Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Questions on racism, drone attacks plague Obama judicial nominees
The White House is facing another tough battle over one of its judicial nominees — only this time President Obama faces opposition from his own party, with his former Senate colleagues accusing one of his picks for a federal judgeship in Georgia of turning a blind eye to racism in a debate over the Confederate symbol on the state's former flag. Published May 13, 2014
IRS is still paying billions in bogus tax credits to the poor
The IRS is still paying more than $10 billion a year in bogus payments to the poor under the Earned Income Tax Credit, the agency's auditor said in a new report released Tuesday that says about a quarter of all payments are improper. Published May 13, 2014
GOP filibuster blocks energy efficiency bill
Fed up with what they see as dictatorial behavior by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Republicans on Monday filibustered to block an energy efficiency bill, dooming it to defeat for a second time in less than a year and signaling just how bad relations have gotten in the upper chamber. Published May 12, 2014
House Speaker John Boehner says he’ll still be speaker next year
House Speaker John A. Boehner said he expects to be speaker again next year, but declined Monday to say he would definitely serve out another full term in Congress. Published May 12, 2014
Speaker John Boehner: ‘As long as I’m here, no earmarks’
House Speaker John A. Boehner has flatly ruled out a return to earmarks on Capitol Hill, putting himself squarely in the way of a growing number of his colleagues who say they want to reopen the debate over pork-barrel spending. Published May 12, 2014
Feds released hundreds of immigrant murderers, drunken drivers, sex-crimes convicts
Immigration officials knowingly released dozens of murderers and thousands of drunken drivers back into the U.S. in 2013, according to Obama administration statistics that could undercut the president's argument that he is trying to focus on the most serious criminals in his immigration enforcement. Published May 12, 2014
Fighting the nanny state: House panel snuffs out tobacco ban for military bases
Bristling at what they saw as the nanny state run awry, the House Armed Services Committee voted overwhelmingly this week to ensure that American troops serving overseas still can buy tobacco from base exchanges. Published May 8, 2014
Conservative group wants Obamacare declared a tax
A conservative legal group asked a federal appeals court Thursday to break new legal ground and overturn Obamacare by declaring it a tax bill that originated in the Senate — a violation of the Constitution's demand that the House have exclusive right to initiate all revenue measures. Published May 8, 2014
House Republicans find 10% of tea party donors audited by IRS
Despite assurances to the contrary, the IRS didn't destroy all of the donor lists scooped up in its tea party targeting — and a check of those lists reveals that the tax agency audited 10 percent of those donors, much higher than the audit rate for average Americans, House Republicans revealed Wednesday. Published May 7, 2014
House votes to find IRS’s Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress
Nearly a year to the day after she revealed the IRS gave inappropriate scrutiny to some groups applying for tax-exempt status, the House voted Wednesday to declare Lois G. Lerner in contempt of Congress for blocking its investigation, sending her case to the legal system. Published May 7, 2014
House nixes NSA bulk-collection of citizens’ data
The NSA's snooping program took its first major legislative hit Wednesday when the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill banning the government from bulk-collection of Americans' data. Published May 7, 2014
Sequestration’s toll: One bureaucrat loses job
Only one employee in the entire federal government lost a job due to sequestration, according to a government audit that found the only permanent cut came at the U.S. Parole Commission, which eliminated one position. Published May 7, 2014
John Boehner gives Benghazi committee broad powers
House Speaker John A. Boehner laid out details of his proposed Benghazi investigative committee Tuesday night, calling for a 7-5 split between Republicans and Democrats — drawing a stern response from Democrats who said that is unfair and taints the investigation from the start. Published May 7, 2014
Where’s the pork? Durbin, Reid among lawmakers seeking to bring back earmarks
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that earmarks should be put back on the table as a tool for Congress, becoming the latest voice in a growing chorus to return to the days when pork-barrel spending dominated the annual appropriations process. Published May 6, 2014
IRS employees deny tea party bias
The IRS employees involved in improperly targeting tea party groups vehemently denied political bias played a part in their actions, and specifically defended Lois G. Lerner, according to a report released by House Democrats on Tuesday. Published May 6, 2014
Pelosi demands Benghazi panel be equally divided
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that the House's new investigative committee looking into the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks must be equally divided between Democrats and Republicans — an aggressive demand that could dent the investigation before it even gets rolling. Published May 6, 2014
As key to immigration reform in the House, Speaker Boehner sends mixed signals
House Speaker John A. Boehner has emerged as the key figure of immigration reform legislation this year, and he has sent dramatically mixed signals about whether Congress will approve a bill. Published May 5, 2014
Boehner taps rising star to lead Benghazi investigation
Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor and up-and-coming member of the House GOP, will lead the new select investigative inquiry into the Benghazi attack, Speaker John A. Boehner said Monday. Published May 5, 2014
Biden retreats: Illegal immigrants aren’t ‘citizens’
Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Monday backed away from his claim earlier this year that illegal immigrants "are already American citizens," saying that while he acknowledges they aren't actually citizens, they are still Americans. Published May 5, 2014
House GOP probes on IRS, Benghazi bring peril for Dems
With votes looming to create a special committee to investigate the Benghazi attacks, hold former IRS official Lois G. Lerner in contempt of Congress and demand a special counsel to look into the IRS, House Republicans have created a political minefield for Democrats in tough re-election races. Published May 4, 2014
