Morning Bell: Will the Senate Minority Be Silenced?
Life is good when you’re in the majority—and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) seems to believe he’ll be there forever. Reid has already effectively… Read More
Morning Bell: Taxes to Rise on Most American Workers
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called it “a happy start to a new year.” That probably tells you all you need to know about the fiscal… Read More
Congressional Budget Office Shows Senate Bill Is $600 Billion Tax Hike
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just now released its score of the bill the Senate passed early this morning while everyone was celebrating the beginning of… Read More
Fiscal Cliff Looming, Senate Still Finds Time to Name Post Offices
The country is poised to go over the “fiscal cliff” if Congress fails to act on impending tax hikes and sequestration cuts by December 31…. Read More
Amendment Cuts Pork from Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill
An example of fiscal responsibility turned up yesterday in an unexpected place: the U.S. Senate. Senator Dan Coats (R–IN) offered an amendment to President Obama’s… Read More
Hurricane Sandy Relief: Billions Spent on Transportation
Transportation agencies and programs including the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Amtrak, and other transit stand to benefit handsomely from the Senate’s… Read More
Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill: More Spending Than Disaster Aid
The Hurricane Sandy relief bill racing through the U.S. Senate is a perfect example of the spend-now-save-later practices that are driving the government deeper in… Read More
PODCAST: Heritage’s Lee Edwards on Jim DeMint
Politicos both in and outside the Beltway are still processing the news that Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina is taking over for Ed Feulner,… Read More
EVENT: Defending the Filibuster, the Soul of the Senate
On Tuesday, December 11, at 11:00 a.m., Heritage will host a book event and a discussion with two well-known experts on the importance of maintaining… Read More
A Rare Showing of Bipartisanship
Yesterday, in a rare showing of bipartisanship, the lame-duck Senate passed the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal Act of 2012 by a vote of 92–4…. Read More
News
Morning Bell: Jim DeMint to Lead the Battle of Ideas
Yesterday’s announcement that Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is leaving the U.S. Senate to replace Edwin J. Feulner as president of The Heritage Foundation surprised the… Read More
Jim DeMint to Become Heritage’s Next President
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) will leave the U.S. Senate next year to become president of The Heritage Foundation, succeeding Edwin J. Feulner, the man who… Read More
News
Morning Bell: Disabilities Treaty Just Another U.N. Power Grab
International treaties sound like a good idea, especially when they claim to protect vulnerable people. The problem is, America already does more than any other… Read More
How to Make Harry Reid’s Power Grab Work for Conservatives
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) is expected to try to change the rules of the Senate to shut out the voices of the minority… Read More
Morning Bell: The Threats of a Lame Duck Congress
The lame-duck session begins today, with retiring and defeated Members of Congress coming back to Washington to make their last legislative decisions. Because of the… Read More
Filibuster Reform Just the Latest Senate Power Grab
Senator Harry Reid (D–NV) wants to limit the filibuster now that he has retained his position as majority leader. In July of this year, The… Read More
GUEST POST: “Filibuster Reform” Is Misleading
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has a new idea to make it easier to pass legislation: Cut Republicans out of the process. He’s calling… Read More
Senate Conservatives Gather Enough Votes to Block Lame Duck Treaties
A group of Senate conservatives has gathered enough support to block any treaties that come up for a vote during the lame duck session. A… Read More
Senator Rand Paul on the “Charade and Farce” of Debate in the Senate
On Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul (R–KY) requested a vote on two amendments to S.3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps Act. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV)… Read More
Inappropriate for Appropriations Bills (and Other Bills, Too)
This session, Congress has consistently increased criminal penalties through legislation. In what type of bills are they doing it? In appropriations bills, of course. Where… Read More
Senate Republicans Have Spoken: No Votes on Judges Until After the Election
On Monday night, Senate Democrats failed to reach 60 votes to cut off debate on the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach to the U.S. Court… Read More
Senate Opposition May Block Judicial Nominees Close to Presidential Election
On July 30, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th… Read More
Morning Bell: Senate Votes to Raise Taxes on Small Businesses
Yesterday, the Senate narrowly voted (51-48) to raise taxes on 1.2 million small businesses, which will likely kill more than 700,000 jobs at a time… Read More
Cybersecurity Legislation Should Be Done Well or Not at All
Cybersecurity legislation will likely be taken up by the Senate tomorrow. Regrettably, the idea that we just need to do something about cybersecurity seems to… Read More
Filibuster Reform Is a Bad Idea
The Washington Post reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) has pledged to reform the filibuster—if and only if he retains his position as… Read More
House Repeals Obamacare; What’s Next
Now that the House has voted to repeal Obamacare, what happens next with H.R. 6079? The “Repeal of ObamaCare Act” will go to the Senate… Read More
Reid’s Unconstitutional Gambit on Small Business Taxes
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) is trying to use the Senate to message on tax issues. The problem is that this political ploy is… Read More
Senate Flood Insurance Compromise Will Reduce Taxpayer Cost of Disasters
Further scrambling to pay for transportation projects and the subsidized student loan interest rate freeze, Congress is now debating to add a five-year flood insurance… Read More
Senate GOP Will Use Reconciliation in Attempt to Repeal Obamacare
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that Obamacare’s health insurance mandate is in fact a tax levied on those who do not purchase insurance,… Read More
News
Questions the Senate Should Ask NRC Nominee Allison Macfarlane
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing tomorrow on the nomination of Allison Macfarlane and the re-nomination of Kristine Svinicki… Read More
