Sean Lengell

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. Published May 27, 2012

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. Published May 22, 2012

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. Published May 17, 2012

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. Published 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. Published May 10, 2012

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. Published May 9, 2012

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. Published May 8, 2012

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. Published May 3, 2012

Republican convention hotels spark frustration

Another mystery surrounding this summer's Republican National Convention has been settled - state delegation hotel assignments. Published May 1, 2012

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. Published April 30, 2012

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. Published April 25, 2012

Pennsylvania’s new map pits incumbent Democrats in primary

Congressional redistricting will claim another casualty Tuesday when Reps. Mark S. Critz and Jason Altmire square off in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. Published April 23, 2012

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. Published April 8, 2012

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. Published April 3, 2012

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. Published March 29, 2012