Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House issues subpoenas to main Obamacare website contractor
The House's chief investigator said Tuesday he has issued subpoenas to Quality Software Services Inc., demanding documents that will show whether the contractor hired to build the federal Obamacare website took precautions on data security. Published October 29, 2013
After a wave of Sandy disaster, a trickle of aid to victims
Congress rushed to send $60.4 billion in emergency money to aid Superstorm Sandy victims, saying people's lives depended on getting the full amount out the door as fast as possible — but a year after the storm, the tally shows very little has been spent. Published October 28, 2013
Immigration advocates want human rights monitors to oversee U.S. deportations
Immigrant advocates on Monday asked international human rights monitors to step in and oversee the Obama administration's deportation policies, saying the U.S. is violating international standards both in how it detains people and who it chooses to deport. Published October 28, 2013
GOP House member hopes to persuade fellow Republicans on immigration
Rep. Jeff Denham has become the first House Republican to sponsor Democratic leaders' immigration bill in a move Hispanic activists said shows a fracturing of Republican opposition and momentum toward passing a bill this year that would legalize most illegal immigrants. Published October 27, 2013
Immigration advocates grow impatient with Obama to take action
President Obama faces an increasingly tough tightrope on immigration, with advocacy groups demanding he take the lead on the issue but Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill saying the more involved he gets, the less likely a deal becomes. Published October 24, 2013
Despite Benghazi, Libyans may train with U.S. military
The Obama administration has drawn up draft rules that would end a decadeslong ban on Libyans getting military training in the U.S., according to documents obtained by House Republicans who said Thursday that it's the wrong move after last year's Benghazi attack. Published October 24, 2013
House GOP balking at broad immigration bill
House Republican leaders said Wednesday they are still intent on holding an immigration debate in their chamber this year, though they said it will not be on the kind of broad, comprehensive plan the Senate passed and that President Obama has demanded. Published October 23, 2013
Obamacare concern: Health care users start to get kicked off insurance plans
For several years, Obamacare provided new benefits: Children could stay on their parents' plans longer, insurance companies couldn't impose lifetime benefit caps, and seniors got extra help in buying prescription drugs. But during the past two months, some consumers have been kicked off plans. Published October 23, 2013
GOP: IRS picks Obamacare over regular taxpayers
The IRS said this week it is delaying the start of the tax filing season, leading Republicans to argue that the agency is putting its focus on implementing Obamacare at the expense of helping average taxpayers. Published October 23, 2013
Boehner: More people will lose insurance under Obamacare than sign up in exchanges
House Speaker John A. Boehner predicted Wednesday that by the end of the month, more Americans will have lost their insurance by being kicked off existing health plans than the number who were able to sign up in the flawed online healthcare.gov website. Published October 23, 2013
IRS wastes billions in bogus claims for Earned Income Tax Credit
The Internal Revenue Service paid up to $13.6 billion in bogus claims for the Earned Income Tax Credit last year and as much as $132.6 billion over the past decade, according to an internal audit that already has some members of Congress questioning how the agency will be able to administer Obamacare. Published October 22, 2013
Republican candidates are proud of comparisons to Ted Cruz
The competition to be the next Ted Cruz is extremely hot within the Republican Party, where a number of emerging challengers are hoping to capitalize on the newest brand name in conservative politics. Published October 21, 2013
Furloughed federal workers must return unemployment pay
Most federal employees who filed for unemployment compensation while they were furloughed are being asked to pay that money back, now that Congress and President Obama have agreed to pay all of those workers for their time off. Published October 20, 2013
Vets join fight to find, capture child predators
Recruiting former troops to a new fight, the Homeland Security Department swore in its inaugural class of military veterans Friday to be special operatives trained to track down child pornographers and sex abusers. Published October 20, 2013
U.S. debt jumps a record $328 billion — tops $17 trillion for first time
U.S. debt jumped a record $328 billion on Thursday, the first day the federal government was able to borrow money under the deal President Obama and Congress sealed this week. Published October 18, 2013
DHS nominee Jeh Johnson lacks immigration experience
Republicans are already attacking the man President Obama will nominate to head the Homeland Security Department for his lack of experience on immigration, questioning how he can be qualified if he is not familiar with a major part of the department secretary's portfolio. Published October 18, 2013
Immigration back on the front burner for Obama
President Obama said early Thursday that he wants to make a major push to have Congress pass immigration legislation this year — but by late in the day the White House was confirming he will nominate someone with little immigration experience to head the Department of Homeland Security. Published October 18, 2013
Lawmakers ‘cringe’ at Senate’s pork-laden spending deal
The debt deal reopening the federal government, hurriedly written Wednesday afternoon, began to rot in the sunlight Thursday as lawmakers distanced themselves from some of the pork projects and other goodies tossed in to sweeten the bill for lawmakers. Published October 17, 2013
Pelosi on pork project: ‘What difference does it make?’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Thursday said she can't answer for why pork-barrel items snuck into the debt and spending bill that passed Congress late Thursday, but said the press should stop focusing on that and instead look at the broader debt fight. Published October 17, 2013
The race is already on to avoid another shutdown as budget talks begin
Congress has given itself a several-month reprieve to write a budget, and the four lawmakers charged with doing that said all the right things Thursday morning as they emerged from their first informal meeting. Published October 17, 2013
