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Sean Lengell

slengell@washingtontimes.com

Sean Lengell was a staff writer for The Washington Times.

Articles by Sean Lengell

**FILE** Rep. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican (Associated Press)

S.C. Gov. Haley names Scott to replace DeMint in Senate

Rep. Tim Scott, who emerged from a modest upbringing to become an icon of the conservative tea party movement, on Monday was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to replace the resigning Sen. Jim DeMint, a fellow Republican.

December 17, 2012

Coalition urges approval of a farm subsidy

A bipartisan coalition of senators representing almost a third of the chamber is pressing party leaders to include a long-delayed farm subsidy and food stamp bill in any overall package to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff."

December 16, 2012
Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican (Associated Press)

Paying for Sandy as ‘fiscal cliff’ nears

A $60.4 billion spending bill for Superstorm Sandy relief washed up on Capitol Hill in the middle of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations, forcing Republicans to grapple with whether to demand spending cuts to offset the storm bill or approve the money and clear the decks for bigger fights.

December 13, 2012
Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said that a state-built health exchange is the best option for Idaho, though he left the final decision up to the state legislature, which convenes in January. Nearly half of the states, however, will not be setting up their own exchanges. (Associated Press)

States steer clear of health exchange

Almost half the nation's states are refusing to set up health care exchanges — a major component of the federal Affordable Care Act — and instead will let the Obama administration run statewide health-insurance-buying programs.

December 13, 2012
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California gestures as she speaks to reporters at Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

House Democrats petition for a vote on tax-cut extension

Looking to break the "fiscal cliff" gridlock, House Democrats are attempting to use a "discharge petition," a little-known procedural move, to get around Speaker John A. Boehner and force a House vote on extending the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone except individuals making $200,000 and more and couples making $250,000.

December 9, 2012
** FILE ** Jim DeMint resigned from his U.S. Senate seat representing South Carolina to take leadership at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington-based think tank. (Associated Press)

DeMint won’t leave tea party voiceless

GOP Sen. Jim DeMint's announcement Thursday that he will resign to run the conservative Heritage Foundation leaves the tea party without its leading voice in the Senate, but the movement has several advocates in the chamber ready to fill the void.

December 6, 2012
Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Associated Press)

Senate rejects U.N. disabilities treaty

Conservatives' deep-seated suspicion of the United Nations was on high display in the Senate Tuesday, when Republicans blocked ratification of a U.N. treaty aimed at ending discrimination against the disabled despite assurances it wouldn't affect U.S. sovereignty.

December 4, 2012
Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Associated Press)

U.N. disabilities treaty faces GOP opposition

A United Nations treaty advocating equal rights for disabled people faces significant Republican opposition in the Senate this week as lawmakers fear it could cede U.S. sovereignty and is not something that should be addressed during the lame-duck session.

December 3, 2012
"I looked at [Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner] and said, 'You can't be serious.' We've got seven weeks between Election Day and the end of the year. And three of those weeks have been wasted with this nonsense," said House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. (Associated Press)

Barbs fly on ‘fiscal cliff’ but still no agreement

While Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is still optimistic a deal to avoid falling off the "fiscal cliff" will be worked out before critical year-end deadlines, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Sunday that talks with the administration are going nowhere and accused President Obama of trying to ram through the White House plan without negotiating in good faith.

December 2, 2012
House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republlican, talks to reporters after private discussions with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on the "fiscal cliff" negotiations at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Boehner: ‘Fiscal cliff’ talks deadlocked

House Speaker John A. Boehner on Friday said ongoing budget talks between the White House and Republicans intended to head off a "fiscal cliff" have hit a wall, and accused President Obama of failing to negotiate in good faith.

November 30, 2012
Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, exits the room at the Capitol where he and other House GOP leaders met Wednesday to discuss the looming “fiscal cliff.” Amid changes of committee chairmanships, Mr. Ryan retains the Budget Committee gavel. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Hill panels play musical chairs

Twelve years after his father gave up the gavel of the House transportation committee shortly before resigning from Congress, his son, Rep. Bill Shuster, will take command of the influential panel in January.

November 28, 2012
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (Associated Press)

More states set up exchanges for health insurance

With President Obama's re-election effectively ending any threat of a quick repeal of his health care law, more states are moving forward on a key component of the Affordable Care Act ahead of a mid-December deadline.

November 27, 2012
“This is about four dead Americans. This is about a national security failure. I blame the president above all others.” - Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican (Associated Press)

Questions about Benghazi shift to State Department

Republicans toned down criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice on Sunday, shifting the focus of their inquiries into the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to the State Department's inaction on security requests in the days leading up to the terrorist assault and the Obama administration's handling of the aftermath.

November 25, 2012
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican

Uneasy fix to ‘fiscal cliff’ in works

It won't be easy and it won't be perfect, but Congress and the president will find a way to avoid having the nation's economy go over the "fiscal cliff" at the end of the year, lawmakers from both parties predicted Sunday.

November 25, 2012
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican (Associated Press)

McCain threatens to end aid to Egypt

As U.S. political leaders rebuked Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday for his decree to assume sweeping new powers, police in central Cairo fired tear gas at protesters who accused him of a blatant power grab.

November 25, 2012
** FILE ** Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Farm bill may help Congress avert the ‘fiscal cliff’

A multiyear farm bill that has stalled in Congress could be part of a solution to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff" — if party leaders decide they need its spending cuts to count toward an overall deficit reduction package.

November 22, 2012
** FILE ** In this Oct. 16, 2011, file photo, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., is seen during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns from Congress

After a long struggle with medical and legal problems, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress on Wednesday, citing failing health as the reason he is stepping down after 17 years but adding he is cooperating with a federal investigation "into my activities."

November 21, 2012
“Delay for delay’s sake is wrong and should end.” - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat. (Associated Press)

Judicial nominees sitting on sidelines

As if Congress didn't have enough on its plate this hectic lame duck session — the "fiscal cliff," Benghazi probes and the farm bill to name a few — the Senate is facing an escalating backlog of pending federal judicial nominations that the legal community says is hurting the justice system.

November 19, 2012