Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House investigating FEC and IRS communications over tax exempt groups
House investigators this week said they want to see communications between the Federal Election Commission and the IRS that could shed light on whether the two agencies colluded to target conservative organizations, as questions about the IRS targeting scandal expanded. Published August 8, 2013
Wolf at the door: Immigrant rights issue follows lawmakers home
Five dozen immigration rights activists picketed outside Rep. Frank R. Wolf's Herndon office Wednesday, demanding he vote for a bill that would extend citizenship rights to 11 million illegal immigrants — a scene that is being repeated outside countless Republican congressional district offices this summer. Published August 7, 2013
Federal deficit hits lowest point of Obama administration
The federal deficit continues to drop, powered by a better economy, higher tax rates and the spending cuts that have left the government's bottom line in much better shape than at any time under President Obama, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest numbers released Wednesday. Published August 7, 2013
After widely mocked pitch by George W. Bush, steroids knocked out of the ballpark
His aides wanted to delete it from his speech, and President George W. Bush was mocked by ESPN and Meryl Streep for it afterward. But when he used his 2004 State of the Union address to raise the issue of steroids in baseball, it boosted the issue to the top levels of politics. Published August 6, 2013
DOD reversal: Sequester pain less than anticipated
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that the Pentagon has been able to find enough savings to further reduce the number of days civilian worker are being furloughed this year, in the latest sign that the budget sequesters aren't biting as deeply as the administration had warned. Published August 6, 2013
Nancy Pelosi quietly raises popularity rating; poll respondents are not so sweet on politicians
While the other top congressional leaders are fading, House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on the rise, according to the latest Quinnipiac University Thermometer poll, which shows the California Democrat is gaining popularity as one of the nation's top political figures. Published August 5, 2013
Judges attend lavish conferences on taxpayer dime amid budget cuts
Even as courts warn of job cuts and furloughs to their employees due to the sequester, federal judges continue to attend taxpayer-funded conferences at lavish resorts, according to a top senator who is calling on the courts to change their priorities. Published August 5, 2013
House subpoenas Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew for IRS documents
House Republicans on Friday accused Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew of obstructing their investigation into the IRS's targeting of tea party and conservative groups, and issued subpoenas for more agency documents. Published August 2, 2013
Tea party warns of ‘bait and switch’ on immigration
Tea party groups on Friday warned House Republicans they fear GOP leaders are preparing to "pull a bait and switch" that will ultimately allow a broad immigration bill pass that legalizes illegal immigrants. Published August 2, 2013
ICE agents weigh appeal in deportation policy fight
Immigration agents are weighing an appeal after a judge this week tossed out their lawsuit trying to halt the administration's nondeportation policies, saying the federal courts don't have jurisdiction over a personnel matter, agents said Thursday. Published August 1, 2013
House issues subpoenas to get Benghazi documents from State Department
As they prepared to head home for summer vacation, House Republicans fired off three subpoenas Thursday seeking more information from the State Department on the terrorist attack last year in Benghazi, Libya, and on the science the Environmental Protection Agency used to impose new clean air regulations. Published August 1, 2013
Immigration activists arrested at Capitol
Seeking to revive the chances for getting an immigration bill done this year, dozens of immigrant-rights activists staged a sit-in and got arrested at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday — and they vowed to repeat the civil disobedience throughout the country the rest of the summer. Published August 1, 2013
Obama open to changes at NSA; intel officials fight to maintain secrecy
The Obama administration signaled Wednesday that it is ready to accept some changes to the National Security Agency telephone snooping program, as intelligence officials fought fiercely against congressional critics to preserve what they say is a vital tool in rooting out terrorist plots. Published July 31, 2013
Congress will leave for summer recess with little accomplished
Congress is slinking toward an August exit from Washington with little to show for the past few weeks, and House Republicans suffered a major setback Wednesday when they had to pull their first domestic spending bill of the year from the floor, realizing they didn't have the votes to pass it. Published July 31, 2013
Judge tosses immigration agents’ suit against Napolitano
A federal judge dismissed immigration agents' lawsuit trying to overturn the administration's non-deportation policies, arguing the court didn't have jurisdiction because it was a personnel matter subject to collective bargaining. Published July 31, 2013
Obama, Democrats vow unified stance on debt
President Obama emerged from closed-door meetings with House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday with a new mantra for his focus the rest of this year: "Jobs. Middle class. Growth." Published July 31, 2013
Declassified documents show NSA snooping had ‘compliance’ problems
Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. on Wednesday declassified three documents that showed there have been "a number of technical compliance problems" with the government's phone-snooping program, as the Obama administration fights to preserve what it says is a critical tool in the war on terror. Published July 31, 2013
Immigration officers union says agency can’t handle legalization
The union that represents the people who would have to decide who gets legalized under any new immigration law said in a letter Tuesday that the Obama administration is not ready to handle the influx of applications. Published July 31, 2013
Homeland Security loses track of 1 million foreigners; report could hurt immigration deal
The Homeland Security Department has lost track of more than 1 million people who it knows arrived in the U.S. but who it cannot prove left the country, according to an audit Tuesday that also found the department probably won't meet its own goals for deploying an entry-exit system. Published July 30, 2013
House GOP accuses IRS of obstructing investigation into abuse of power
House Republicans on Tuesday accused the Internal Revenue Service and President Obama's hand-picked new leader of the agency of trying to "delay, frustrate, impede and obstruct" their investigation into abuses of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, and pointedly warned that it could be breaking the law. Published July 30, 2013
