Sean Lengell

Bush endorses mortgage rescue

President Bush angered House Republican leaders Wednesday by endorsing a sweeping Democratic bill aimed at easing the nationwide housing crisis, paving the way for hundreds of thousands of homeowners trapped in subprime loans they can't afford a chance to refinance at lower rates. Published July 24, 2008

Energy legislation stalls on partisan bickering

Congress spun toward an impasse on energy legislation Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats talked past each other about how to cure America's gas-price woes. Published July 23, 2008

Democrats eye Smith’s seat in Senate

Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon H. Smith, an affable moderate who waltzed through his 2002 re-election bid with a 16 percentage point victory, is now in the fight of his political life to return to the Senate next year for a third term. Published July 22, 2008

House GOP defeats drilling measure

House Republicans on Thursday defeated a Democratic bill that would have forced oil companies to increase drilling on accessible lands, saying the measure was a political stunt that would have failed to increase the nation's oil supply. Published July 18, 2008

Senate poised to lift ban on visitors with AIDS

The Senate agreed Wednesday to spend $48 billion to fight AIDS globally during the next five years - a measure that included a provision to lift a 21-year-old ban on foreigners with HIV/AIDS entering the United States. Published July 17, 2008

Congress overrides Bush’s veto on Medicare pay bill

Hours after President Bush Tuesday vetoed a bill that called for canceling a cut in doctors' Medicare pay, both houses of Congress easily overturned the action and enacted the bill into law. Published July 16, 2008

Senate set to debate global AIDS relief

Senators on Monday will take up a $50 billion package to fight AIDS globally, despite some Republican concerns the bill could divert money to unrelated programs. Published July 14, 2008

U.S. oil reserves sought for relief

Capitol Hill Democratic leaders fired back Thursday at Republicans' accusations they have no quick fix for the nation's energy crunch, saying they support drilling in more than 88 million federal acres nationwide. Published July 11, 2008

Mortgage bill mired in political infighting

A $300 billion mortgage rescue bill that appeared ready for Senate passage stalled Thursday as a lone Republican senator held up the bill amid concerns it's tantamount to a massive federal bailout. Published July 11, 2008

Veterans seek Congress as next tour

Marine veteran Kieran Michael Lalor spent months serving his country in Iraq, but he says his personal struggle to win the war is only half fulfilled. Published July 8, 2008

Obama eyes GOP-leaning West states

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's campaign swing this week through Republican-leaning Western states appears to be paying off, as a new poll shows he is leading Republican Sen. John McCain by five percentage points in Montana in the race for president. Published July 4, 2008

Momentum stalls for wiretapping bill

Backlash from a senator and liberal advocacy groups helped sidetrack legislation to legalize President Bush's undocumented wiretapping program last week, just days after it appeared to be on a fast-track to passage. Published July 1, 2008

House passes bill to aid mass transit

The House on Thursday passed a bill to boost mass transit in the face of high gas prices, but Republicans blocked Democrats' centerpiece energy plan to try to force energy companies to drill on lands they've already leased. Published June 27, 2008

Senate advances mortgage aid bill

The Senate cleared a major hurdle Tuesday toward passing a broad $300 billion mortgage aid package designed to help ease the nationwide housing crisis, despite opposition from the White House, which says the measure could lead to unfair "bailouts" for lenders and subsidies for homeowners. Published June 25, 2008

House OKs update of bipartisan spy law

The House put aside more than a year of partisan wrangling Friday and approved an update of the nation's foreign surveillance laws, despite calls from civil libertarians and some lawmakers it doesn't go far enough to protect privacy rights of Americans. Published June 21, 2008

Bipartisan deal moves war funds, FISA

House Democratic and Republican leaders made election-year concessions on two long-standing national security disputes Thursday, passing a stalled war funding bill and settling a lingering fight on updating the nation's spy laws. Published June 20, 2008

GOP balks at push for war-spending bill

House Republican leaders say they will oppose the Democrats' latest push for a war-spending bill, complaining that the measure Democrats expect to introduce Thursday is similar to one the chamber considered last month and contains too much non-war-related spending. Published June 19, 2008

GAO hits Air Force deal

Congress' investigative arm Wednesday sharply rebuked the Air Force's awarding of a $35 billion aircraft contract to a European-American team over U.S.-based Boeing Co., and recommended the deal be re-evaluated and the bidding process reopened. Published June 19, 2008

Tax relief bill blocked again; 8 votes shy of final decision

Senate Republicans on Tuesday again blocked a Democratic measure that called for an extension of expiring renewable energy credits and tax breaks, arguing the cuts would have been offset by new taxes elsewhere. Published June 18, 2008

Hope for Boeing pact lies with GAO

A Government Accountability Office report on a contentious tanker-plane deal could give new ammunition to lawmakers on Capitol Hill wishing to reverse the Air Force's decision to award the contract to a European-American team. Published June 16, 2008