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,… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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…. -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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…