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 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…. -
opinion
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… -
news
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’… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
Lawmakers Propose Short-Term Extension for Highway Trust Fund
Unlikely to reach an agreement by the end of the month, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would temporarily extend the authorization of the Highway Trust Fund until the end of July. The Highway Trust Fund finances federal highway and transportation projects, and is funded by the federal tax… -
opinion
This Program Epitomizes Waste and Favoritism. Lawmakers Now Have a Chance to Repeal It.
Do legislators truly care about waste and cronyism? We may get a chance to see how serious (or not) legislators are about these issues if the Senate takes up an amendment to repeal the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s catfish inspection program as part of its consideration of the trade promotion bill. Admittedly, it’s easy to… -
news
After Blocking Out Some Conservatives, House Passes Iran Review Bill
The House easily passed a bill today imposing congressional review over a proposed nuclear deal with Iran after party leadership blocked changes proposed by conservatives. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus had proposed a series of amendments in an attempt to “strengthen” the bill, which the Senate previously passed, but House Speaker John Boehner… -
news
House Passes Bill Banning Most Abortions After 20 Weeks
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The bill, passed by a 242-to-184 vote, would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks—approximately halfway through a pregnancy—with exceptions for victims of rape or incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk. The bill removed a provision in the… -
news
Senate Version ‘Not Strong Enough,’ So House Conservatives Seek Changes to Iran Bill
A group of House conservatives is pressuring GOP leadership to allow the chance to “strengthen” a Senate-passed bill imposing congressional review over a proposed nuclear deal with Iran. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are proposing a series of amendments because some believe the Senate bill does not give Congress enough power to actually… -
opinion
How Lawmakers Could Reduce Health Insurance Costs for Young Adults By 44%
How should Congress respond when the Supreme Court hands down its decision in King v. Burwell? At issue in the case is the Obama administration’s regulatory interpretation of the statute governing payment of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance subsidies. If the Court rules against the administration then those subsidies cannot be paid to individuals… -
opinion
What Lawmakers Can Do If They’re Serious About Ending Bailouts
There’s still a widespread belief that the federal government will bail out large financial firms if there’s another crisis. Curbing the Federal Reserve’s ability to spread money around would be a great way to lower the chances of future bailouts. So it’s encouraging to learn that Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and David Vitter, R-La., have… -
news
Senate Votes to Give Congress Review Over Iran Nuclear Deal
The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Thursday to give Congress at least some voice over a proposed nuclear deal with Iran. The bill, which passed 98-1, would allow Congress to prevent the removal of legislative sanctions against Iran and force the Obama administration to periodically show that Tehran is following the terms of any nuclear…