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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

House Speaker John A. Boehner announced his retirement from Congress in late September, just a day after he hosted Pope Francis at the Capitol. (Associated Press)

John Boehner reshaped House, speakership with earmarks ban, new rules

Remember the bad old days of earmarks? Neither do nearly 200 members of the House of Representatives, who came to Congress in 2011 or later and have never served a day when they could slip pork-barrel projects into bills, siphoning taxpayers' money to well-connected constituents back home in exchange for supporting bloated bills in Washington. Published October 28, 2015

Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a campaign stop, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, in Goffstown, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Kasich blasts opponents at start of third Republican debate

Desperate to stand out, Ohio Gov. John Kasich kicked off the third presidential debate Wednesday by ignoring the first question posed to him and instead attacking the two GOP frontrunners, saying their plans are dangerous and don't add up. Published October 28, 2015

"It's the best we can do with what we have," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers. (Associated Press)

Budget deal approved by House

With Democrats leading the way, the House passed a budget agreement Wednesday to boost spending in 2016 and 2017 and grant a debt holiday allowing for unlimited federal borrowing into the next president's term -- but not before conservatives mounted one last vote of defiance against outgoing Speaker John A. Boehner. Published October 28, 2015

FILE - In this April 5, 2011 file photo, then-House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., introduces his controversial "Path to Prosperity" budget recommendations, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Ryan has spent his entire life preparing for a job he says he never wanted. Ryan worked as a congressional intern in college, returning later to work as a paid staffer on Capitol Hill. By 28, he was a member of the House. By his early 40s, he was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and then the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. In 2012, he was a vice presidential candidate and a talked-about future presidential contender. This week, Ryan is set to become Speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Ryan to support budget deal

Rep. Paul Ryan, on the cusp of ascending to the House speaker's job, said Wednesday he'll support the new budget deal that boosts spending and grants a 17-month debt holiday because it's the only way to "wipe the slate clean" and give him a clean start. Published October 28, 2015

"It's a solid agreement, and I told my colleagues there isn't any reason why any member should vote against this," House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said after making a plea — likely his last as speaker — for support for another controversial measure. (Associated Press)

Budget deal: Social Security fixes give Republicans small victory

The budget deal that Republican and Democratic leaders reached this week makes the biggest changes to Social Security in decades, giving Republicans a small victory as they try to sell the agreement to skeptical advocacy groups in Washington and voters back home. Published October 27, 2015

Coming to the fore with the so-called "Young Guns," it was believed Rep. Paul Ryan would serve as the brains behind the conservative movement, but now he stands at the cusp of the House speakership. (Associated Press)

Paul Ryan a thoughtful lawmaker but reluctant House speaker

He was supposed to be the idealist -- the brainpower behind the new GOP conservative movement rather than the legislative brawn or the crafty campaign strategist. But Rep. Paul Ryan now finds himself on the cusp of becoming speaker, the top constitutional job in the House. Published October 27, 2015

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Bernie Sanders’ record in Congress shows little socialist progress

Sen. Bernard Sanders' promises of a democratic socialist revolution have enthralled liberal voters this campaign season, but the Vermont independent's legislative record shows he has had a tough time turning his progressive vision into reality. Published October 27, 2015

In this June 2, 2015, file photo, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing examining the IRS data breach. The IRS is joining with state and private industry to combat identity theft by sharing more data about how tax returns are filed and taking other steps, Koskinen announced Thursday, June 11. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) — FILE

House GOP begins impeachment against IRS chief

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz began the impeachment process against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Tuesday, accusing him of misleading the public and destroying documents that were sought under a congressional subpoena. Published October 27, 2015

The deal marks outgoing House Speaker John A. Boehner's last chance to try to win cuts to entitlement spending. Mr. Boehner had promised to try to "clean the barn" of thorny issues so his successor could have smoother sailing. (Associated Press)

Budget deal ‘manure,’ conservative critics say

The new budget deal shaping up on Capitol Hill is already drawing fierce fire from both ends of the political spectrum, with one conservative group calling it "manure." Published October 26, 2015

Justice Department investigators said none of the witnesses they interviewed believed Lois G. Lerner acted out of political motives and that Ms. Lerner seemed to try to correct the inappropriate scrutiny once she "recognized that it was wrong." (Associated Press)

IRS tea party targeting accusations, legal issues persist after Justice ends probe

The IRS is still holding up the nonprofit applications of tea party groups, including one that has been waiting nearly six years for approval, as conservatives panned the Justice Department's announcement last week that it had cleared the tax agency, and former senior executive Lois G. Lerner, of any wrongdoing. Published October 25, 2015

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said only about 331,000 illegal immigrants were caught on the border in fiscal year 2015, which ended last week. That was the lowest number since 2011. When the numbers are finalized, they could dip to rates not seen since the early 1970s. (Associated Press)

Homeland Security says it will abide judge’s order to stop detentions

Homeland Security said it's complying with a court order severely limiting its ability to hold illegal immigrant children and families in detention but wouldn't release details, leaving advocates questioning whether the administration actually met its deadline. Published October 25, 2015

Lois Lerner's emails became an issue after she was singled out as a key figure in the IRS's treatment of tea party and conservative groups who sought tax-exempt status. The IRS improperly delayed hundreds of applications and sent out intrusive questionnaires asking what the agency now says were inappropriate inquiries. (Associated Press)

Lois Lerner will not face charges in Department of Justice investigation

The IRS did mishandle tea party and conservative groups' nonprofit applications, but their behavior didn't break any laws, the Justice Department said in a letter to Congress Friday that cleared the tax agency and former senior executive Lois G. Lerner of any crimes. Published October 23, 2015

Hillary Rodham Clinton has risen 5 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics.com average of national polls of Democratic primary voters in the last 10 days, and is nearing the 50 percent mark yet again. (Associated Press)

Hillary Clinton’s poise in Benghazi testimony boosts 2016 prospects

It's been a good 10 days for Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was widely deemed the winner of the first Democratic debate, chased Jim Webb from the race, headed off her biggest primary threat in Vice President Joseph R. Biden and on Thursday defused the Benghazi time bomb with a performance that had few rough spots for the surging Democratic presidential front-runner. Published October 22, 2015

Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, before the House Benghazi Committee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Clinton confronted for contradictions on video’s role in Benghazi attack

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton brushed aside emails Thursday that showed she privately told family and world leaders that the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi was a terrorist assault, and said Ambassador Christopher Stevens was responsible for his own decisions regarding skimpy security ahead of his death. Published October 22, 2015

A group of immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are stopped in Granjeno, Texas, on June 25, 2014. (Associated Press) ** FIL E**

Surge of illegal children, families accelerates

The surge of children and families crossing the southwest border illegally accelerated again in September, leaving fiscal year 2015 the second-worst on record, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Border Patrol. Published October 21, 2015

Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez (right) is led into the courtroom by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi and Assistant District Attorney Diana Garciaor for his arraignment at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on July 7, 2015. More than 1,800 immigrants that the federal government wanted to deport were nevertheless released from local jails and later re-arrested for various crimes, according to a government report released July 13, 2015. The controversy was re-ignited after 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle was shot to death while walking on a San Francisco pier and authorities arrested suspect Lopez-Sanchez, who was released from jail in April even though immigration officials had lodged a detainer to try to deport him from the country for a sixth time. (Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via Associated Press)

San Francisco board votes to keep sanctuary city policy

San Francisco officials voted Tuesday to affirm their sanctuary city policy that shields illegal immigrants from being turned over to federal agents, pushing back against the national attention the city garnered after the July death of a woman at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Published October 21, 2015