Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Senators fail in final attempt to avoid ‘nuclear option’ on filibuster rules
Last-minute negotiations failed to break through the Senate's impasse on nominees, leaving Democrats prepared to ignite the "nuclear option" Tuesday and use a shortcut to change the chamber's filibuster rules, allowing them to push easily through President Obama's appointments. Published July 15, 2013
Filibuster fights play both ways and nominees from both parties know it
C. Boyden Gray has seen the filibuster fight from both sides, serving as chief cheerleader for President George W. Bush's judicial nominations when they were being blocked by Democrats, and then watching Democrats block his own nomination when Mr. Bush tapped him to be an ambassador. Published July 15, 2013
Sen. Harry Reid: Founding Fathers didn’t want filibusters
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday that the men who wrote the Constitution intended for the president's nominees to be subject to only a majority vote, and said filibusters of nominees were never envisioned. Published July 15, 2013
Reid prepares to light fuse of ‘nuclear option’ in Senate
Declaring that the country faces a presidential nominations crisis, the Senate's top Democrat vowed Sunday to press ahead with showdown votes this week that could end up rewriting Senate rules to power through President Obama's team, but also threatens to end the comity that is essential to the chamber's operations. Published July 14, 2013
Napolitano’s move from DHS to California schools chief draws protests
While many across the political spectrum are happy to see Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leave her job in Washington, some who live on the West Coast say they'd just as soon not see her out there, after it was revealed Friday that she's poised to take over as head of the University of California school system. Published July 12, 2013
Janet Napolitano to resign Homeland Security post
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who has led the embattled agency for the entirety of President Obama's administration, said Friday she is resigning to run the University of California system. Published July 12, 2013
Reid blocks own immigration bill from House vote
Democratic leaders have told the House to pass the Senate immigration bill as is, but they can't — because Majority Leader Harry Reid hasn't actually sent the bill over to the House yet. Published July 11, 2013
Harry Reid prepares Senate to go ‘nuclear,’ end nomination filibusters
Senate Democrats laid the groundwork Thursday to trigger the "nuclear option" against minority filibusters, setting up a dramatic Tuesday showdown in which Republicans either will have to accept seven of President Obama's controversial appointments or watch as Democrats change the rules and end filibusters of executive branch nominees. Published July 11, 2013
Immigration reform unlikely this year with House GOP approach
House Republican leaders struck out on their own path on immigration Wednesday, saying they don't trust President Obama to secure the borders and rejecting the broad approach the Senate took in favor of tackling the issue in pieces — a move that severely dims chances for a final deal this year. Published July 10, 2013
Pelosi calls for ‘bipartisan’ immigration solution
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday prodded House Republicans to take up an immigration bill -- though she stopped short of calling for the chamber to pass the version that cleared the Senate last month. Published July 10, 2013
George W. Bush warns against bitter immigration debate
Former President George W. Bush warned Washington politicians Wednesday not to engage in a bitter immigration debate, hours before his former party colleagues in the House were set to meet to hash out a strategy to deal with the thorny issue. Published July 10, 2013
Immigration: GOP steps away from any path to citizenship; House leadership to hash out plan
House Republicans are meeting Wednesday to hash out their own strategy on immigration, but already one major difference has emerged between them and their Senate counterparts — they are far less enthusiastic about an eventual path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Published July 9, 2013
Futility Index: House Republicans sputter toward one of the worst years on record
The legislative zeal that drove House Republicans in the last Congress has evaporated and they are headed for one of the least accomplished years on record, according to the latest findings in The Washington Times' Legislative Futility Index. Published July 9, 2013
Democrats defy Obama and Republicans as student loan rates double
Standing on the Capitol steps Monday with students who said they may not be able to finish college without help from federal student loans, House Republicans on Monday called for President Obama to pressure members of his own party to accept a bipartisan solution to keep rates from doubling. Published July 8, 2013
Numbers don’t add up on Obama’s pledge to deport more illegal immigrants
The Obama administration is deporting fewer people than it did in 2011 or 2012, but has ousted more than 110,000 illegal immigrants this year who didn't have criminal records, according to statistics that call into question the Obama administration's public statements about its deportation policies. Published July 8, 2013
Reid tells House to pass Senate immigration bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid challenged House Republicans to forgo their own debate and pass the Senate's immigration bill instead, telling Speaker John A. Boehner to ignore his Republican colleagues in order to get a bill done. Published July 8, 2013
All eyes on border as House bill on immigration takes shape; groups hold out for hope
House Republicans will meet this week to plan their immigration strategy, which seems designed to push the issue to the right, but the Senate bill already faces a backlash on the left, where advocacy groups say the added border security is testing the limits of enforcement. Published July 8, 2013
Officials see immigration reform bolstering Social Security in the short term
The White House said this week that passing the immigration bill will help boost Social Security — a claim that gets at the heart of the immigration debate and whether it's good for the economy or not. Published July 4, 2013
More agents, fencing may cut illegal immigration by half; Senate bill’s critics not satisfied
Spending $35 billion on new Border Patrol agents and fencing would keep tens of thousands of new illegal immigrants from crossing the border each year, but would still only stop between a third and half of future illegal immigration, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest analysis released Wednesday. Published July 3, 2013
Immigrants account for all job gains since 2000: native-born workers’ employment has fallen
Immigrants — both legal and illegal — have accounted for all of the job gains in the U.S. labor market since 2000, according to a report that highlights the stiff competition for jobs in a tight economy as Congress debates adding more workers to the mix. Published July 3, 2013
