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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Exclusive: Senator Aims to Use Budget Process to End Operation Choke Point
UPDATE: The Senate Budget Committee approved the amendment to end Operation Choke Point on Thursday by a 13-9 vote. They also passed the committee’s 2016 budget proposal. Sen. Crapo’s Operation Choke Point amendment will now go to the full Senate with the budget package for a vote. Debate in the Senate will begin at 2…Kelsey Bolar -
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How Does the Senate Budget Measure Up?
Following the House budget which was released Tuesday, the Senate Budget Committee released its fiscal year 2016 budget blueprint today. Any good budget should balance within 10 years or less, without raising taxes above the average historical level (roughly 18 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)). In addition, Heritage policy experts previously established seven priorities for the…Romina Boccia -
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Republicans in House, Senate Split on How to Boost Defense Spending
Republicans in the House and Senate unveiled their separate budget proposals this week, kicking off debate over the federal government’s spending for fiscal year 2016. Though the documents were just recently released, spending for the Defense Department is proving to be a point of contention between GOP lawmakers in both chambers. Neither the House nor…Melissa Quinn -
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Senate and House Opposition to the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty Grows, Again
The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is like much of the United Nations: it won’t achieve anything, but that doesn’t stop it from holding a lot of meetings. The latest meeting was held in Trinidad last month to prepare, of course, for yet another meeting — the first Conference of States Parties to the treaty,…Ted Bromund -
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How Lawmakers Are Trying to Control San Francisco’s Catholic Schools
San Franciscans are currently debating a simple question: Should the government respect the right of Catholic schools to be authentically Catholic? San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone thinks so. But eight California senators and assemblymen sent the archbishop a letter last month, saying that his actions in issuing new faculty guidelines “foment a discriminatory environment in…Ryan T. Anderson -
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Why Are Lawmakers Attacking This Archbishop for Requiring Catholic Teachers to Not Slam Catholicism?
If McDonald’s told its employees that it was unacceptable to diss its fast food as gross, disgusting or unhealthy at either McDonald’s or in a public setting, would it elicit a heated reaction from lawmakers? Probably not. So why are lawmakers getting involved in a Catholic bishop’s decision to tell diocesan employees he expected them…Katrina Trinko -
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Senator Demands Answers on Loretta Lynch’s Role in Money Laundering Settlement
One day after launching an investigation that could delay Loretta Lynch’s confirmation to be attorney general, a Republican senator is raising more questions about her role in a money laundering settlement involving a global bank, terrorists and drug cartels. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, negotiated a settlement in December 2012 with…Kelsey Bolar -
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Senator to Loretta Lynch: Why Did No One Go to Jail for Laundering Money to Terrorists?
Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee for attorney general, is facing questions about why she let multiple bank employees who funneled millions of dollars to the Iranian government, Middle Eastern terrorists and Mexican drug cartels walk away without criminal prosecution. Sen. David Vitter, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today launched an investigation into the…Kelsey Bolar -
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Raw Account of Senator’s Weekend Trip to the Border
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., traveled to Texas this weekend for a first-hand look at the security at the U.S. border with Mexico. The trip comes as Congress wrestles with how to fund the Department of Homeland Security with a deadline of Feb. 27. Conservatives hope to use the funding measure as leverage to attack President…Kelsey Lucas -
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How This GOP Governor Is Bypassing His State’s Liberal Lawmakers to Promote Right-to-Work Laws
Newly elected Illinois governor Bruce Rauner is already trying to shake up his state: He just proposed local right-to-work laws, albeit at the local rather than state level. As the Associated Press reports: The states that are already growing don’t force unionization into their economy,” Rauner told an audience at Richland Community College in Decatur, a city…James Sherk -
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Under Republican Control, the Senate Returns to Work
In the lead-up to the November elections, Senate Republicans made a promise: If elected, we would get Washington working again. In particular, we would get the Senate working again. In 2014, the Democrat leadership allowed just 15 amendment roll call votes. After years of dysfunction under Democrat control, it was time for the Senate to…Sen. John Thune -
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Find Out How Your Senators Voted on the Keystone XL Pipeline
The Senate approved legislation on Thursday authorizing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, despite threats from the White House to veto it. The legislation was passed in a 62-36 vote. Supporters of the pipeline contend that it would create jobs and boost economic growth, and opponents worry about potential environmental ramifications. “Constructing Keystone would pump…Kate Scanlon -
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Senate Hearing: Four Surface Transportation Policies Worth Knowing About
The latest bailout of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) expires at the end of May, so the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee called a hearing to discuss the reauthorization of the federal highway and transit programs funded through the trust fund. Conspicuously absent from the discussion were calls to eliminate wasteful spending in reliable…Emily Goff -
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Your Guide to Loretta Lynch’s Confirmation Hearing in 42 Seconds
President Obama’s nominee for attorney general, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, made her first appearance before lawmakers today, with Republican senators working to make sure Lynch could differentiate herself from her predecessor, Eric Holder. Lynch testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning for the first part of her confirmation hearing. Democratic senators were adamant in…Melissa Quinn -
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Why Don’t Lawmakers Want to Update the Tax Code?
Lawmakers in Washington have plenty of work ahead of them this year, so the temptation to punt on everything but the “hot” issues will be strong. Here’s one they should tackle without hesitation: tax reform. It’s long overdue. One glance at the tax code, and you won’t be surprised to learn it’s been nearly 30…Ed Feulner -
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Defending the Filibuster: The Soul of the Senate
Taken together, the events in recent years threaten to change the U.S. Senate as we know it. Some inside the Senate and outside will cheer these developments. Many progressive organizations continue to demand an end to the filibuster. Whether they will continue this quest can only be surmised. In 2010, just a few months before…Richard Arenberg -
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Senator McCain’s Jones Act Amendment: Good for America
Senator John McCain (R–AZ) recently introduced an amendment to repeal harmful aspects of the Jones Act, a 1920 law that restricts the use of foreign-built or foreign-owned ships for transporting goods within the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “The coastwise laws [like the Jones Act] are highly protectionist provisions that…Bryan Riley -
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At Least One Lawmaker Supports a Third Romney Run for President
HERSHEY, Pa. — Mitt Romney may not have support from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. But Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah is on board with a potential third run from the 2012 Republican presidential candidate. Speaking with reporters today at the joint Republican retreat in Hershey, Penn., Chaffetz, a Romney supporter, endorsed another White House…Melissa Quinn -
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Conservative Lawmakers Prepare to Split From Republican Study Committee
Move over Republican Study Committee. There’s about to be a new conservative group in town. Just two months after the 172-member organization elected Rep. Bill Flores of Texas as its new chairman, a group of nine lawmakers decided to split from the RSC and form its own conservative caucus. The group doesn’t yet have a name,…Melissa Quinn -
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Lawmaker Wants to Pass Law Requiring Local University to Have a Football Team
CULLMAN, Ala. — The University of Alabama may have not proven such a bully on the football field this year, taking it on the chin against Ohio State in the national playoff semifinal. But it may yet flex its muscle in state politics. While Bama and 75 other Football Bowl Subdivision teams played postseason games…Johnny Kampis