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
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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,… -
news
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… -
opinion
Refusing to Wait for State Lawmakers to Act, These Counties Passed Right-to-Work Laws
A major economics story for conservatives slipped under the radar screen as Americans celebrated the New Year: Two more Kentucky counties passed local right-to-work laws. On December 30, Fulton and Simpson counties approved right-to-work ordinances; several more counties appear set to follow suit in the coming days. Right-to-work laws make union dues voluntary. Absent such laws,… -
news
Are These Solar Panel Companies Deceiving Consumers? Lawmakers Are Investigating.
Solar contractors, including SolarCity and Sunrun, are in the crosshairs of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress who seek an end to what they call “potentially deceptive sales tactics” associated with the companies’ zero-down, 20-year lease business model. Spurred by consumer complaints that the massive savings they were promised never materialized, 12 Republicans and four… -
opinion
The Two Key Passages from the Constitution All Lawmakers Should Read
For the third time in our nation’s history, the Constitution will be read out loud on the floor of the House of Representatives Friday. Cynics, or those who simply follow the antics of Congress, will likely roll their eyes and dismiss this as a stunt. But a public reading of the Constitution is not entirely… -
news
Speaker Rebellion About ‘Party Unity, Not Infighting,’ Conservative Lawmaker Says
Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., a leader among conservatives who hoped to dislodge House Speaker John Boehner from his post, told The Daily Signal in an on-camera interview today why he will fight to “stand up and make a change.” Bridenstine said he would support either announced challenger — Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, or Rep. Ted… -
news
What Republicans Have at Stake in Senate Rules on Filibustering President’s Nominees
Little more than one year after Harry Reid, the Senate’s top Democratic leader, invoked the hotly disputed “nuclear option,” the change of rules may stand after the Republicans officially take over Jan. 6. As majority leader, Reid pushed through a change in Senate rules on advancing presidential nominations just over 14 months ago. At the time, Republicans… -
news
Conservatives, Liberals Unhappy as Senate Passes Spending Bill, 56-40
The Senate tonight passed a $1.1 trillion bill to fund most of the federal government through the current fiscal year, averting another partial shutdown amid sharp disagreements on regulating immigration, financial institutions and election campaigns. The Senate’s bipartisan 56-40 vote, coming after an unusual Saturday session, cleared the way for President Obama to sign the… -
news
Tom Coburn’s Stirring Message to Fellow Senators, in 90 Seconds
In an emotional farewell address, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., today encouraged fellow lawmakers to heed their oath of office, saying it doesn’t include securing goodies for their home states. Coburn, perhaps best known for combating government waste, took to the Senate floor for his remarks. The Oklahoma Republican reminded colleagues that they take an oath to… -
opinion
Spending Bill: House Caves to Senate on Transportation Funding
In last minute, high pressure negotiations over spending bills on Capitol Hill, the House often caves to the Senate’s higher, irresponsible levels of spending. On Tuesday, they did it again. This time, they caved with the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2015 spending. Higher spending levels emerged on a variety of programs that merit… -
news
Old Friends Go Head-to-Head for Top Spot on Senate Budget Committee
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is going up against one of his closest friends in the U.S. Senate for the plum post of Budget Committee chairman — a matchup that could determine, in part, the policy agenda as Republicans take control of the upper chamber next month. Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Budget Committee,… -
news
The Anti-Gruber: This State Senator Unafraid to Outline Costs of Vermont’s Single-Payer Health Care Plan
For two years, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has concealed his plans for financing single-payer health care. His lead consultant, Jonathan Gruber, has admitted to deceptive policymaking and called lack of transparency “a huge political advantage.” But at least one man knows what Vermonters can expect to pay for Green Mountain Care and isn’t afraid to… -
news
Lawmakers, Lobbyists Eye ‘Green’ Energy Subsidies in Lame-Duck Congress
As the lame-duck Congress limps to the finish line, billions of dollars in federal energy subsidies could be up for grabs. The perennial procrastination has solar and wind-power lobbyists scrambling for tax credits. Last week, lawmakers reached a deal on a $440 billion tax package only to have President Obama threaten a veto. The package would have… -
news
House Panel’s Benghazi Report ‘Full of Crap,’ Senator Says
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., today said a new House committee report on the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi is “full of crap.” The report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two years in the making and released Friday evening, asserts that intelligence and military officials responded appropriately during the attacks on the U.S…. -
opinion
Republican Senator Calls for Benghazi Select Committee
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called for the creation of a Senate Select Committee on Benghazi in an interview this week on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. Graham has been one of the most persistent critics of the Obama administration’s handling of Benghazi since day one. The administration was under threat from Graham to hold up the… -
news
3 Lawmakers Offer Their Political Smarts to Head This ‘Study’ Group
One of a trio of Republican congressmen will take over a conservative caucus in the U.S. House with a 40-year history that some members see as compromised. Although a front-runner has emerged, insiders warn a bump in support for a candidate favored by House leadership could affect the outcome. Next Tuesday, three lawmakers seek the chairmanship… -
news
From the Classroom to the Capitol: America’s Youngest Lawmaker Is All About Ideas
She has to go through freshman orientation again. But this time, as the newest representative from the 59th District of the West Virginia House of Delegates. This spring, college freshman Saira Blair will skip class for the state capital to be sworn in as the youngest state representative in the nation. While still a senior…