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.
-
opinion
How Lawmakers Could Reward Main Street
With more and more Americans feeling unheard and disenfranchised by a political system that works for the well-connected while doing little to address their anxieties, Congress has an opportunity to deliver at least one easy victory to Main Street this year. The question is: Will they take it? This June, the Export-Import Bank is up… -
news
Will Harry Reid’s Retirement Shake Things Up in the Senate?
Five-time Democratic Senator and Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced his retirement Friday, starting a series of events in motion as Democrats look to anoint the first new leader they’ll have had in almost a decade. News of Reid’s retirement sent the rumor mill swirling. A replacement to the minority leader will officially be… -
news
House Passes Medicare Doc Fix Bill. How Did Your Representative Vote?
The House Thursday passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015—the so-called “doc fix” bill. The legislation was approved in a 392-37 vote. >>> Click Here to See How Your Representative Voted The bill, a bipartisan deal by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is an effort to make… -
news
Reflections on the Conservative Budget From the Lawmaker Tasked With Crafting It
The Republican Study Committee’s budget didn’t pass the House, but the lawmaker in charge of crafting the proposal as head of the group’s Budget and Spending Task Force is reflecting on the mark it’s made on the Republican conference. The House voted on six budget proposals Wednesday, which included the Republican Study Committee’s “Blueprint for… -
opinion
The 2016 Senate Budget Vote-a-rama Begins!
This morning the Senate concluded debate on the budget resolution and started off on an unofficial procedure known as “vote-a-rama,” a fast-track budget process of addressing amendments that were not disposed of during the previous 50 hours of debate on the budget resolution. The role of the budget resolution is to provide an important framework… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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,… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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…