Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Dream Act supporters target filibuster
Illegal-immigrant students and some House Democrats sued the Senate this week to try to overturn the upper chamber's filibuster rule, arguing that the 60-vote threshold applied to most major legislation violates the Constitution and is blocking important legislation, such as legalization for illegal immigrants. Published May 15, 2012
Boehner digs in for next battle on debt
House Speaker John A. Boehner on Tuesday set the stage for an end-of-year debt showdown, saying he will once again insist any increase in the federal borrowing limit be matched dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts elsewhere. Published May 15, 2012
Boehner sets up new debt-ceiling showdown
House Speaker John A. Boehner vowed Tuesday to draw "a line in the sand" by insisting the next federal debt-limit increase, due later this year, will have to be met with real spending cuts — setting up another showdown like last August's deficit brinkmanship. Published May 15, 2012
Dream Act students sue to stop Senate filibuster
Illegal immigrant students and members of the House sued the Senate this week to try to overturn the upper chamber's filibuster rule, arguing that the 60-vote supermajority requirement violates the Constitution and is blocking important legislation such as legalization for illegal immigrants. Published May 15, 2012
Paul aide: Don’t look for a Romney endorsement
Ron Paul's campaign conceded Tuesday he won't win enough delegates to be Republicans' presidential nominee, but says he will continue to try to win supporters to influence the GOP's platform and rules at the August convention. Published May 15, 2012
Current third-party candidates not on voters’ menu
There's a substantial appetite among American voters for an option other than the two major parties in this year's elections — but there's little taste for any of the third-party or independent candidates currently competing, according to the latest poll by The Washington Times/JZ Analytics. Published May 14, 2012
Ron Paul ends his hunt for votes from primaries
Rep. Ron Paul said Monday he will not compete in Republican primaries in any of the states that have not yet voted — essentially ending the 2012 primary season and leaving the path open for Mitt Romney to win the GOP presidential nomination. Published May 14, 2012
Poll shows Obama’s chief edge is enthusiasm factor
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama are statistically tied with 43.6 percent and 43.2 percent support, respectively, among likely voters surveyed in the first head-to-head matchup conducted for The Washington Times/JZ Analytics poll, which nonetheless found more enthusiasm for the president's campaign than for the GOP's challenger. Published May 13, 2012
House bill reins in Census Bureau, Justice
House Republicans voted this week to kill a major part of the census and to rein in the Obama administration's lawsuits against states over immigration laws, voter-identification laws and gay-marriage statutes - but gave a thumbs-up to Mr. Obama's battle with states that have medical marijuana laws. Published May 10, 2012
House shifts pending budget cuts from defense to entitlements
Six months after the congressional supercommittee failed to come to a long-term deal on federal spending, House Republicans reignited the debate Thursday by passing legislation that would stop looming defense cuts and instead cut hundreds of billions of dollars from entitlement programs. Published May 10, 2012
Lawmakers: Victims of domestic terrorism deserve Purple Heart
Top lawmakers on Capitol Hill are challenging the U.S. military to rethink how it classifies terrorist attacks on U.S. soil after the Defense Department decided the 2009 attack at Fort Hood and the attack on a recruiting office in Arkansas were domestic killings rather than flash points in the global war on terrorism. Published May 9, 2012
NRC selection sets up battle with Senate
President Obama on Tuesday officially nominated Kristine Svinicki to keep her seat on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, setting up an expected battle with his own party in the Senate. Published May 8, 2012
Senate blocks Obama’s student loan bill
Senators blocked President Obama's student loan bailout bill Tuesday, upping the chances of another deadline-busting battle this summer as both sides dig in over how to pay for continued government assistance to college students. Published May 8, 2012
Deficit streak ends: Obama sees first monthly surplus
The federal government broke its record deficit streak in April, notching its first monthly surplus since the end of the Bush administration, according to preliminary estimates released Monday. Published May 7, 2012
Budget Control Act not living up to its name
Eight months after President Obama ratified the last-minute Budget Control Act to avert a federal default, the budget deficit has only grown and the control is hard to see. Published May 6, 2012
Obama to get do-over on Keystone pipeline
The Canadian company seeking to build the massive Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline through the U.S. reapplied for a permit on Friday, pushing the politically sensitive issue back onto President Obama's plate six months before the election. Published May 4, 2012
Web put off-limits to Social Security claims judges
The Social Security Administration last month told its disability-claims judges they are no longer to seek out information from websites when deciding cases — taking away a tool some of those judges say would help in uncovering fraud. Published May 3, 2012
Romney blasts Obama for opposing D.C. voucher program
Mitt Romney said Wednesday that it was "inexcusable" for President Obama to try to shut down the District's federally backed voucher pilot program that has sent thousands of the city's students to private schools. Published May 2, 2012
Campaign donors squeezed at end of month
It was the end of the month and the wheedling, pleading, demanding and outright begging were at full throttle as political parties, racing the latest fundraising deadline, tried to shake every nickel out of potential donors' pockets. Published April 30, 2012
House defies Obama to pass student loan bill
Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House voted Friday to extend federal student loan subsidies for another year, and cover the added cost by slashing a prevention fund from Democrats' health bill. Published April 27, 2012