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Sean Lengell

slengell@washingtontimes.com

Sean Lengell was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Sean Lengell

**FILE** Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta pauses on May 10, 2012, during a briefing at the Pentagon. (Associated Press)

Panetta warns against automatic defense cuts

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta on Sunday said more than $500 billion in defense-related cuts scheduled to kick in early next year would be "disastrous" to national security and begged lawmakers to restore the money.

May 27, 2012
Tea party candidate Ted Cruz (left) responds in January to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst during a Republican primary debate in Austin. The former Texas solicitor general has repeatedly challenged Mr. Dewhurst's conservative credentials in the primary race for the U.S. Senate seat left open with the retirement of Kay Bailey Hutchison. (Associated Press)

GOP race in Texas has echoes of Indiana

The next skirmish in the internal war over the direction of the Republican Party plays out in Texas next week, when primary voters choose a Senate candidate as tea party insurgent Ted Cruz is mounting an aggressive challenge to the establishment-backed candidate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

May 22, 2012
Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer was pushed to victory Tuesday in her state's Republican Senate primary by the Ending Spending Fund super PAC, which spent more than $250,000 on media advertisements either supporting her or opposing fellow candidate Jon Bruning in the final days of the race. (Omaha World-Herald via Associated Press)

Impact of super PACs felt in GOP Senate primary races

Super PACs — the outside fundraising groups expected to play a big role in the November elections — already have been involved heavily in GOP Senate primary races, in which they have boosted the campaigns of underfunded insurgents.

May 17, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation's 2012 Fiscal Summit, Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Boehner digs in for next battle on debt

House Speaker John A. Boehner on Tuesday set the stage for an end-of-year debt showdown, saying he will once again insist any increase in the federal borrowing limit be matched dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts elsewhere.

May 15, 2012

Republican infighting stalls remapping in Kansas

It has a Republican-led Legislature, a GOP governor, almost perfectly straight-line borders and only four U.S. House districts, but Kansas somehow is the only state that hasn't completed its new congressional map for the 2012 elections.

May 10, 2012
** FILE ** Rep. Pete Sessions, Texas Republican (Associated Press)

Republicans say they’ll hold House

The head of the House Republicans' fundraising and recruiting arm predicts his party will retain control of the chamber next year and gain seats in November - pushing back at estimates by many political experts that the GOP will drop a dozen or more seats in the election.

May 9, 2012
"We must rebuild our nation. We cannot let our hard heads get in the way of hard hats." - Rep. Nick J. Rahall II of West Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Congress revs up talks on ‘highway bill’

House and Senate negotiators met Tuesday for the first time to hammer out a massive new long-term spending bill to keep federal highway, rail and transit programs running.

May 8, 2012
Lugar

Club for Growth targeting ‘establishment’ GOP candidates

If longtime Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana loses his Republican primary Tuesday, several factors invariably will be blamed for his downfall: His advanced age (80); the aggressive campaign of his challenger, and the lawmaker's moderate views, which increasingly rub against a party pulling to the political right.

May 3, 2012
Rep. Frank Lucas, Oklahoma Republican, is chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. (Associated Press)

Farm subsidy reform could backfire

A Senate proposal to end direct federal payments to farmers and replace it with a new subsidy program gambles that crop prices will remain at historically high levels, a tactic that could backfire and double its cost, some experts say.

April 30, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio is interviewed by Bill Hemmer on Fox News Channel in New York, Monday April 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

GOP digging in heels over oil pipeline

House Republicans are holding strong on their support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, pushing for the transcontinental project to be included in a key transportation bill scheduled to be hashed out between Senate and House negotiators in the coming weeks.

April 25, 2012
** FILE ** Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Democrat, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

Democrats see reason for hope in Senate races

A handful of Democratic Senate candidates are posting strong poll numbers in battleground states dominated by the GOP two years ago — giving that party hope that it can hang on to its slim advantage in the chamber.

April 8, 2012
**FILE** Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus (Associated Press)

Republican Party making gains on fundraising front

The 2010 midterm elections were a dream come true for the GOP at the ballot box but a nightmare for its bank accounts. Going forward into this year's elections, party officials eagerly tout the recent headway they've made in fundraising, but just how well those gains match up to the Democrats' efforts depends on who's being asked.

April 3, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, takes questions March 29, 2012, during a news conference on Capitol Hill. (Associated Press)

Congress passes short-term transportation bill

After failing to agree on a long-range plan to keep federal highway and transit programs running, Congress on Thursday returned to one of its most tried-and-true tactics of the past year: It kicked the matter down the road by passing a stopgap funding measure.

March 29, 2012
Sen. Charles E. Schumer points to a countdown clock on the transportation bill on Capitol Hill, pushing the House to pass the Senate bill. Sens. Mark Begich and Barbara Boxer are behind him. "Speaker [John A.} Boehner has once again been painted in a corner by the tea-party wing of his caucus," Mr. Schumer said Wednesday. (Associated Press)

Down to wire on highway, transit bill

After struggling for weeks to write a transportation bill, House Speaker John A. Boehner has set up a showdown vote Thursday on a stopgap measure to keep federal highway and transit programs running beyond this weekend.

March 28, 2012
** FILE ** Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, parents of Trayvon Martin. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Democrats give support to Trayvon Martin’s parents

The parents of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was fatally shot last month by a neighborhood watch volunteer, traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to urge Congress to push for answers and justice in their son's death.

March 27, 2012
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate GOP sets stage for energy debate

Eager for a debate they believe will highlight rising gas prices on President Obama's watch, Senate Republicans on Monday gave the green light to debating Democrats' plan to end tax subsidies for oil and gas companies.

March 26, 2012
**FILE** Sen. Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican (Associated Press)

Small-business bill clears key Senate hurdle

A bipartisan, White House-backed package aimed at loosening securities rules for small businesses is speeding its way through Congress, as the measure has cleared a key test vote Wednesday afternoon.

March 21, 2012