Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has added one of Washington’s leading advocates of military readiness to the ranks of advisers helping prepare him for a likely campaign for president. Jim Talent, who represented Missouri in both the House and Senate before becoming a fellow at The Heritage Foundation, confirmed Thursday that he has joined Walker’s budding…
The House Thursday passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015—the so-called “doc fix” bill. The legislation was approved in a 392-37 vote. >>> Click Here to See How Your Representative Voted The bill, a bipartisan deal by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is an effort to make…
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Signal, Afghanistan’s chief executive promised a “new chapter” in relations with the United States and vowed that his country has to become self-reliant after more than 13 years of American nation-building. “In Afghanistan, the U.S. has invested a lot in blood and treasure and it’s important that those…
The Republican Study Committee’s budget didn’t pass the House, but the lawmaker in charge of crafting the proposal as head of the group’s Budget and Spending Task Force is reflecting on the mark it’s made on the Republican conference. The House voted on six budget proposals Wednesday, which included the Republican Study Committee’s “Blueprint for…
Resolutions asking President Obama to send lethal aid to Ukraine so that the country can defend its borders from Russian aggression have passed in both the House and Senate. A resolution by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., asking Obama to send military aid to Ukraine and condemning the “deliberate targeting of civilians” by “Russian-backed rebels” passed…
WARSAW, Poland— As a U.S. Army Stryker convoy crossed from Lithuania to Poland Tuesday—within about 12 miles of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad—nearby NATO warplanes scrambled to intercept Russian bombers and fighters over the Baltic Sea. While neither Washington nor Moscow have suggested the parallel timing of the Russian flyby with the U.S. convoy was…
A bill known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has been signed into law by the governor. Supporters of Indiana Senate Bill 101 say that the law protects the free practice of religion, and opponents say the law will allow gay and lesbian individuals to be discriminated against. For example, the law could permit business owners…
Budget season is officially in full swing, and as the U.S. Senate prepares to debate the budget resolution, it can only mean one thing: it’s time for vote-a-rama. Today, senators will gather in the U.S. Capitol to take part in a marathon voting session known as vote-a-rama. The vote-a-rama isn’t likely to start until later…
As the House prepares to consider legislation reforming how Medicare doctors are paid, an analysis on the plan by a nonpartisan agency released today shows that it would add more than $100 billion to the federal deficit. The Congressional Budget Office report analyzes the effects of a $210 billion plan proposed by House Speaker John…
In an exclusive one-on-one conversation Tuesday night with Sen. Ted Cruz in New York City, the presidential hopeful says if he becomes president of the United States, he’d be more than willing to compromise with the other side. He says his attitude on compromising is the same as Ronald Reagan’s; that is, take half a…
As lawmakers grapple with whether to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, an Australian satellite company with a "significantly uncertain" future that received more than $300 million in loans from the bank is in jeopardy of defaulting on its loans. NewSat, an Australian satellite communications company, has benefited from more than $304 million in loans from the Export-Import…
The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) told members of Congress Tuesday that part of the agency’s involvement in Operation Choke Point was a “mistake.” “Clearly there was misunderstanding with regards to the list, which was a mistake on our part,” Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the FDIC, said of the agency’s decision to…
On Tuesday, a House Science subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the Department of Energy. The Heritage Foundation’s Nick Loris was on hand to testify that the agency continues to waste taxpayer dollars funding alternative forms of energy. Loris, the Herbert and Joyce Morgan fellow, argues the government’s focus should be to fund basic research…
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., decided to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Obamacare by releasing an alternative plan. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, and the law has remained controversial. In an op-ed Monday for Fox News, Rubio, a likely presidential candidate, unveiled a “three part plan to serve…
It's not every governor who can say the record shows his state's schoolchildren did better because he applied conservative principles of choice and accountability. Jeb Bush can and does. “The aggregate improvements we’ve seen in Florida really can’t be ignored,” Marcus Winters, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado’s College of Education who has studied what Bush…
For the first time this year, Congress will get a chance to directly question the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) over its involvement in Operation Choke Point. In a hearing this afternoon led by Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., who calls Operation Choke Point “the greatest government overreach that no one is talking about,” the Financial…
During an interview last month at CPAC, Sen. Ted Cruz holds nothing back when explaining what it will take to win the presidency in 2016. With his decision Monday to officially run for the White House, The Daily Signal brings you this never-before-seen clip. Put simply, Cruz says a moderately conservative establishment candidate like Bob…
MARIJAMPOLE, Lithuania—Citizens of the three Baltic countries have showed up in droves to welcome a U.S. Army Stryker convoy, which is traveling across Eastern Europe to underscore NATO’s commitment to defend the region from Russia. Soldiers from Iron Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment arrived here Monday after a three-day journey that began Saturday in…
Ted Cruz asked conservatives to let their imaginations run wild. And then the junior senator from Texas explicitly asked them to imagine him as the nation’s next president. “I believe in you,” Cruz said. “I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America, and that is why…
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, launches his campaign for president at Liberty University in Virginia. Cruz is the first major candidate to officially declare his candidacy. The Texas Republican was elected to the Senate in 2012, and has since gained popularity among the Tea Party wing of the GOP for his conservative views and challenges to…