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Sean Lengell

slengell@washingtontimes.com

Sean Lengell was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Sean Lengell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says the GOP’s guiding principle in the debate over who gets tax breaks is “Do no harm.” There is no consensus. (Associated Press)

Down to wire on tax breaks, parties far apart

With an eye on the November elections, Congress is eager to cut a deal on expiring Bush-era tax cuts. But with Democrats and Republicans in each chamber set to take up the issue before leaving town for their August break, lawmakers are far from consensus in the contentious debate.

July 24, 2012
**FILE ** Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Another year, another stopgap bill instead of real budget

Congress is heading into the final stretch of its summer work period having passed none of its annual spending bills. What's more, with the start of the next budget year some 70 days away, it's unlikely that any of the bills will reach the president's desk for his signature.

July 22, 2012
“We need to be exporting our products, not our jobs,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat and author of the bill blocked by Republicans. (Associated Press)

GOP sees mischief in jobs legislation

At first glance, a bill that encourages companies to relocate jobs to the U.S. from overseas seems like a solid candidate for widespread support.

July 19, 2012
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is a Democrat, but he sees the Republican National Convention as a chance for his city to shine. He said the buzz surrounding the event is “20 times” that of the four Super Bowls the city has hosted. (The Washington Times)

Mayor says Tampa ready for GOP invasion

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn isn't going to lose much sleep over the threat of violent protesters marring the Republican National Convention in his city next month. After all, dealing with annual invasions by pirates and Mother Nature have battle-hardened this city for big-time events.

July 18, 2012
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who also served five terms as Wyoming’s representative in the U.S. House, returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with Senate Republican leaders at a political strategy luncheon. He is accompanied by Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming (left), the Republican Policy Committee chairman. (Associated Press)

Cheney huddles with GOP strategists

Republicans welcomed former Vice President Dick Cheney to Capitol Hill on Tuesday as they ramped up their battles with Democrats over next year's spending, with parties at odds over extending the Bush tax cuts and allowing dramatic spending reductions to kick in January.

July 17, 2012
“Perhaps Republicans want to shield a handful of billionaires willing to contribute nine figures to sway a close presidential election,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. (Associated Press)

Republicans block bill on transparency

Senate Democrats on Monday failed to move forward on legislation that calls for more strict disclosures for political spending, as Republicans easily blocked a mostly symbolic procedural vote on the measure less than a week after Democrats blasted House Republicans for holding a token vote to repeal health care.

July 16, 2012
Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican (AP Photo)

DeMint: Law of the Sea Treaty now dead

The United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty now has 34 senators opposed to it and thus lacks the Senate votes needed for U.S. ratification, a key opponent of the treaty announced Monday.

July 16, 2012
ASSOCIATED PRESS An air traveler is patted down by a TSA agent at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Experts say reforms in TSA's airport-screening policies are needed, though they cautioned the agency to be careful not to make the policies too lenient.

Relaxing of airport screening regimen coming in fits, starts

More than a decade after terrorists used planes to attack the United States, the Transportation Security Administration slowly has carved out a series of exceptions to its strict airport-screening rules, allowing some passengers to avoid at least some of the inconveniences and intrusions that rank-and-file passengers withstand.

July 12, 2012
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid discusses the fight over extending tax cuts after a political strategy session on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

Reid proposes cutting taxes for small businesses

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is borrowing from the Republican playbook by proposing a series of tax cuts, including a measure being considered this week to extend tax breaks to small businesses.

July 10, 2012
"Today's report is further evidence that Congress should be focusing on creating jobs and helping the middle class, not re-fighting old battles for political gain." - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat

All bills lead to jobs in latest spin in Congress

With so many Americans looking for a job — or worried about keeping the one they have — lawmakers looking for an edge on Capitol Hill are increasingly labeling their proposals "jobs" bills. Tax bills, road projects, agriculture spending — they've all become "jobs" bills.

July 8, 2012
Minor-league soccer team F.C. New York was prohibited from wearing jerseys with an advertisement supporting Mitt Romney because of regulations stated by FIFA, the sport's international governing body. (Courtesy of F.C. New York)

Romney donor gets boot in soccer deal

Politics and sports don't mix — at least not for one Mitt Romney supporter, thwarted in his attempt to pay a New York minor-league soccer team to wear uniforms with an advertisement supporting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

July 3, 2012
Rep. Charles B. Rangel, New York Democrat (Associated Press)

Rangel’s primary win in doubt

Rep. Charles B. Rangel's unofficial primary victory last week is in jeopardy, as a revised vote tally shows the New York City Democratic stalwart ahead by only about 800 votes with more than twice as many ballots yet to be counted.

July 2, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, joined by other House GOP leaders, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, following a political strategy session. Boehner defended the contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder, commented on the looming Supreme Court decision on the health care, and updated progress on student loans and the transportation bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Congress ends deadlock on highways, student loans

After a months-long struggle filled with roadblocks, delays and U-turns, Congress passed a measure Friday to fund federal highway, transit and rail programs for the next two years in a package that included a provision to prevent federally subsidized student loan rates from doubling.

June 29, 2012
President Obama, greeting Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. before delivering his the State of the Union address, as a member of the Senate in 2005 voted against confirming the justice who would deliver the decisive vote in favor of his health care act. (Associated Press)

Democrats all in favor of Roberts’ deciding vote

Democrats who have decried past decisions of the Roberts Supreme Court suddenly lauded the chief justice after he provided the critical vote Thursday to uphold most the president's health care law.

June 28, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, center, joined by other House GOP leaders, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, following a political strategy session. From left are, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Boehner, Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, and Rep. Bill Flores of Texas. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Lawmakers close to deal on highways, student loans

Congressional leaders were poised Wednesday to reach a deal on stalled legislation to keep federal transportation, transit and rail projects running, as House Republican leaders prepared to bow to Democratic pressure to exclude a provision for a controversial oil pipeline.

June 27, 2012
From left, Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and John Cornyn of Texas are among GOP senators pressing Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to name an independent counsel to probe national security leaks. (Associated Press)

Senators seek independent leak probe

A group of Republican senators is pressing Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to immediately appoint an independent counsel to investigate an "avalanche" of national security leaks.

June 26, 2012
** FILE ** Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, reads from a book on June 20, 2012, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, quoting the president's right to assert executive privilege after learning that President Obama has done so in the "Fast and Furious" gun-tracking case, refusing to turn over related documents to Congress. The committee proceeded with its markup to vote on whether to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for his failure to produce those documents. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Issa: Obama’s privilege claim in ‘Fast and Furious’ suggests complicity

The chairman of a House committee that recommended a contempt citation against Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in the Fast and Furious scandal said Tuesday that President Obama's assertion of executive privilege means the White House is either covering up its role in the botched operation or is obstructing a congressional probe.

June 26, 2012
** FILE ** Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada speaks on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, after the Democrats' weekly strategy session. (Associated Press)

Senate reaches deal on loans for students

Senate leaders on Tuesday reached a deal to prevent subsidized student loan rates from doubling, a compromise backed by the White House but one that still must pass muster in the GOP-led House.

June 26, 2012
Mitt Romney, speaking at a National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in Florida on Thursday, has pushed the 2012 electoral battleground into union-friendly territory and put organized labor on the defensive in states it typically has little trouble holding. (Associated Press)

Romney stirs up challenge on unions’ own turf

Mitt Romney has pushed the 2012 electoral battleground into union-friendly territory — putting organized labor on the defensive in states it typically has little trouble holding.

June 21, 2012