Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., was voted Thursday to be the next chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of 178 Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Walker said one of the main goals he hopes to achieve while serving as RSC chairman is to repeal and replace Obamacare. “We want to make sure that…
Two House Republicans are in the running to be the next chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of 178 Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Members of the RSC are voting for their next chairman today. Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland and Mark Walker of North Carolina are the two candidates running…
KYIV, Ukraine—Mikheil Saakashvili sits at a desk devoid of any photos or personal memorabilia. On this day, the 48-year-old former Georgian president has only been on the job for four days as leader of a startup Ukrainian opposition political party called Wave. This is the next chapter of Saakashvili’s anti-corruption crusade following his resignation as…
“Suck it up, buttercup,” an Iowa lawmaker tells college students upset over President-elect Donald Trump’s win. “I’m trying to prepare kids for the fact that life is going to hand you lemons,” Iowa state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, told The Daily Signal. “And every time it does, if you don’t get your way, you don’t…
House and Senate budget leaders, along with conservative lawmakers, are beginning to unite around a proposal that would avoid a filibuster from Senate Democrats and put a bill repealing key provisions of Obamacare on President-elect Donald Trump’s desk not long after his inauguration—a bill that is likely to earn his signature. Republicans’ talks of repealing…
House Republicans were on the verge of bringing back earmarks Wednesday before Speaker Paul Ryan intervened to delay a decision until early next year. A group of pro-earmark Republicans offered two amendments to House rules during a closed-door GOP meeting. Sources said the proposals were about to pass before Ryan asked Republicans to conduct the…
House conservatives can picture a place for themselves in President-elect Donald Trump’s world, but it’s not so black and white. In one sense, conservatives say, they can be natural allies to Trump who will be a “bridge” to Republican leadership, and the White House, in order to pass contested legislation. But conservatives also promise to…
New York Daily News columnist and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King recently announced the creation of a project he calls “The DJT Resistance,” to oppose Republican President-elect Donald Trump. King, the senior justice writer at the Daily News, announced the project on Monday via Facebook. Currently, the project’s website calls for a boycott of various…
As 2016 comes to a close, state lawmakers around the nation will look to set legislative priorities for the next couple of years. Reforms to health care, education, and welfare will be top priorities for states around the country, Kathleen O’Hearn, director of policy advancement at the State Policy Network, tells The Daily Signal. “I…
The Washington Supreme Court on Tuesday heard the case of a 72-year-old florist who is facing fines after declining to make flower arrangements for a gay couple’s wedding. During the hearing, lawyers for the florist, Barronelle Stutzman, were asked to explain how declining to make flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding is different from discrimination…
Hours after the arrest of 17 progressive protesters at a sit-in at New York Sen. Charles “Chuck” Schumer’s office, President Barack Obama said Democrats will be doing some healthy reflection after the pounding the party took in last week’s national election. The progressive wing of the Democratic party, which backed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential primary…
Leaders of sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants from deportation are responding defiantly to threats by President-elect Donald Trump to withhold federal funding from them. Local governments from cities including the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Boston over the past few days have said that despite the financial cost they…
Conservative lawmakers and groups are speaking out in opposition to a House Republican proposal to revive the practice of earmarking in the next Congress. Earmarks are congressionally directed spending to a special interest. They’ve been banned under House rules since 2010. But on Wednesday, three GOP lawmakers plan to offer an amendment to those rules…
House Republicans unanimously backed Rep. Paul Ryan for another term as House speaker in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, with GOP lawmakers signaling they’re putting aside their differences in favor of a “unified Republican government.” Despite there being skepticism as to whether Ryan would keep his post, the Wisconsin Republican ran unopposed. Reps. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C.,…
The Oregon official who ordered the former owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding lost to a Republican in his bid for Oregon secretary of state. Brad Avakian, commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and a staunch Democrat,…
One week after Donald Trump won the presidency on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington, House Republicans will vote on a proposal to bring back earmarks. The vote will take place Wednesday when House Republicans meet to adopt their rules for the next Congress. The House earmark ban dates to 2010 when the…
President Barack Obama predicted Monday that his successor might keep some of his major legacy items such as the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement, and potentially even Obamacare, stating that President-elect Donald Trump isn’t ideological. Trump will find that “reality will assert itself,” Obama said during his first post-election press conference. “On a…
The reactions to Donald Trump’s victory last week were as diverse as they were dramatic. President Barack Obama’s former adviser, Van Jones, called Trump’s election a “white-lash.” Supporters at Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters were weeping, according to the Daily Mail. But few reactions were as unique or varied as those of American college students. Here are…
From New York to the District of Columbia, Americans across the country took to the streets over the weekend to voice their dismay with President-elect Donald Trump. In the video above, The Daily Signal compiled a roundup of some signs, symbols, and messages used at these rallies. (Warning: Some signs contain profanity.)
How do you begin addressing the U.S. government’s nearly $20 trillion debt? For one senator, the answer begins with wasteful spending. In an interview with The Daily Signal on Monday, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., announced he would release the second edition of his “Federal Fumbles” report on Nov. 28. The first report, which exposed 100 wasteful…