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Sean Lengell

Sean Lengell was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Sean Lengell

Republican Sens. Mike Johanns (left) of Nebraska, Johnny Isakson (center) of Georgia and James Risch of Idaho leave closed-door negotiations on the payroll tax cut extension and other measures on Dec. 16, 2011, at the Capitol. (Associated Press)

Senate brokers deal on payroll tax cut extension

The Senate reached a deal late Friday to extend the current Social Security payroll tax break for two months while including a provision that would force President Obama to take quick action on a massive transcontinental oil pipeline. Published December 17, 2011

House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, followed by Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, strides into a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" on Dec. 16, 2011, the morning after lawmakers from both political parties came together on an 11th-hour deal to keep the government from shutting down. (Associated Press)

House passes funding bill, averts shutdown

The House passed a $1 trillion funding bill Friday that will keep all government agencies open into 2012, a move that avoided a partial government shutdown at the end of the day. Published December 16, 2011

House Speaker John Boehner (center), Ohio Republican, flanked by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (left), Texas Republican, and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, briefs reporters Dec. 16, 2011, on Capitol Hill after lawmakers from both political parties came together on an 11th-hour deal to keep the government from shutting down. (Associated Press)

Boehner: Pipeline project will stay in tax bill

House Speaker John A. Boehner "guaranteed" Friday that the House version of legislation to extend the current payroll tax break would include a provision for quick action on the massive Keystone oil pipeline project, a provision that President Obama strongly opposes. Published December 16, 2011

House Speaker John A. Boehner called Wednesday for Democrats to release a year-end spending bill from their blockade. Democrats said they won't allow the bill to go through until lawmakers also pass an extension of this year's payroll-tax cut. (Associated Press)

Congressional stalemate sets up Christmastime government shutdown

Congress flirted Wednesday with yet another partial government shutdown - the third this year - as Democrats said they won't allow a year-end funding bill to go through until lawmakers also pass an extension of this year's payroll tax cut. Published December 14, 2011

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican, sponsor of one of two rival balanced-budget amendment measures, called the proposal a historic opportunity to lower the nation's $15 trillion debt. (Associated Press)

Amendments to balance budget facing hurdles

The all-but-certain rejection of a pair of balanced-budget amendments in the Senate on Wednesday will mean that every portion of Congress' to-do list from the ballyhooed debt deal that created the ill-fated budget supercommittee will fail to advance on Capitol Hill. Published December 13, 2011

** FILE ** California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

GOP bill attempts to rein in regulators

House Republicans took another crack Wednesday at reining in federal regulators, passing a measure that would transfer significant rule-making authority from the White House to Congress. Published December 7, 2011

N.C. GOP presses Democrats to hire locals for convention

The Democratic National Committee's pledge to use union contractors at its 2012 convention in Charlotte, N.C., is getting pushback from Republican state lawmakers who say the practice is undercutting local companies. Published December 4, 2011

Rep. Barney Frank arrives Monday at Newton, Mass., City Hall, where he announced he would not seek re-election in 2012. The Democrat was first elected in 1980. (Associated Press)

Frank won’t seek a 17th term

Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, a quick-witted and outspoken voice of the liberal House caucus for more three decades who helped write the most sweeping overhaul of the nation's financial systems since the Great Depression, announced Monday he wouldn't seek re-election next year. Published November 28, 2011

Failure of supercommittee gives old debt plans new life

With the failure of the deficit-reduction supercommittee, Congress turns its attention again to several previously disregarded bipartisan plans aimed at dealing with the federal budget mess. Published November 22, 2011

Supercommittee member, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, Montana Democrat, fends off reporters as he arrives to meet in the Capitol Hill office of Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, with other Supercommittee members as time for action by the deficit reduction panel grows short, Monday Nov. 21, 2011, of Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Deficit supercommittee announces failure

The bipartisan deficit supercommittee announced Monday evening that it failed to reach a debt-cutting deal by a congressionally imposed deadline, starting the clock ticking on $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts to defense and domestic programs that will take effect in 2013 unless Congress can halt them. Published November 21, 2011

The U.S. Capitol building is seen Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in Washington. The six Democrats and six Republicans on the supercommittee, as it's familiarly called, have until next Wednesday, Nov. 23, to come together on a deficit reduction plan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Deficit panel down; time almost up

The congressional deficit-reduction committee appeared on the brink of failure late Sunday, as Democrats and Republicans offered little chance that a deal could be reached in time for a Monday night deadline and spent the day blaming the other party for the impasse. Published November 20, 2011

Supercommittee deadlocked with deadline approaching

The congressional debt-reduction committee ramped up its threat of failure Thursday, as members and party leaders spent the day pointing fingers and talking past one another as the clock winds down toward critical deadlines next week. Published November 17, 2011

**FILE** Rep. Chris Van Hollen (The Washington Times)

Dems say dropping automatic cuts would be a mistake

Democrats are pushing back against talk of dropping the automatic spending cuts should the deficit-reduction supercommittee fail to meet its goals, in a major game of chicken on Capitol Hill. Published November 16, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Penn State sex scandal ‘horrific’

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann says if any of her children had been abused by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, her first reaction would be to "beat him to a pulp." Published November 13, 2011

Deadlocked deficit panel weighs Plan B

With the congressional deficit reduction committee locked in a stalemate as it enters its final 10 days before a critical deadline, members have hinted that they may be willing to punt and consider fallback plans. Published November 13, 2011

Durbin: ‘Breakthrough’ by GOP in debt talks

The Senate's No. 2 Democrat called the GOP's willingness to consider new tax revenues to help lower the nation's debt a "breakthrough" and encouraged his party to reciprocate by putting entitlement reforms and spending cuts on the table. Published November 9, 2011

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (Associated Press)

Senate bill aims to close online tax loopholes

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Wednesday aimed at giving states more power to collect billions of dollars in sales taxes on out-of-state Internet and catalog purchases. Published November 9, 2011