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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi introduces newly elected Democratic members of the House on Tuesday. She said it would not be “a good thing for our country for us to go over the cliff.” (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Lawmakers urge compromise, but refuse to budge from ‘cliff’

Republicans and Democrats returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday pledging to try to reach common ground — but as each side reinforced its pre-election battle lines, last week's results appear to have shifted little other than the rhetoric. Published November 13, 2012

**FILE** A statue of former Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin stands outside the Treasury Building in Washington on Aug. 8, 2011. (Associated Press)

U.S. government starts new year already in deficit

The federal government began fiscal year 2013 where it ended 2012 — deeply in the red, with a $120 billion deficit for October, the Treasury Department said Tuesday. Published November 13, 2012

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, California Republican

Congress jumps on Libya inquiry

President Obama survived the election without having to answer many key questions about the September terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, but getting through the lame-duck session of Congress that opens Tuesday could be even tougher — especially with one key senator already talking about the possibility of subpoenas. Published November 12, 2012

Just after 6am, voters make their way into the polling station at Washington Mill Elementary School in Fairfax, Va., on November 6, 2012. (Eva Russo/ Special to The Washington Times)

Policies seen through partisan prism, study finds

Many Americans have blind spots when it comes to how well they know recent controversial policies, and Democrats are in the dark more than Republicans, according to a new comprehensive survey of voters by NORC at the University of Chicago. Published November 11, 2012

**FILE** Sen. Lindsey Graham (left), South Carolina Republican, confers Oct. 3, 2011, with Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, following a vote that clears the way for debate on a bill that would impose tariffs on Chinese imports as a penalty for currency manipulation on Capitol Hill. (Associated Press)

Schumer, Graham resurrect bipartisan immigration reform

New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, co-authors of a stalled bipartisan comprehensive immigration overhaul that includes a "path to citizenship" for the country's estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants, said Sunday that Tuesday's election results have created a new impetus for reforms. Published November 11, 2012

House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, calls on a reporter Nov. 9, 2012, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press)

Boehner faces backlash on immigration overture

House Speaker John A. Boehner's overture to Democrats and President Obama on immigration reform is already drawing fire from within the GOP, where lawmakers say he's writing checks that his fellow House Republicans won't cash for him. Published November 9, 2012

“The reason is very simple: You’re going to delay relief. The quicker you do relief, the cheaper,” says Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, on why adding the cost for recovery from Superstorm Sandy to the federal deficit is a necessity. (Associated Press)

Schumer: Put cost of superstorm on U.S. tab

New York's senior senator said Thursday that Congress likely will need to pass an emergency spending bill to help the recovery effort from Superstorm Sandy, and he said that money should be tacked onto the deficit. Published November 8, 2012

Speaker of the House John Boehner, Ohio Republican, talks at the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 7, 2012, about the elections and the unfinished business of Congress. (Associated Press)

Boehner opens door to ‘comprehensive’ immigration

House Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday that his chamber will try to make progress on "comprehensive" immigration reform — a nod to the growing power of Hispanics, but a move that could produce a bloody battle within his own party, depending on how far he pushes his troops. Published November 8, 2012

** FILE ** Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican. (Associated Press)

Fiscal cliff forecast: Bad now, worse later

As Congress prepares to try to negotiate ways to avoid the fiscal cliff, its own scorekeeper has some stark analysis: There will be pain no matter what, but ducking choices now will mean an even worse situation by the end of the decade. Published November 8, 2012

Charlene Gomez leads an orientation seminar for illegal immigrants in Los Angeles. Schools and consulates have been flooded with requests for documents since the Obama administration earlier this year said many young illegal immigrants may be eligible for two-year renewable work permits. (Associated Press)

Democrats see strengthened hand on pushing immigration

The election has strengthened President Obama's hand on immigration, and Dream Act organizers said it likely means a flood of hundreds of thousands of new applications for his nondeportation policy — but it's not clear that anything has changed in the decade-long stalemate in Congress on the issue. Published November 7, 2012

House Speaker John A. Boehner says the GOP will make a deal to let the government collect more tax revenue. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

‘Fiscal cliff’ nudges deal-making talk

House Speaker John A. Boehner offered the first olive branch Wednesday in what is expected to be a frenetic spate of postelection deal-making to avert the looming "fiscal cliff," saying the GOP will let the government collect more tax revenue if President Obama will drop his plan to raise tax rates on the wealthy. Published November 7, 2012

House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, walks through the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 7, 2012, before speaking with reporters about the fiscal cliff and the need for both parties to find common ground and take steps together to help our economy grow and create jobs, which he says is critical to solving the national debt. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Boehner: GOP willing to accept new tax revenue

House Speaker John A. Boehner said Wednesday that Republicans are "willing to accept new revenue" coming to the federal government as part of a new debt deal, offering an early olive branch in the aftermath of Tuesday's election. Published November 7, 2012

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, holds a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Mr. Reid said he intends to change Senate filibuster rules following President Obama's win in the general election the previous day and that he hopes Republicans will work with the Democrats to solve some of the country's major issues. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Reid moves to limit GOP filibusters

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he will try to push through a change to Senate rules that would limit the GOP's ability to filibuster bills. Published November 7, 2012

A supporter takes pictures of Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., during a campaign, Monday, Nov. 5, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

ELECTION 2012: Morning-after reality: No easy answers to gridlock

From illegal immigrants to defense contractors and millionaires to Medicaid patients, Americans had plenty riding on Tuesday's outcome — but few were expecting the election to provide answers to the gridlock that has prevented Washington from tackling the big issues. Published November 6, 2012

President Obama smiles during his speech at his election night party on Nov. 7, 2012, in Chicago. The president defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney. (Associated Press)

ELECTION 2012: Obama wins second term

President Obama won re-election to the White House on Tuesday night, holding together enough of his hope-and-change coalition to repeat his historic 2008 election and surviving a sluggish economy and a fractured electorate that desired a change but failed to find Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney a credible alternative. Published November 6, 2012

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, waves goodbye to backers at a rally at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax on Monday as he tries to wrest a few more last-minute votes in the swing state. (Craig Bisacre/The Washington Times)

ELECTION 2012: Long haul to election reaches a messy end

The 2012 presidential campaign has been one defined by candidates bumping against ceilings — and, in the final week, by a storm that appears to have helped President Obama regain his footing. Published November 5, 2012

**FILE** President Obama (left) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney walk past each other onstage Oct. 22, 2012, at the end of the final presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. (Associated Press)

Leaning left or right, red or blue? Answer may be in your genes

That vote you're about to cast may have been set in motion long ago — going all the way back to your birth and early years, when your genes and your developing brain helped determine whether you leaned conservative or liberal and how strongly you tilted that way. Published November 5, 2012

A gaffe by Rep. W. Todd Akin of Missouri has imperiled the Republicans’ chances of claiming a Senate seat that was thought to be ripe for the taking. In Mr. Akin’s case, it would be a pickup for the GOP. (Associated Press)

Democrats’ odds of holding Senate improving

Far from losing control of the Senate, the latest polling suggests Democrats could actually expand their majority on Tuesday — a stunning turnaround for a party that entered this cycle playing defense across the board. Published November 4, 2012