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
Post Deal, How the US Can Keep Pressuring Iran
While President Donald Trump said the United States would give Iran a shot at making a more effective nuclear deal, experts—even those who backed the president’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement—contend that will be a tall order. “We will be putting on among the strongest sanctions that we’ve ever put on a country,… -
news
White House Rolls Out Agenda for More Deregulation to Boost Business
President Donald Trump will continue to target duplicative and ineffective regulations as part of his administration’s “spring agenda,” the White House announced Wednesday. Trump’s reform agenda will cut across many areas and top priorities for deregulation include infrastructure development, emerging technologies, and “relief for small business,” a senior White House official said during a conference… -
opinion
Welfare With No End in Sight Is a Terrible Fate. Let’s Help Americans Avoid It.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is high on the Republican list of programs targeted for reform—and justifiably so. The program has gone from 17 million enrollees in 2000 to about 43 million today, with outlays up from about $25 billion to more than $70 billion. The Trump administration’s budget submitted last February includes major reforms… -
opinion
The Left’s Selective, Changing Rules on Cultural Appropriation
The impossibly fickle, selective, and whimsical rules of cultural appropriation are hard to keep straight. (Oops! I said “straight.” Apologies to whomever. Oops, can I say “whomever”? Zimever? Verselves? Gah.) According to the white people who run the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center, eating tacos, drinking tequila, and wearing sombreros on Cinco de Mayo “are… -
opinion
Is Robert Mueller Going to Investigate George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson, Too?
Those who claim that President Donald Trump is guilty of obstructing justice because he fired James Comey or because he asked Comey if he could go easy on Michael Flynn are way off base. And so is Robert Mueller if he is actually conducting such an investigation. What none of these critics seem to understand… -
opinion
The Unintended Consequences of the Welfare State on the Human Spirit
Before the massive growth of our welfare state, private charity was the sole option for an individual or family facing insurmountable financial difficulties or other challenges. How do we know that? There is no history of Americans dying on the streets because they could not find food or basic medical assistance. Respecting the biblical commandment… -
opinion
Amended BUILD Act Is a Cosmetic Makeover, Not Meaningful Reform
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has scheduled a markup for May 9 for H.R. 5105, the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018. Ostensibly, the BUILD Act is intended to “reform and modernize America’s approach to development finance, making it more efficient and effective.” In reality, however, it creates a supersized Overseas… -
opinion
NAFTA’s Investor Protections Are Essential for US Businesses. Don’t Negotiate Them Away.
With NAFTA 2.0 negotiations possibly wrapping up as soon as this week or next, it’s vital that the United States not bargain away a key protection for U.S. businesses. Investor-state dispute settlement should be off the negotiating table. The investor-state dispute settlement system provides a neutral arbitration process that ensures Americans with business interests in… -
opinion
Emboldened by March for Our Lives, Far-Left DC Council Considers Lowering Voting Age to 16
D.C. Public Schools announced April 28 that just 46 percent of seniors in the District’s traditional high schools are on track to graduate in June. Not to worry, however: The D.C. Council isn’t likely to let that minor detail stand in the way of allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. There’s a reason the Republican-controlled Congress hasn’t relinquished… -
opinion
Nicaragua’s Regime Wants to Go the Direction of Venezuela. Here’s How That Can Be Avoided.
Since April 18, the largest protests in decades have engulfed many parts of the small Central American country of Nicaragua. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets to demonstrate against their authoritarian government led by former communist revolutionary Daniel Ortega and his handpicked vice president and wife, Rosario Murillo. >>> RSVP here… -
opinion
Same Policies That Failed to Stop Florida Shooter Exist in School Districts Nationwide
Critics of President Donald Trump said his response to the Florida school shooting earlier this year was ill-conceived and a failure. Yet a new startling revelation from school district officials in Broward County, Florida, shows the White House’s response was indeed appropriate—more than even the Trump administration knew. On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz, a student… -
opinion
The War on Wisdom
There is more knowledge available today than ever before in history. But few would argue people are wiser than ever before. On the contrary, many of us would argue that we are living in a particularly foolish time—a period that is largely wisdom-free, especially among those with the most knowledge: the best educated. The fact… -
opinion
A Government Loan Program for Auto Manufacturers on Road to Repeal
Among programs on the chopping block in the White House’s new plan to cut more than $15 billion in wasteful government spending is the Department of Energy’s loan program for certain automakers. Congress should drop the guillotine and rescind the $4.3 billion remaining in this Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment… -
opinion
BUILD Act Doesn’t Make the Reforms OPIC Needs
The Trump administration wants to consolidate existing U.S. government development finance agencies to replace the outdated Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). In that vein, members of Congress introduced the “Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (or BUILD) Act of 2018. But a recent Heritage Foundation analysis found that the bill would merely rebrand and… -
opinion
Rejecting Much-Needed Reforms, Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill Favors Status Quo on Costly Subsidies
The House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill is a complete rejection of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2018 farm bill principles when it comes to farm subsidies. Here are a few examples: USDA principle: “Provide a fiscally responsible farm bill that reflects the administration’s budget goals.” The committee’s farm bill doesn’t include any of the Trump… -
news
California Might Require Every Home to Install a Solar Panel
California is widely expected to become the first state in the U.S. to require solar panel installations for nearly all new homes. The California Energy Commission will vote on Wednesday whether to enact a sweeping new mandate that will artificially propagate the state’s solar energy sector. If passed, the proposed rule will require solar panels to be installed in… -
news
4 Takeaways From Trump’s NRA Speech
President Donald Trump spoke Friday to the nation’s largest gun rights advocacy group, but touched on numerous other issues apart from the Second Amendment and school safety. “If we’re going to outlaw guns like so many people want to do … we are going to have to outlaw immediately all vans and all trucks,” @POTUS… -
opinion
The Left’s Chilling Refusal to Stop Flirting With Marxist Ideas
The New York Times just can’t stop talking about communism. Recently the Times ran an editorial headlined “Happy Birthday, Karl Marx. You Were Right!” The piece, written by Jason Barker, a professor in South Korea, is about what one would expect from a defense of communism. As one Federalist writer noted, it was “beyond parody.”… -
opinion
Case of Teen Planning to Attack Dallas Mall Is 90th Homegrown Terrorist Plot Since 9/11
??? Earlier this week, 17-year-old Matin Azizi-Yarand was arrested for plotting a terrorist attack on a local mall near Dallas. This plot is the 103rd Islamist terror plot in the U.S. since 9/11. Significantly, Azizi-Yarand was radicalized here in the U.S., making this an act of homegrown terrorism. Unfortunately, he’s far from the only person to…