Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Congress has a Constitution problem — many don’t understand document
Each of them takes an oath to defend the Constitution, but many House lawmakers either don't understand the founding document or don't take its precepts seriously, according to an analysis by The Washington Times that studied the constitutional backing that representatives submitted for each of the more than 3,000 bills they introduced in 2011. Published January 14, 2013
GOP recalls Obama, Biden opposed debt-limit hikes
President Obama's vow not to negotiate on the debt limit this year is a stark reversal for an administration whose two top officials both have a history of balking at debt hikes. Published January 14, 2013
Obama puts debt deal on shoulders of lawmakers
The White House this weekend rejected Senate Democrats' push for President Obama to do an end run around Congress and raise the government's borrowing limit, saying he won't test the limits of executive power and that it's up to lawmakers to strike a deal. Published January 12, 2013
Top Democrats tell Obama to ignore Congress on debt limit
Senate Democrats on Friday urged President Obama to do an end-run around Congress and claim the power to borrow more money on the credit of the U.S. Published January 11, 2013
Under pressure, DHS releases high-profile illegal immigrants
Federal authorities released the mother and brother of a prominent illegal immigrant activist Friday morning after Hispanic and immigrant-rights activists objected and flooded the Obama administration with phone calls. Published January 11, 2013
It’s a date: Obama’s State of the Union slated for Feb. 12 — Lincoln’s birthday
President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 12, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Friday. Published January 11, 2013
Interceptions of immigrants stubbornly low
Despite massive increases in manpower, the U.S. Border Patrol is still intercepting only about 61 percent of would-be illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an audit that the investigative arm of Congress released Wednesday. Published January 9, 2013
Capitol Hill least productive Congress ever: 112th fought ‘about everything’
Everyone thought it was true, and now there is official confirmation: The 112th Congress, which came to a close last week, was the least productive on record. Published January 9, 2013
Federal government balanced its books in December
The federal government came within a whisker of running a budget surplus in December, according to a preliminary estimate Tuesday that underscored some good news for the federal budget. Published January 8, 2013
Once again, fights on spending, taxes and debt dominate the debate
After Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 elections, they triumphed in the first showdown with the White House on spending. Six months later, they and President Obama dueled to a draw on the debt. And Mr. Obama has emerged the victor in last week's tax fight. Now, all sides are gearing up for even bigger battles over entitlement spending and broad tax reform. Published January 7, 2013
Obama’s promised push on immigration sets up early test
Despite the hopes of immigrant-rights advocates, it appears the election did not close the partisan divide on immigration. Published January 7, 2013
Immigration enforcement funding tops FBI’s, ATF’s
After decades of steady growth, immigration-enforcement spending has dropped slightly under President Obama — though the amount is still more than the budgets of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and all other federal law enforcement agencies combined, according to a report released Monday. Published January 7, 2013
GOP eyes shutdown as ‘fiscal sanity’ jolt
The appetite for a government shutdown is growing among Republicans, who shied away from one during the debt and spending fights in the last Congress but now say one may be needed. Published January 4, 2013
Religious diversity in Congress expands list of holy texts
The Bible and Torah, for years the standard religious texts used to swear in members of Congress, have been joined by the Constitution, the Koran — and, Thursday, for the first time ever, the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita. Published January 3, 2013
Boehner returns as speaker by three votes
House Speaker John A. Boehner narrowly survived his re-election battle on Thursday as the 113th Congress convened at the Capitol amid calls for cooperation on the same issues that left lawmakers gridlocked over the past two years. Published January 3, 2013
‘Cliff’ vote could haunt Republicans
Tuesday's votes on the "fiscal cliff" agreement will reverberate all the way into the 2016 presidential campaign as potential Republican contenders split their votes on the tax deal. Published January 2, 2013
Boehner splits with GOP on ‘fiscal cliff’ vote
Tuesday's vote to avoid the "fiscal cliff" exposed a deep rift within the House GOP that ran from the rank-and-file all the way to the very top of the party. Published January 1, 2013
Maligned loopholes survive ‘fiscal cliff’ deal to the tune of $1 trillion
Even as Washington says it wants to eliminate the credits and loopholes in the tax code, the "fiscal cliff" deal Congress agreed to this week is littered with dozens of them. Published January 1, 2013
Congress approves ‘fiscal cliff’ deal in bipartisan vote
After briefly pumping the brakes, House Republicans were poised Tuesday night to pass the deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" despite deep misgivings about hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending included in the compromise foisted on them by Senate Republicans and the White House. Published January 1, 2013
House counters with slimmer Sandy spending bill
House Republicans proposed a $27 billion emergency spending bill for Superstorm Sandy relief on Tuesday, preparing to rush the measure through the House with just two days left before the current congressional session ends. Published January 1, 2013
