Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House GOP angling to build support vote ahead of Thursday ‘fiscal cliff’ showdown
Still searching for enough Republican support to pass his fiscal cliff Plan B, House Speaker John A. Boehner added another bill to the agenda Thursday that would cancel the looming automatic spending cuts and replace them with other cuts to President Obama's health-care law. Published December 19, 2012
For conservatives, tax increase is in eye of beholder
President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner are squabbling over the "fiscal cliff," but an even bigger fight is going on within conservative circles over Mr. Boehner’s latest offer to extend tax cuts for all but millionaires, who would see their taxes increase. Published December 19, 2012
Boehner to hold vote on ‘Plan B’ to skirt ‘fiscal cliff’
House Speaker John A. Boehner on Wednesday dared President Obama to veto the Republican "Plan B" offer to avoid the "fiscal cliff" — higher tax rates on those making more than $1 million but tax cuts for everyone else — even as the president pleaded for cooperation rather than confrontation, saying he has already moved halfway. Published December 19, 2012
Defense policy deal picks fight with Obama; bill stops Gitmo transfers
Congress is daring President Obama to veto the annual defense policy bill after negotiators struck a deal Tuesday that would continue to prohibit him from transferring suspected terrorist detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for another year. Published December 18, 2012
Review finds some aliens get benefits
The federal government's system of tracking immigration status is so broken that it gives a green light to one in eight aliens who have been ordered deported, according to an audit Tuesday that found the government has gone on to approve some of those who slip through for work in sensitive areas of airports and granted them benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps. Published December 18, 2012
Gun bills face tough sailing on Capitol Hill
The last time either chamber of Congress took on gun control was in 2004, when the Senate considered a pro-gun bill, ended up adding three major gun control measures — then killed it, saying the whole thing had become too messy. Published December 17, 2012
Sen. Inouye of Hawaii dies of respiratory failure
Senate President Pro Tempore Daniel K. Inouye, the chamber's senior member and a hero of World War II, died Monday of respiratory failure, leaving what his colleagues said was a giant hole in the fabric of the chamber. Published December 17, 2012
Porked-up Sandy relief bill storms into Senate
The Senate's emergency spending bill to cover costs from Hurricane Sandy includes millions of dollars that will never touch the affected Northeast — including money for salmon fisheries in Alaska, cash for an expansion of train service into New York, and funds to preserve and repair historic properties. Published December 16, 2012
Obama administration’s program halts 102,000 deportations
The administration has issued stays of deportation for 102,965 illegal immigrants under President Obama's new non-deportation policy, officials announced Friday. Published December 14, 2012
Panetta says too much ‘doubt’ in Marine’s Medal of Honor case
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Thursday that he denied the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Rafael Peralta because the evidence from his autopsy created more than a reasonable doubt that he was able to knowingly scoop a grenade beneath him — the act his fellow Marines said saved their lives. Published December 13, 2012
Scott Brown makes quiet exit from Senate stage
Sen. Scott Brown entered the chamber in 2010 as the tea-party darling who made Republicans relevant in Washington once again, giving them the 41st vote in the Senate that allowed them to filibuster President Obama's agenda. Published December 12, 2012
Top medal denied twice to Marine
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has denied the request to give Sgt. Rafael Peralta the Medal of Honor, saying there are still too many questions to accept that he knowingly scooped a grenade beneath himself to absorb its blast and save his fellow Marines. Published December 12, 2012
War of words over Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’
When he popularized his famous "peace through strength" axiom, Ronald Reagan never envisioned it would lead to anything but peace three decades later. Published December 11, 2012
Lawsuit aims to be a filibuster buster
Even as some Senate Democrats push to rewrite the rules governing the filibuster, the chamber's attorneys were in federal court Monday trying to defend the very existence of the filibuster against a legal challenge that says it is an affront to democracy. Published December 10, 2012
White House says federal bill for Sandy is $60 billion
The White House sent Congress a $60.4 billion emergency spending request Friday to pay for recovery from Superstorm Sandy, which struck the northeastern U.S. five weeks ago, killing dozens and flooding homes and businesses across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Published December 7, 2012
U.S. borrows 46 cents of every dollar it spends
The federal government borrowed 46 cents of every dollar it has spent so far in fiscal 2013, which began Oct. 1, according to the latest data the Congressional Budget Office released Friday. Published December 7, 2012
White House won’t sidestep Hill on debt ceiling
Even with year-end budget talks at a standstill, the White House said Thursday it will not do an end-run around Congress and claim constitutional powers to raise the debt ceiling on its own. Published December 6, 2012
Detention bill cleared, but language no clearer
Senators had vowed to use the annual defense debate to clear up lingering questions about indefinite detention of U.S. citizens after last year's go-around — but the bill they cleared this week only added to the confusion. Published December 6, 2012
DeMint resigns from Senate to run Heritage Foundation
Sen. Jim DeMint said Thursday he'll resign from the Senate to go run the Heritage Foundation, the powerhouse conservative think tank that dominates Republican policy circles. Published December 6, 2012
Protection for former presidents advances
The House voted Wednesday to grant all ex-presidents lifetime Secret Service protection, arguing that in a world of terrorist threats, such a precaution has become necessary. Published December 5, 2012