Tom Coburn

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“Congress has an obligation to find out who made these decisions, and for what purpose, and then hold agencies accountable for any misuse of taxpayer funds,” said Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn released a report Thursday arguing that there are billions of dollars to be cut from the Pentagon by eliminating spending or shifting services to civilian agencies. (Associated Press)

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It’s not a question of helping those in need, but rather whether the money will be added to the deficit, says Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican. “That battle’s not over as far as I’m concerned, and it’s certainly not over as far as our kids are concerned.” (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican and a top taxpayer watchdog, said putting the Internet off-limits means giving up a valuable anti-fraud weapon - one that he said even federal courts have used in reviewing some disability cases. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, is very skeptical the federal government can afford to provide $200 million over a decade in new funding the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City in tough budget times. (Associated Press)

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has heard from fellow Republican Sen. Tom Coburn challenging a “duplicative funding stream” for the private 9/11 museum. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, says a Republican president "could absolutely gut the vast majority" of the health care law by executive order. (Associated Press)

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U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn

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'DISABLED': Stanley Thornton Jr., who lives part of his life as an "adult baby," is demanding an apology from Sen. Tom Coburn, the Oklahoma Republican who called for the Social Security Administration to review his qualification for benefits. (NatGeoTV)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, called for the review of Stanley Thornton Jr.'s Social Security disability payments after Mr. Thornton, who lives part of his life as an "adult baby," demonstrated woodworking skills on the National Geographic channel television show "Taboo." (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, offers his "Back in Black" plan to reduce the federal deficit during a news conference Monday. It attempts to explain how to reduce the deficit by more than $900 billion during the next 10 years. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, says he has documented proof of $3 billion worth of waste and mismanagement by the National Science Foundation. The 73-page report to taxpayers by researchers is annotated with more than 350 footnotes. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, says of the GAO review of stimulus recipients: "Average Americans are likely wondering why we gave such a huge amount of federal money to tax cheats when our national debt is more than $14 trillion." (Associated Press)

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IN SUPPORT: Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, says that fiscally, "We're at a day of reckoning." (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** The Senate investigations subcommittee's ranking Republican, Sen. Tom Coburn, questions a witness on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, during the subcommittee's hearing on Goldman Sachs and the financial crisis. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)