Stephen Dinan

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

Congress to punt political football again rather than tackle problem

Washington on Monday was poised to do what it does best: invent a half-solution to a full problem while punting the toughest questions for later and setting up more deadline drama. Published December 31, 2012

Obama: ‘Fiscal cliff’ deal is close but ‘not done’

With just hours to meet a midnight deadline to avert the "fiscal cliff," President Obama said Monday afternoon that a deal is "within sight but is not done." Published December 31, 2012

Senate votes to avoid ‘fiscal cliff’

Congress careened over the edge of the fiscal cliff at midnight, but a solution was in the offing after the Senate voted early Tuesday to approve a deal that combined tax-rate hikes and new stimulus spending, along with a two-month delay of automatic spending cuts. Published December 31, 2012

GOP backs off Social Security income change

Republicans on Sunday conceded on their demand that any "fiscal cliff" deal trim Social Security cost-of-living increases, signaling the end — for now — of their push to reform entitlements in exchange for higher tax rates. Published December 30, 2012

Sandy-hit agencies get no free ride for new cars

The Senate passed a massive Superstorm Sandy relief bill late last week but not before lawmakers took a stab at some accountability — including insisting that the FBI, Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies first try to replace flood-damaged vehicles from within their existing fleets. Published December 30, 2012

Offers fly, but still no ‘fiscal cliff’ agreement

With hours to go, President Obama and Congress barreled toward the New Year's Day "fiscal cliff," trading last-minute offers and narrowing the range of options Sunday, but reaching no deal. Published December 30, 2012

Obama says immigration reform will be priority

President Obama says immigration is his major second-term priority, on par with his push for health care in his first term, according to an interview aired Sunday that continues to boost the issue to the top of the political conversation. Published December 30, 2012