Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Obama undermined by Democrats on fast-track trade authority, Asia deal
Democrats are "overwhelmingly" opposed to both fast-track trade authority and to the Asian trade deal the administration is negotiating, exposing doubts about President Obama from within his own ranks — and an ever-shrinking number of lawmakers even willing to be persuaded by him. Published April 19, 2015
Trade deal breakthrough sets up new test for Obama
Top lawmakers struck a bipartisan deal Thursday to grant President Obama fast-track trade negotiating authority, potentially paving the way for a massive free trade agreement with Asia and igniting what is likely to be the top fight of the 114th Congress. Published April 16, 2015
White House blasts Chuck Grassley over delay in Loretta Lynch nomination
The White House accused Republicans of "duplicity" Thursday in delaying confirmation of Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee to be the next attorney general, turning up the heat even as GOP leaders said they were close to a resolution. Published April 16, 2015
IRS customer service twice as bad in first year of Obamacare tax
IRS customer service representatives managed to answer only about a tenth of taxpayers' phone calls this season, and even the lucky ones waited an average of nearly 25 minutes before getting through, the agency's auditor reported Thursday. Published April 16, 2015
Republicans, Democrats find common ground on Iran, Medicare, education
A rash of bipartisanship has broken out in recent weeks on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats have teamed up to make progress on issues such as entitlement spending and education reforms, leaving lawmakers and Congress watchers alike wondering whether it's the dawn of a promising era. Published April 15, 2015
Obama amnesty granted 500,000 Social Security numbers to illegal immigrants
The administration has granted about 541,000 Social Security numbers to illegal immigrants under President Obama’s original 2012 deportation amnesty for Dreamers, officials told Congress in a letter made public Wednesday. Published April 15, 2015
Sarah Saldana, ICE chief, takes heat over agency’s record
The administration released dozens of convicted illegal immigrant murderers and rapists back onto the streets last year, even as it began to hold more women and children, according to the latest statistics that have President Obama and his immigration team taking fire from all sides in the debate. Published April 14, 2015
Obama’s IRS spent millions on polling, office furniture, stuffed animals
The IRS spent millions of dollars on polling and more than $8,000 on a stair climber, a key senator revealed Tuesday, even as the agency is pleading poverty and begging Congress to boost its budget in order to do better customer service. Published April 14, 2015
Senators strike deal to force review of Obama-Iran nukes agreement
Senators reached a bipartisan deal Tuesday to force any final Iran nuclear deal to be submitted to Congress as lawmakers took the first real steps to curb President Obama's foreign policy negotiations with Tehran. Published April 14, 2015
Feds releasing hundreds of illegal immigrant rapists, murderers: report
The administration is deporting fewer criminal aliens than it did last year, according to new statistics released Tuesday that undercut President Obama's justification for his new amnesty, which he said was intended to free agents to focus on the most dangerous of criminals by focusing on "felons not families." Published April 14, 2015
Feds sitting on billions of dollars of unused assets
The federal government is sitting on billions of dollars in money and valuable resources it no longer needs and could capitalize on to help reduce the deficit or pay for other priorities, Congress's chief investigative arm reported Tuesday. Published April 14, 2015
Illegal immigrants’ crimes expose broken immigration system as next border surge looms
As the Obama administration prepares for a new surge of illegal immigrant children this year, some of those from previous waves are turning up on court dockets across the country, charged with serious crimes such as capital murder and aggravated rape. Published April 13, 2015
Obama immigration chief: Deportations plummeting; sanctuary cities, influx of kids to blame
The federal government's chief deportation agency has seen its success plummet under President Obama, and its chief, Sarah R. Saldana, will tell Congress on Tuesday that they've had trouble adapting to the changing face of illegal immigration and a lack of cooperation from both American cities and from foreign countries. Published April 13, 2015
OPT program may cause Americans lose jobs to foreign workers
Businesses are increasingly making use of a little-known program that lets them hire high-skilled foreign workers for internships, without having to pay their payroll taxes — creating what critics say is yet another perverse incentive to pick would-be immigrants over American workers. Published April 13, 2015
Marco Rubio unlikely to earn GOP new Hispanic fans: poll
As Sen. Marco Rubio prepares his presidential campaign, a pollster who specializes in surveying Latinos cast doubt on whether the Florida Republican will help the GOP make inroads with Hispanics. Published April 12, 2015
Huma Abedin’s job arrangement under Hillary Clinton investigated by State Department IG
The State Department's inspector general has agreed to investigate the program that allowed former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton to hire one of her key advisors, Huma Abedin, for government work even as she was also employed by a private firm. Published April 10, 2015
Senators demand probe into guest-worker program, American layoffs
They agree on little else in the immigration debate but Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions and Democratic Sen. Richard J. Durbin teamed together Thursday to ask the Obama administration to investigate the guest-worker program for high-skilled foreigners, fearing it's being abused by companies desperate for cheaper labor. Published April 9, 2015
Guns seen as force for self-defense, not a danger, poll shows
Economists who research guns and crime overwhelmingly believe that firearms are a force for protection more than a danger to owners and their surroundings, according to a new poll of the academics. Published April 8, 2015
Obama gun control push backfires as U.S. firearms industry sees unprecedented surge
The American firearms industry is as healthy as ever, seeing an unprecedented surge that has sent production of guns soaring to more than 10.8 million manufactured in 2013 alone — double the total of just three years earlier. Published April 8, 2015
Obama admin. fires back: Justice Dept. lawyers insist they didn’t lie to court over amnesty
The Justice Department denied Wednesday that it had lied to a federal judge about President Obama's deportation amnesty, with a spokeswoman saying they "emphatically disagree" with the court's decision granting limited legal discovery requiring them to turn over private documents showing their decision-making in the case. Published April 8, 2015