Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Instead of embracing the reality of modern-day agriculture, too many farm subsidy apologists want to perpetuate the myth of the struggling farmer to help make their case for subsidies. The subsidies for the taxpayer-funded “safety net”—about $15 billion a year—are massive wealth transfers from taxpayers to agricultural producers, generally the largest producers. Farm subsidies shouldn’t…
The key problem with the draft House health care bill is that it fails to correct the features of Obamacare that drove up health insurance costs. Instead, it mainly tweaks Obamacare’s financing and subsidy structure. Basically, the bill focuses on protecting those who gained subsidized coverage through the law’s exchange subsidies and Medicaid expansion, while…
The Bridge to Nowhere is baaaaaaacccck. Well, it might soon be if some House Republicans have their way. It’s only been seven years since Republicans famously banned earmarks in a closed-ballot conference meeting, much to the elated response of their constituents. Back then, Republicans were in the minority and were making promises of limited government…
President Donald Trump’s revised executive order restricting travel from terrorist safe havens is just as constitutional and legal as his original order, despite what some courts such as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said about the original order. But the revisions he has made, which clarify that the executive order does not apply…
The FBI arrested Robert Lorenzo Hester on Feb. 17 and charged him with planning bombings in Kansas City, Missouri. The FBI said Hester, of Columbia, Missouri, plotted with undercover agents to use pipe bombs, some fitted with nails for maximum damage, to attack a train station and nearby buses. This was the 94th confirmed Islamist-inspired terror…
Last month, the Senate voted to use the Congressional Review Act to undo an Obama-era regulation issued by the Interior Department. In response, the director of the department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement told Politico, “I believe there’s a good chance that […] a court will overturn Congress’ actions here as an unconstitutional…
Editor's note: Today your letters include thoughtful responses to a commentary by school choice activist Virginia Walden Ford and to a Daily Signal supporter's appeal about making a difference on important issues. Want to write us? You'll see how below. —Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I agree with Virginia Walden Ford’s commentary article. The NAACP has…
In 1990, with the fall of the Soviet Union and following eight years of military buildup under President Ronald Reagan, the American people seemed to agree: The United States was spending enough on the military. Fast forward to 2017, and it’s obvious that sentiment has gone the way of the dinosaurs. A Gallup poll released…
A new report from the United States trade representative links America’s trade deficit with other countries to trade deals entered into going back to the Reagan administration. Those deal include the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Uruguay Round Agreements that created the World Trade Organization, China’s 2001 Protocol of Accession to the World Trade…
Lilian Tintori understands the Venezuelan regime for what it is: corrupt, criminal, and evil. Her husband, Leopoldo López, was stripped of his political rights when President Hugo Chávez saw the potential and dangerous competition that he posed. Eventually this led to Leopoldo’s investigation and his current imprisonment, which has been ongoing for three years now….
On Feb. 16, a rape survivor, a lesbian, a radical feminist, and a conservative activist gathered at The Heritage Foundation in support of a common cause. As members of the Hands Across the Aisle Coalition, these unlikely allies have banded together to combat the increasingly anti-woman positions adopted by the transgender movement. The event, which…
President Donald Trump will soon issue an executive order calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind the Clean Power Plan, a key component of the Obama administration’s Paris climate agreement. Reports have also surfaced that top officials in the Trump administration are divided on whether to pull out of the Paris protocol. Trump should…
In a speech on board the next-generation aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, President Donald Trump pledged to rebuild the U.S. Navy fleet, eliminate cuts to our national defense, and “give the men and women of America’s armed services the resources you need to keep us safe.” His remarks are a welcome tone of greater…
In the economy of world politics, George Soros has billions at stake, and they extend even to remote places like the Republic of Macedonia. In fact, the tiny Balkan state is becoming emblematic of a battle royale taking place in Europe between conservative parties that support traditional values and national sovereignty, and those—often funded by…
Russian propaganda and influence operations have escalated over the past decade, and have especially intensified after the invasion of Ukraine. Plain and simple, the Kremlin has declared war on the concept of objective news reporting—on the airwaves as well as on the internet. Years in the making and with a modest budget of $10 million,…
As the Trump administration considers cuts to the budgets of the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and other international affairs agencies, it must not sacrifice programs that are tangibly preventing conflict and promoting peace. As Defense Secretary James Mattis was quoted as saying when he served as CENTCOM commander, “If you don’t fully…
Giving physical therapy to animals usually isn’t too controversial, but apparently in Tennessee, it is. A Tennessee licensing board has threatened to criminally prosecute two women for nothing more than helping horses through massage therapy. Their case shows just how asinine state occupational licensing laws can be: While the applicable regulatory scheme forbids their current…
Voter fraud is back in the news, and liberals are not happy about it. President Donald Trump has pledged that his administration will fully investigate voter fraud in U.S. elections and recently appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the charge. This is a welcome development. Free and fair elections are the foundation of our…
There were mixed signals from the White House on Tuesday about whether spending cuts or economic growth will fund the boost in defense spending that President Donald Trump reportedly will seek from Congress. Either way, this is an opportune time to dramatically reduce excessive regulatory budgets—that of the Environmental Protection Agency foremost among them. The…
The biggest problem with current sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) laws—including “Fairness for All,” which proposes a grand-bargain compromise between SOGI laws and religious liberty—is that they do not appropriately define what counts as discriminatory. As I explain in a new report for The Heritage Foundation, “How to Think About Sexual Orientation and Gender…