“Byron Dorgan” on The Daily Caller

The Federal Reserve, which has the power to print money, also sets its own operating budget. That’s the wrong kind of independence. Unfortunately, recent proposals to audit the Fed do not address this issue. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is retiring and his party has a big problem in 2012 — and beyond. (more)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad said Tuesday he will not run for re-election in 2012, saying he will concentrate instead on reducing the national debt and dependence on foreign oil. (more)

A new report from a trade association representing family-owned businesses fighting against the estate tax says a giant life insurance lobby is a key force pushing against repeal of the estate tax as the tax creates demand for their insurance. (more)

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is vowing to bring the immigration-related “DREAM Act” to the Senate floor and some Senate Republicans are sounding the alarm bells, highlighting that it would offer amnesty to an estimated 2.1 million illegal aliens. (more)

In 2010, Obama euphoria dwindled and made way for the Tea Party. From Alaska’s Joe Miller to Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell, upsets over establishment candidates have swept the nation. But there’s another type of candidate that may gain Republicans seats this election cycle: the mavericks. (more)

Senate Democrats who blocked an immigration bill in 2007 say they are undecided on how to vote on the measure this week. (more)

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — In the turbulent year of the tea party, Republican Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware set out to jangle no nerves as he ran for a Senate seat long held by Vice President Joseph Biden. It’s the way Republican strategists originally envisioned 2010, a roster of seasoned politicians pointing the party toward significant gains in the Senate. (more)

The August Congressional recess is quickly approaching, and Congressional leaders are in a madcap rush to pass an energy bill—any energy bill, it seems—before they head home to the districts. (more)

According to Democratic leaders in the Senate, the 60 votes needed to pass a climate bill may be a lot more difficult to come by than they originally thought. Last weekend, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said, “If you actually have a bill that puts in place a cap-and-trade system or a limit on greenhouse gases and a mandatory reduction in greenhouse gases, I think it’s difficult to see where we get the 60 votes to pass that legislation.” (more)

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers have begun to make noise in recent days about raising taxes on the middle class and discarding President Obama’s promise not to increase the tax burden on those making $250,000 a year or less. (more)

Today is Election Day in 12 states. Here’s what you should know about the hottest contests: (more)

Sometime before June 7, the so-called Murkowski resolution to block EPA regulation of greenhouse gases will be voted on in the Senate. Democrats up for re-election this fall may want to think twice about a knee-jerk “no” vote. (more)

Last week, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) gave a keynote speech before a crowd of Internet regulation supporters and stated some amusing falsehoods about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) attempt to take over the Internet. At a summit held by the organization Free Press, Sen. Dorgan claimed that the government developed the Internet, established the rules underpinning net neutrality when it created the Internet, and that the attempt by the FCC to takeover the management of networks is not a government takeover. (more)

Sen. Byron Dorgan, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has been waging a lonely battle to enable Indian tribes across the country to develop what could be vast gas, coal and oil resources on their lands. Standing in the way of Senator Dorgan—and the Indian tribes—are a huge series of uneconomic and anachronistic laws and regulations that taken together render Indian lands disadvantaged compared to state or private land. At a time when we are desperately seeking domestic energy sources, this situation badly needs to be remedied. (more)

The Senate went on record Thursday as overwhelmingly opposed to a value-added tax – something much talked about by Democrats and those close to President Obama of late – approving by 85-to-13 a resolution declaring the penalty a “massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income.” (more)

President Obama is calling more than two dozen House Democrats to the White House Thursday as he steps up the pressure on his party to pass health-care reform. (more)

Most people take nutritional supplements to assure themselves that they are getting their recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals to help prevent illness and disease. They have a right to purchase those products that they believe will keep them healthy. (more)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday scrapped a bipartisan jobs bill unveiled hours earlier that had been endorsed by the White House, in a jarring miscommunication between the Obama administration and Democratic congressional leaders. (more)

After weeks of uncertainty, the Senate on Thursday voted 70 to 30 to confirm Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. The  final vote on his nomination immediately followed a procedural vote of 77-23 to end debate. (more)