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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican and presidential hopeful, speaks during a town hall meeting in Exeter, N.H. on June 25, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Marco Rubio files amendment to kill off Ex-Im Bank

Sen. Marco Rubio and a conservative ally filed an amendment Wednesday to affirmatively kill off the federal Export-Import Bank, even as supporters of the lapsed agency plotted to revive it as part of debate on a must-pass highway bill.

July 23, 2015
FILE - In this June 16, 2015, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, , R-Ky., speaks to members of the media following the weekly Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. McConnell said July 20 he hopes to announce soon that he and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California have reached an agreement on a transportation bill. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Senate strikes deal for long-term highway bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a top Democrat said Tuesday they've struck a deal to fund road projects for years to come, cuing up a fast-moving debate ahead of a July 31 deadline to infuse cash into the nation's highway trust fund.

July 21, 2015
In this June 2, 2015, file photo, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing examining the IRS data breach. The IRS is joining with state and private industry to combat identity theft by sharing more data about how tax returns are filed and taking other steps, Koskinen announced Thursday, June 11. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) — FILE

Obamacare fraudulent claims cost government $2 billion

More than 700,000 Obamacare customers claimed tax credits for buying health care but didn't bother to file their taxes, potentially jilting the government out of $2 billion in bogus payments, the Senate's senior lawmaker said Monday.

July 20, 2015
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican and presidential hopeful, speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on July 18, 2015. (Associated Press)

Ted Cruz takes aim at Congress’ Obamacare ‘exemption’

Sen. Ted Cruz, a vocal conservative running for president, will push to expose and prevent fellow members of Congress from "exempting" themselves from Obamacare this week, adding sparks to an already-fraught debate over a highway bill that needs to pass by July 31.

July 20, 2015
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks in Elizabethtown Ky., in this May 26, 2015, file photo. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Senate passes rewrite of No Child Left Behind

Both chambers of Congress have now voted to scrap much of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education plan, meaning the government will continue to ship billions of dollars to states, but will cut or loosen many of the strings attached to the funding.

July 16, 2015
FILE - In this March 5, 2014, file photo, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. In remarks prepared for a Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 Senate Finance Committee event in Palo Alto, Calif., Wyden, a leading Senate critic of online surveillance, wants the government to stop spying on phone calls, texts and emails, saying the “digital dragnet” doesn’t make the country safer, and only hurts the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Ron Wyden: No actual fraud in Obamacare fake-enrollee study

An undercover operation that snuck nearly a dozen fake Obamacare enrollees into taxpayer-subsidized plans is proof the administration will pad the law's numbers at any cost, Republicans charged Thursday, although a top Democrat argued the stark findings didn't amount to real fraud.

July 16, 2015
Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom 15th Annual Spring Kick Off, in Waukee, Iowa, Saturday, April 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) ** FILE **

Ted Cruz and tea partyers: Let the Ex-Im Bank stay dead

Sen. Ted Cruz and other conservatives told GOP leaders Wednesday not to let Congress revive the federal Export-Import Bank, an agency that financed the sale of U.S. goods overseas for decades but is creeping toward a slow death, after lawmakers failed to renew its charter by the June 30 deadline.

July 15, 2015