Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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opinion
Is the White House Embracing Human Rights in US Foreign Policy?
With the myriad U.S. interests at stake in foreign policy, where exactly do human rights fit in? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke to this question on Wednesday while discussing the role of values in U.S. foreign policy decision-making. Now I think it’s important to also remember that guiding all of our foreign policy actions… -
opinion
Conservative Agricultural Policy Certainly Doesn’t Include Central Planning and Cronyism
The taxpayer-subsidized “safety net” for agricultural producers represents a long-standing policy failure that would make a Soviet central planner blush. The current “safety net” doesn’t just protect farmers from major crop losses, such as from recent snowstorms in the Midwest. Instead, it’s a system to ensure agricultural producers, primarily large agribusinesses, are given handouts when… -
opinion
Jimmy Kimmel’s Moving Story Shows Why Private Charity Trumps Government
In his emotional monologue a few nights ago, Jimmy Kimmel told us a heartbreaking story with a happy ending. His newborn son, Billy, was diagnosed with a heart disease and underwent immediate surgery—which thankfully was successful. Millions have since watched and sympathized with the comedian and his family—crying when he cried, rejoicing when he rejoiced…. -
opinion
DC School Choice Takes Center Stage at the White House
President Donald Trump signaled his support for education choice at a Wednesday event celebrating the achievements of charter school students and school voucher recipients in the nation’s capital. It was an honor to be at this White House event to watch Trump, along with Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, applaud the… -
opinion
Net Neutrality Is On the Outs. This Bill Would Repeal It for Good.
Americans love their mobile devices. They want to be able to watch, listen, and play any video whenever they want, wherever they want, and for as long as they want. And they don’t want to pay a fortune for the privilege to do so. For most of the history of the internet, companies have been… -
opinion
Is the US the ‘Least Protectionist Country’? Not Really.
Who has the lowest tariffs of them all? According to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, “Mexico and others have had very big external tariffs on many, many goods. [The] U.S. is the least protectionist country.” Peter Navarro, who is set to head the Trump administration’s new Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, has said:… -
news
Groups Urge Ben Carson to Spike Gender Identity Rule for HUD Shelters
Citing safety for women, 40 leaders of groups across the country have signed a letter asking Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to rescind and revise a gender identity rule adopted by the Obama administration for government shelters. The rule, published in September 2016, allows all individuals to use HUD men’s and women’s… -
news
Promises Kept, and Not Yet Kept, in Trump’s First 100 Days
President Donald Trump has scoffed at the measurement even as the White House heralded the successes of his first 100 days in office. No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C.), media will kill! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21,… -
opinion
Bringing Accountability to ‘Zombie’ Appropriations
A key driver of wasteful spending in Washington is what some call “zombie” appropriations. This refers to spending on programs that either have never been authorized, or are operating under an expired authorization. According to the Congressional Budget Office, these programs accounted for nearly one-third of all discretionary spending in fiscal year 2016, receiving more… -
opinion
These Regulations Could Incriminate Your Business Without You Knowing It. How Congress Can Bring Reform.
President Donald Trump, even before hitting his 100th day as president, has begun to make good on his campaign promise to curtail overregulation. That should continue for regulations of the harshest variety: arcane rules whose violation is a federal crime. The president’s efforts began in January, when he issued his first executive order designed to… -
opinion
Trump’s Tax Proposal Is a Strong Starting Point for Reform
President Donald Trump’s tax plan announced on Wednesday shows that he is serious about his campaign promise to cut America’s taxes. For too long, the American economy has been held back by an outdated tax system. Trump’s promise to lower tax rates and update the tax code will benefit all Americans. Chief among the proposed… -
news
Congress Asked to Eliminate $270 Million a Year in Solar Subsidies
Conservative groups have asked lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee to eliminate a solar subsidy program worth $270 million. In a letter sent Tuesday, the conservative groups say they want Congress to pull funding from the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative, citing recent investigations that found the program provided subsidies for rooftop solar power. The letter… -
news
Federal Agencies Spent $13.5 Million on Vehicles They May Not Use
Two federal agencies spent $13.5 million to maintain 2,441 vehicles they may not need, a congressional watchdog reported Tuesday. “Given the billions of dollars spent annually to operate and maintain federally owned vehicles … it is critical for agencies to have sound fleet management practices,” the Government Accountability Office report said. Customs and Border Protection… -
opinion
Here’s a Pay Gap Worth Being Concerned About
We’ve heard about the alleged “wage gap” between men and women, but what about the real pay gap between private and public sector employees? An updated report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shows there is a growing gap between the compensation earned by federal and private employees with the same qualifications. After accounting for… -
opinion
House Health Care Bill Moving in the Right Direction
New developments on the American Health Care Act may finally break the legislative logjam on the bill and make progress toward repealing and replacing Obamacare. New Developments Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., is proposing an amendment that would allow states to apply to the secretary of health and human services for “waivers” from Obamacare’s contentious insurance… -
opinion
Trump’s Unconventionally Successful First 100 Days
No two campaigns for the presidency are the same, and few were as surprising or unconventional as President Donald Trump’s nomination and subsequent victory. It should come as no surprise then that Trump’s “first 100 days” in office—an archaic benchmark set during a different era—have been equally unconventional and in many important ways successful. Nowhere… -
opinion
Remembering Kate O’Beirne
I first met Kate O’Beirne, my new colleague at the Department of Health and Human Services, in 1986. At the time she was the deputy assistant secretary for legislation, and what an impression she made. Kate, who died on Sunday at age 67, was physically striking: a tall brunette with large eyes, a big smile,… -
opinion
Here’s How Wrong Past Environmental Predictions Have Been
Each year, Earth Day is accompanied by predictions of doom. Let’s take a look at past predictions to determine just how much confidence we can have in today’s environmentalists’ predictions. In 1970, when Earth Day was conceived, the late George Wald, a Nobel laureate biology professor at Harvard University, predicted, “Civilization will end within 15… -
opinion
Why Record Numbers of Americans Are Renouncing Their Citizenship
Would you give up your citizenship in order to keep your bank account? That’s a question few Americans would ever want to confront, yet many Americans living abroad are now having to answer. A little-known tax law, known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, has resulted in some foreign banks no longer serving Americans…. -
news
It’s Almost Impossible to Find Out the Cost of a Medical Procedure. This Company Is Trying to Change That.
For a patient looking to see a doctor for any given medical procedure, costs often vary wildly based on the facility or physician. Take non-surgical repair for a broken ankle. For a 26-year-old female insured by Cigna who chooses a top-rated orthopedic surgeon in Washington, D.C., such a procedure costs $1,729. But if she chooses…