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
House Bill Would Modernize America’s National Labs
Congressman Randy Hultgren (R–IL) and seven original cosponsors introduced the Department of Energy Laboratory Modernization and Technology Transfer Act of 2014 on July 17. The bill would create a seamless pathway for private innovators to transition the basic research at America’s national labs to commercial success stories. Representative Hultgren remarked in his press release: It… -
opinion
The Moral Difference Between Israel and Hamas
What most Americans—and the world—hear about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas goes something like this: “125 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed by Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza. No Israelis have yet been killed.” This may be true, but there is absolutely no context to it. One must look at the… -
opinion
States Already Have Transportation Funding Independence
Campaigning this week for more federal transportation spending, President Obama said, “There’s something called the Highway Trust Fund [HTF]—I suspect this crew is familiar with it. It helps states support transportation projects. If Congress fails to fund it, it runs out of money.” Indeed, the House just passed a $10.8 billion bailout of the HTF… -
opinion
Fortune Article Misunderstands Why Businesses Invert
Allan Sloan of Fortune recently wrote an article best summarized as a tirade at U.S. businesses that have, or are thinking about, inverting. Inverting is the process whereby a U.S. business merges with a foreign business and moves the new joint business’s headquarters to the foreign country. Inversions have been a hot topic recently because… -
opinion
Extreme Environmental Agenda Hijacks Dietary Guidelines: Comment to the Advisory Committee
The extreme environmental agenda is popping up everywhere, including in areas that have nothing to do with the environment. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) has been considering issues such as global warming and sustainability in developing their recommendations—issues that bear no relationship to the nutritional and dietary purpose of the Dietary Guidelines. The DGAC… -
news
Conservative Coalition Issues Stern Warning on Ex-Im Bank
Leaders of top conservative organizations joined forces to deliver a clear message to Republican lawmakers: Allowing the charter of the Export-Import Bank to expire is the only principled option. The Conservative Action Project, a coalition of leaders of groups ranging from Heritage Action for America and Americans for Prosperity to Tea Party Patriots and the… -
opinion
Hundreds of Undocumented Children Could Be Coming to Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of undocumented children may be headed from the Mexican border to Wisconsin. The federal government has asked officials in the Madison and Milwaukee areas to look for potential sites to house some of the children now flooding into the country from Central America through Mexico. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin told Wisconsin… -
opinion
Joe Gibbs’ Organization Housing Undocumented Children in Virginia
It was only a matter of time before some of the thousands of undocumented children flooding the United States border reached Virginia. But the organization that is housing those children was founded by a man familiar to virtually everyone in the Washington, D.C., area. Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, R-Woodbridge, confirmed… -
opinion
New Mexico’s Mouse War Escalates
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s war over the meadow jumping mouse is escalating and moving ahead on multiple fronts. Ranchers whose permits allow their cattle to graze in the Santa Fe National Forest object to a proposal to erect fencing covering 120 acres in a meadow where the mouse lives. They’re heading to Capitol… -
opinion
Saving Lives vs. Saving Dollars: The A-10 Debate
In her recent article for The Hill, Heritage senior policy analyst Diem Salmon explains the debate over whether the Air Force should retire its entire fleet of A-10 warplanes: The reason why the A-10 decision is so difficult is because budget pressure from Congress is forcing choices about capabilities that will have a clear and… -
opinion
CBO Projects Lower GDP Growth and Wage Growth
Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual Long-Term Budget Outlook for 2014. Compared to its 2013 outlook, the CBO projections include a significant reduction in real wage growth, to the tune of more than $40,000 over the next 10 years for a middle-income earner. In its 2014 Budget and Economic Outlook published in… -
opinion
TRIA: Time to End Years of “Temporary” Insurance Subsidies
Twelve years ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, Congress created a “temporary” subsidy program for insuring losses from terrorist attacks. That temporary program, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), has since been reauthorized twice, and lawmakers are now considering yet another renewal. There is no justification for continuing the program. But if reauthorization is inevitable,… -
news
This Is Exactly How Central Americans Illegally Cross the Mexico-Texas Border
“Welcome to America,” Border Patrol agent Albert Spratte says. As politicians in Washington debate how to best deal with the influx of illegal immigrants from Central America along the southwest border, smugglers continue to transport women, children, and entire families into the country. The Daily Signal went on a tour of the border near McAllen,… -
news
Hipster Ryan Says ‘Yes’ to Beards, ‘No’ to Pot and Tattoos
Yesterday, I sat down with the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan, to ask the hard questions about the issues that matter most to millennials. A rising star on the right, Ryan appeals specifically to the younger demographic. So in an exclusive interview I asked the former vice presidential nominee about pot,… -
news
Mom Put in Jail For Letting 9-Year-Old Play in Park Alone
A South Carolina mother was arrested for letting her 9-year-old daughter play in a local park while she worked at a nearby McDonalds. Debra Harrell brought her daughter to work for most of the summer. When her daughter asked if she could play outside instead, Harrell agreed and gave her a cellphone in case of… -
opinion
Eric Holder Fears Foreign Fighter Pipeline, Indicates Flawed Counter-Terrorism Strategy
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder fears American and European foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria are receiving training from Yemeni bomb makers. In an interview last week, Holder said “…That’s deadly combination, where you have people who have the technical knowhow along with the people who have this kind of fervor to give their lives… -
news
Why Conservatives See Ex-Im Bank as Measure of New Majority Leader
Conservatives in the House view the looming fate of the Export-Import Bank as a major test for Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s future in leadership, two of the lawmakers told The Daily Signal. Reps. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, and Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas, talked yesterday about the efforts of Democrats and “establishment” Republicans to save the 80-year-old federal… -
opinion
First Five Steps to Solving Southern Border Crisis
Putting aside politics is the key to stabilizing the US-Southern border with Mexico. There are key national interests at stake. In addition to concerns over security, public health and sovereignty, the disruption of illegal migration flows at the border distracts from focusing resources on the clear and present danger of transnational criminal cartels and gangs… -
news
On the Border, Activist’s Arrest Rattles the ‘Dreamers’
McALLEN, Texas — Visitors staying at the Wingate by Wyndham hotel in this suddenly notorious border town were awakened by the chants and finger snaps of protesters outside. Across the avenue, at the local airport, the U.S. Border Patrol had arrested a man who is a symbol of their movement. So the protesters gathered in… -
news
Paul Ryan: Humanitarian Crisis Represents Opportunity to Fix Border
In the debate over the border crisis, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., sees an opportunity to shore up a porous southern border and restore national sovereignty. “I think it’s an opportunity to get some border security measures in place that we probably otherwise wouldn’t have,” said the House Budget Committee chairman today of the developing border…