Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Sen. Harry Reid refuses to bend on core of ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ruled out any major changes to the immigration bill he will bring to the chamber floor this week, saying in an interview that aired Sunday that he will battle to prevent anyone from altering the core of the bipartisan deal reached by the so-called Gang of Eight. Published June 7, 2013
GOP votes to lift deportation limits; signals trouble for broader reform bill
The immigration fight wasn't supposed to begin until next week but it got a head start Thursday when House Republicans voted to overturn President Obama's policies and start deporting rank-and-file illegal immigrants again — an early signal that a broad legalization bill will have trouble passing Congress this year. Published June 6, 2013
House rebukes Obama, challenges deportation policy
The House voted Thursday to overturn all of President Obama's non-deportation policies, in a vote freighted with meaning as Congress warily eyes a broader immigration debate later over the next few months. Published June 6, 2013
Immigration bill heads to Senate floor
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday officially began the process of bringing the immigration bill to the Senate floor, setting up the first major test vote for next Monday. Published June 6, 2013
Sen. Marco Rubio flexible on immigration bill; House negotiators finishing work
Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he'd be all right with breaking up the immigration bill into smaller pieces, but said the most important part of this month's debate will be how best to improve security so voters believe government is finally serious about controlling the border and weeding out illegal immigrants. Published June 6, 2013
IRS’ Anaheim trip far from costliest; two agency officials placed on leave
While it's getting the most attention, the $4.1 million IRS conference in California in 2010 that has Congress up in arms isn't even the costliest event the tax agency hosted over the last few years. Published June 5, 2013
TSA screenings lack objectivity, probe finds
The TSA's program to let agents pick out people for closer screening based on the agents' observation fails to meet basic standards of training of objectivity, according to a report released Wednesday by the agency's auditor. Published June 5, 2013
Senate immigration bill could double guest workers
The Senate immigration bill could nearly double the number of guest workers allowed into the U.S., according to a new analysis the Center for Immigration Studies is releasing Wednesday that says the jump is four times the increase of the last immigration bill in 2007. Published June 5, 2013
IRS spent $4.1M on California junket
Already reeling after admitting it unfairly targeted conservatives, the IRS suffered a new setback Tuesday when its internal auditor released a report showing the agency spent $4.1 million on a lavish conference in California in 2010, including two free drinks for every attendee, and upgrades to suites for more than 100 employees. Published June 4, 2013
Obama challenges Senate with judicial picks
A combative President Obama declared open warfare Tuesday on Senate Republicans over judicial nominations, naming three candidates to the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and blasting GOP lawmakers for delaying and blocking previous nominees. Published June 4, 2013
Sen. Marco Rubio: Immigration bill does not have votes to pass
Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday that there aren't 60 votes to pass the immigration bill he wrote and that the Senate will have to embrace even stiffer enforcement in order to win voters' confidence and sway lawmakers reluctant to repeat the mistakes of the 1986 amnesty. Published June 4, 2013
IRS acting chief Danny Werfel vows to fix ‘trust’ in agency
The new Internal Revenue Service chief said Monday that his agency broke trust with the American people, and he vowed a speedy investigation to expose who approved the program that led to conservative groups being subjected to unwarranted questions while finding out if any other offices have engaged in similar political targeting. Published June 3, 2013
Sen. Marco Rubio: Immigration bill needs ‘improvements’ to pass
Sen. Marco Rubio has told his constituents that the immigration bill he helped write is not yet good enough and that there will have to be "improvements" if it is to pass. Published June 3, 2013
Newly released emails show EPA director’s extensive use of fictional alter ego
Richard Windsor never existed at the EPA, but the agency awarded the fictional staffer’s email account certificates proving he had mastered all of the agency’s technology training — including declaring him a “scholar of ethical behavior,” according to documents disclosed late last week. Published June 2, 2013
IRS audits moderate group with GOP ties; Issa says scrutiny known in D.C.
Two weeks before news broke that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny of their tax-exempt applications, a moderate GOP organization received word it was being audited — a move its organizers said suggests the tax agency's scrutiny included non-tea party political groups. Published June 2, 2013
Congress faces 2016 deadline to save Social Security’s disability program
Social Security ran a cash-flow deficit of $55 billion last year and one of its two trust funds, used to pay disability benefits, will go bust in three years, forcing benefits to be cut by 20 percent unless Congress acts, the program's trustees reported Friday. Published May 31, 2013
Bipartisanship breaks through gridlock on Hill, but divisive battles on spending loom
After four years of crippling partisan gridlock, which intensified in 2011 when the GOP took control of the House and the Senate remained in Democratic hands, both parties have finally found areas of common ground in Congress. Published May 30, 2013
Safety net issue snags reforms to immigration; public balks at benefits for the newly legalized
Much of the fight over illegal immigration isn't about immigration at all, but rather over the generous social safety net that has sprung up in the past five decades, and which has proved to be a major sticking point in voters' minds as Congress contemplates a legalization. Published May 29, 2013
Feds dole out $900 billion in big tax breaks in 2013
The federal government will dole out more than $900 billion in the top 10 tax breaks this year, according to a report Wednesday from the Congressional Budget Office that found the benefits go disproportionately to the poor and the rich. Published May 29, 2013
Conservative groups sue IRS, Eric Holder for ‘unlawful targeting’ of tax forms
More than two dozen conservative groups sued the IRS, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Wednesday accusing them of slow-walking approval of the groups’ tax-exempt status and, in some cases, for disclosing private information. Published May 29, 2013
