Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Joni Ernst, Republicans say Obama struck wrong tone in State of the Union
Now in control of both chambers of Congress, Republicans said President Obama's combative State of the Union address Tuesday night struck all the wrong notes, saying their election victories last year gave them a mandate to veer from his course — but they haven't given up finding bipartisan bills to challenge his veto pen. Published January 20, 2015
Obama, in State of the Union, celebrates improving economy with call for tax hikes
President Obama has been in office exactly six years, and the wealthiest have never had it so good — and even the 2013 tax increase hasn't been able to dampen their climb. Published January 20, 2015
Democrats’ Keystone amendments rejected by Republicans
Republicans turned back efforts Tuesday to force all oil shipped through the prospective Keystone XL pipeline to be sold in the U.S., as the Senate began the first real work on the biggest bill of the new Congress. Published January 20, 2015
Obama has worst State of the Union record since Ford
Judging by his recent history, it doesn't really matter what President Obama says in Tuesday's State of the Union address — Congress is going to ignore him anyway. Published January 20, 2015
Obama’s State of the Union guests include illegal immigrant, gun violence victim, Ebola doctor
Millions will watch Tuesday's State of the Union speech, but only a couple of dozen will do so from the most important perch: the first lady's box. Published January 19, 2015
Secure border, punish illegals: Republicans answer amnesty with tough measures
Even as they fight President Obama over his amnesties, House Republicans are moving ahead with legislation to force the Homeland Security Department to secure the worst parts of the southern border within two years, and to have the entire 2,000-mile border under control within five years. Published January 18, 2015
Obama amnesty to qualify 2 million illegal immigrants for tax breaks, benefits
More than 2 million illegal immigrants will be approved for President Obama's deportation amnesty over the next few years, and they will be eligible to collect Social Security and Medicare benefits as well as claim a special tax break for low-income families, the Congressional Budget Office said in an analysis Thursday. Published January 15, 2015
John Boehner: Patriot Act snooping helped stop Capitol bomb plot
House Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday that the National Security Agency's snooping powers helped stop a plot to attack the Capitol and that his colleagues need to keep that in mind as they debate whether to renew the law that allows the government to collect bulk information from its citizens. Published January 15, 2015
Obama amnesty will cover 2.25 million illegal immigrants: CBO
President Obama's new amnesty will allow illegal immigrants who are approved to get Social Security and Medicare benefits, the Congressional Budget Office confirmed Thursday in a new report that predicted more than 2 million illegal immigrants will be granted the amnesty by 2017. Published January 15, 2015
Jeh Johnson demands Congress stop fighting amnesty
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson pleaded with Congress on Thursday to stop fighting President Obama's amnesty and instead pass a straightforward spending bill to fund his department through the end of the fiscal year, without any "political" conditions. Published January 15, 2015
IRS about to get worse, audit says
The IRS has seen a "devastating erosion" of its ability to do its job, and the worst is yet to come after budget cuts have trimmed staff and the tea party targeting scandal has damaged the agency's reputation, the government's official National Taxpayer Advocate said in a report Wednesday, delivering the latest grim assessment of the agency. Published January 14, 2015
Ohio man arrested, charged with Islamic State-inspired bomb plot on U.S. Capitol
An Ohio man plotted to attack the U.S. Capitol using pipe bombs and rifles, saying he wanted to launch his own jihad after failing to get approval from Islamic terrorist leaders overseas, the FBI charged in a criminal complaint Wednesday. Published January 14, 2015
House votes to cancel Obama amnesties; bill faces veto threat
Brushing aside Democrats' warnings of permanent political doom, House Republicans voted Thursday to cancel President Obama's deportation amnesties, casting it as an effort to undo a runaway White House untethered either to the Constitution or its own words and promises. Published January 14, 2015
John Boehner mocks Obama’s knowledge of Constitution
Escalating the immigration battle to a war of constitutional proportions, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Wednesday that Congress was canceling President Obama's deportation amnesties in order to keep faith with the founders' vision of a government where laws are made by Congress, not the White House. Published January 14, 2015
John Boehner aims to cancel Obama amnesty a year after immigration reform push
The House GOP heads for its annual policy retreat Thursday in a very different place on immigration than just a year ago, when House Speaker John A. Boehner had hoped to use the gathering as a springboard to push his troops to approve a broad bill legalizing illegal immigrants. Published January 13, 2015
Obama Cuba deal sparks surge in immigration attempts, Coast Guard records show
The number of Cubans fleeing to the U.S. has surged since President Obama's diplomatic deal with the island nation, according to statistics that lawmakers on Capitol Hill said suggest the administration was caught off guard. Published January 13, 2015
John Boehner plot: Ohio bartender Michael Hoyt intended to poison, shoot House speaker
An Ohio bartender at House Speaker John A. Boehner's country club plotted to poison him by putting something in his drink, blaming the top Republican for the spread of Ebola and various other problems, federal authorities charged in a recent indictment. Published January 13, 2015
Court rules NSA doesn’t have to divulge what records it has
A federal judge on Tuesday said the National Security Agency is not obligated to confirm nor deny it has someone's specific phone records, shooting down a conservative think tank's effort to try to use the spy agency to reveal secrets that other federal agencies want kept hidden. Published January 13, 2015
John Boehner: Obama amnesty fight isn’t about immigration
House Speaker John A. Boehner said Tuesday that moves to block President Obama's new deportation amnesty are less about immigration than they are about asserting Congress's right to make laws, and pushing back on a runaway executive branch. Published January 13, 2015
IRS keeps Albuquerque Tea Party in limbo 5 years after tax-exempt status application
Before there were the lost Lerner emails, the congressional hearings and the retaliatory budget cuts, there was the Albuquerque Tea Party, a group of politically minded folks in New Mexico who wanted to get together and share ideas for taking back their country. The IRS had other ideas about them. Published January 12, 2015
