Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Pandemic relief fraud hunters beg for more time; offices set to close as avalanche hits
Congress is about to face major decisions on how seriously it wants to go after fraudsters who stole hundreds of billions of dollars in government assistance during the coronavirus pandemic -- and whether it wants to arm agencies to prevent a repeat in the future. Published November 20, 2023
Biden student loan forgiveness ripe for fraud; 2 million claims were poised for automatic approval
The Education Department approved millions of applications for President Biden's now-defunct student loan forgiveness program without checking to make sure the borrowers were eligible, Congress' chief watchdog said in a new report. Published November 17, 2023
Biden claims major victory on rooting out fentanyl flow; Beijing already makes good on Xi’s promises
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told Congress this week that the Chinese government is at the root of the fentanyl trafficking that has flooded the U.S., and he said Beijing could shut down the flow of drugs if it wanted. Published November 16, 2023
Counterterrorism chief says no signs terror groups are exploiting porous U.S. borders; GOP doubtful
A top Biden administration security official told Congress Wednesday that she has seen no evidence that foreign terrorist groups are trying to sneak operatives into the U.S. through the southern border. In the face of GOP doubts, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid said there is a "vulnerability" along the border with Mexico, but terrorist networks don't appear to be exploiting it. Published November 15, 2023
Mayorkas unaware that Clapper, Brennan signed Hunter Biden laptop disinformation letter
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress on Wednesday that he didn't know that three people he appointed to a new intelligence experts panel had spread disinformation about Hunter Biden's laptop just ahead of the 2020 election. Published November 15, 2023
Marjorie Taylor Greene confronts Mayorkas with photo of constituents killed at border
Two days after her attempt to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas failed, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told the Homeland Security secretary he's not out of danger yet and will soon face another vote. Published November 15, 2023
Harvard, top private universities pocket $7 billion a year in taxpayer cash
Stanford, Northwestern and the Ivy League universities have collected a combined $33 billion in taxpayer-funded grants and contracts and another $12 billion in tax breaks on their endowments over the last five years, according to new data from OpenTheBooks.com. Published November 15, 2023
Feds say they can slash 30% of their office space, save billions after remote work empties buildings
The federal landlord agency says it can deliver a "telework dividend" and slash government's office space by as much as 30% over the coming years, saving billions of dollars a year, but it will take an initial investment from Congress to get it done. Published November 14, 2023
Congress to demand inspector general probe decision to move FBI headquarters to Maryland
Senior lawmakers demanded Tuesday that an inspector general investigate the Biden administration's decision to move the FBI's headquarters to Maryland, saying the process was "contaminated" by political dealings. Published November 14, 2023
Elbows, Smurfs, near-brawls: Fiery exchanges erupt at Capitol
Rep. Tim Burchett on Tuesday accused former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the back while the Tennessee Republican was being interviewed in a hallway, the most prominent example of tempers flaring in several confrontations across the Capitol in a single day. Published November 14, 2023
‘You look like a Smurf’: GOP chairman blasts Democrats trying to discredit Biden impeachment probe
House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer on Tuesday said "financially illiterate" Democrats were spreading a fake news story about the congressman's own finances to try to discredit his investigation into President Biden's family financial dealings. Published November 14, 2023
DHS recorded 300,000 illegal entries in October; Border Patrol nabbed 13 terrorism suspects
Illegal immigration ticked down in October, though it was still the second-worst month on record, with Homeland Security recording 309,221 encounters with unauthorized migrants. Published November 14, 2023
HHS refused to share files on illegal immigrant criminals with Congress
The Health and Human Services Department has refused to share with Congress case files on immigrants without documentation who are charged with crimes, forcing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to threaten a subpoena. Published November 14, 2023
Marjorie Taylor Greene unleashes fury at Republicans who blocked Mayorkas impeachment
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday blasted the eight Republicans who sided with Democrats in derailing her effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying she couldn't fathom what more evidence they needed. Published November 13, 2023
Mayorkas survives first House impeachment test
The House delivered a reprieve to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday, narrowly derailing an effort to impeach him. Published November 13, 2023
Mayorkas dereliction charge faces House test; Marjorie Taylor Greene pursues impeachment
The case for ousting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gets its first test this week as the House will be forced to vote on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's article of impeachment. Published November 12, 2023
Marjorie Taylor Greene launches emergency impeachment effort against DHS’ Mayorkas
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday announced an article of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, setting up a showdown vote next week. Published November 9, 2023
When death doesn’t mean taxes: How the wealthy avoid paying Uncle Sam
It may sound like the old joke about the inevitability of death and taxes, except in this case, it turns out it's how the wealthy avoid paying taxes. Published November 9, 2023
DeSantis vows to take on fentanyl cartels and ‘shoot them dead’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Wednesday to send special forces into Mexico to seek out the cartels that traffic fentanyl into the U.S. and "we're going to shoot them dead." Published November 8, 2023
Haley to Ramaswamy: ‘You’re just scum’
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy "scum" on Wednesday after he challenged her ability to confront China and the Beijing-linked social media app TikTok by saying her daughter was a user. Published November 8, 2023
