Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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- News
‘RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS’: White House Calls Out Episcopal Church Over Refusal to Help White Refugees
The White House condemned the Episcopal Church on Tuesday after it withdrew from federal refugee resettlement programs in protest when the government asked the church to resettle white refugees from South Africa. In a Monday letter, a top church leader noted South Africa’s history of Apartheid and said that assisting the refugees cuts against its…Tyler O’Neil -
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Partisan Fighting Flares Over Medicaid Funding
At the beginning of critical markups on Republicans’ “one big, beautiful” budget bill, Democrats made clear that they would resist all of the proposed cuts to Medicaid funding. Passage of the budget reconciliation bill is necessary to extend President Donald Trump’s first term 2017 tax cuts and to fund border security. The main disconnect between…George Caldwell -
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Family of US Journalist Long Missing in Syria Still Holds Out Hope
A body discovered in Syria is not the remains of kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice, his family confirms. Tice, a freelance reporter who received accolades for his early coverage of the Syrian civil war, has been missing since Aug. 14, 2012. According to a family spokesman, "[A]n initial and erroneous report that Austin Tice was…Jacob Adams -
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RFK Jr. Seeks to Free Doctors From Useless Barriers
The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a review of unnecessary regulations slowing down the Food and Drug Administration. “To Make America Healthy Again, we must free our doctors and caregivers to do what they do best—prevent and treat chronic disease,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said Tuesday morning. “We cannot allow their time and…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Thank a Cop This Police Week
Last year, 147 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in the United States, an increase of 25% from 2023. Their names will be added this week to the 24,067 names of officers inscribed on the marble walls at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. As we pause to celebrate…Cully Stimson -
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House Panel Plans to Raise SALT Deduction Cap for Members in Blue States
House Republicans are proposing to raise the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $30,000, up from its current rate of $10,000. The move was announced on Monday by the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. The deduction would apply to single and joint filers who make $400,000 or…Jacob Adams -
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House Panel’s Medicaid Reform Proposals Set Off Predictably Fierce Debate
The House Energy and Commerce Committee unveiled its proposals to revamp Medicaid on Sunday night, drawing the predictable cheers and jeers from Congress' varying factions—establishment Republicans, Democrat Medicaid crusaders, and hard-line fiscal conservatives. The debate over how to handle Medicaid has emerged as the most hot-button issue in Republicans' rush to pass a budget reconciliation…George Caldwell -
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Rejecting Calls for Medicaid Cuts, Hawley Castigates GOP’s ‘Wall Street Wing’
Sen. Josh Hawley is sounding the alarm that Republicans should avoid deep cuts to Medicaid in the budget reconciliation process. In an op-ed published in The New York Times on Monday, the Missouri Republican senator took aim at what he called the “party’s Wall Street wing” for advocating to have the federal program face deep…Jacob Adams -
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State Legislators From Across Country Urge End to Federal Funds for Planned Parenthood
More than 180 pro-life state legislators from 49 states have sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to end Planned Parenthood’s receipt of federal funds. The letter comes as Congress is considering restricting, through the budget reconciliation process, federal dollars from going to the nation’s largest abortion provider. “We’re absolutely making it clear to…Jacob Adams -
- Opinion
Too Much SALT Could Ruin the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’
President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” could be in jeopardy over a major SALT disagreement. Not the kind of salt that you keep in a shaker on the dinner table, but the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. A large increase in the SALT limitation could make extending the 2017 Trump tax…Preston Brashers -
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Crockett: Donors Want ‘Safest White Boy’ as 2028 Nominee
Democrat donors want the “safest white boy” as their presidential nominee in 2028, Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett said on a radio show Thursday. “It is this fear that the people within the party, within the primary system will have about voting for a woman, because every time we voted for a woman we’ve lost…George Caldwell -
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Last Living American Israeli Hostage Released Ahead of Trump’s Middle East Trip
Hamas has released Edan Alexander, the last living American Israeli hostage in Gaza, just as President Donald Trump departed the United States for a four-day trip to the Middle East. Trump called Alexander’s release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators—Qatar and Egypt—to put an…Virginia Allen -
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Justices to Weigh Birthright Citizenship-Related Injunctions, But Won’t Consider Underlying Issue
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday in a case that stems from President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship. But the court won’t be ruling on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order, but rather on the issue of nationwide injunctions. “This case is not about the underlying merits,” GianCarlo Canaparo, a Heritage Foundation…Virginia Allen -
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Inside the $880 Billion Republican Plan for Medicaid Overhaul
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A key House committee has drafted a far-reaching proposal that would restructure Medicaid eligibility, restrict health care funding for transgender procedures, and dismantle several Biden-era climate initiatives, according to a document obtained by The Daily Signal. The plan is a critical piece of the House reconciliation bill that will become the…Bradley Devlin -
- Opinion
Diversity Is Not Our Strength
That “diversity is our strength” is one of those obvious contradictions that people with common sense instantly recognize as hooey. It is poisonous hooey, mind you. As the British historian Arnold Toynbee said, “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” But the people selling diversity know that. They champion diversity not because it is a societal bonding…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
What a Croc: Don’t Let ‘LA GATOR’ Scholarships Go Underfunded
Louisiana families are on the cusp of a transformative opportunity for their children—but that opportunity is in jeopardy of being swamped. Last year, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (“LA GATOR”) Scholarship Program, which has the potential to be a legacy-defining achievement. The policy gives Pelican…Jason Bedrick -
- Opinion
Sanders and Tillis Top This Week’s Washington Head-Scratchers
I used to think I was losing my hair because of genetics. Now I believe the hair loss stems from the hours spent scratching my head over the behavior of our political leaders. Let’s run through a couple examples from this week. Thom Tillis: Preferring J6 Vengeance to Safer Streets in Washington? On Monday, Sen….Al Perrotta -
- Opinion
The ‘N’ in SNAP Means Nutrition
SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, is one of the nation’s largest welfare programs. And, like all welfare programs, it is massive, it has grown prodigiously over the years and it is inefficient. One glaring issue, which is gaining attention as a result of new Health and Human Services…Star Parker -
- Opinion
The Judicial Appointment Train Is Leaving the Station
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Whitney Hermandorfer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She will be Trump’s first judicial nomination of his second term and will replace Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, appointed in September 2010 by President Barack Obama. Congress can use its legislative authority under Article…Thomas Jipping -
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An Rx for What Ails the Centers for Disease Control
Seventy-five years of preparation for an outbreak like that of COVID-19—and yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still failed to “reliably meet expectations” in addressing the crisis. That’s according to an August 2022 admission from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, President Joe Biden’s director of the CDC. This admission was stunning, but it was also unavoidable. The…Robert Redfield