Former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn dies at 72
1 / 3Congress Debt ShowdownSen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., listens during a news conference on the debt ceiling on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 21, 2011. OKLAHOMA CITY — Former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma family doctor who earned a reputation as a conservative political maverick as he railed against federal earmarks and subsidies for the rich, has died. He was 72.
First elected to the U.S. House during the so-called Republican Revolution in 1994, Coburn fiercely criticized the use of federal money for special state projects and was among the few members of Congress who refused to seek such earmarks for their home states. He represented northeastern Oklahoma for three terms, keeping a pledge in 2000 not to seek re-election.
Story continues“I’m not aligned with him politically. I don’t know what people back home in Oklahoma would be worried about,” Coburn told the paper."But you need to separate the difference in political philosophy versus friendship. How better to influence somebody than love them?"As a senator, Coburn released a series of reports on what he described as wasteful government spending.
Coburn’s stubbornness and thwarting of legislation considered worthy by Democrats frustrated then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
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