Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Key parts of Alabama immigration law upheld
Alabama law enforcement officers were OK'd to check the immigration status of suspected illegals. Published September 28, 2011
House GOP asks for data on abortion spending
House Republicans have begun an investigation into Planned Parenthood's use of federal funds, questioning whether the national network of abortion providers has proper checks in place to prevent violations of federal law. Published September 27, 2011
U.S. spent $10,612 per person in 2010
The federal government spent $10,612 per person domestically last year. Published September 27, 2011
Senate delays jobs bill to take on China
President Obama is still pressing Congress to pass his jobs-stimulus bill immediately, but Democratic Party leaders in the Senate once again have delayed taking a vote on the legislation and instead will take up a bill to punish China over its currency valuation. Published September 27, 2011
Senate OKs stopgap bill to prevent shutdown
The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Monday night to avert a potential government shutdown after the Obama administration discovered it had enough money in its disaster accounts to last through the end of this month, leaving lawmakers with "nothing to fight about." Published September 26, 2011
Cost offsets that Bunning once pitched catch on
Jim Bunning may be out of the Senate, but the fire he lit still smolders. Published September 25, 2011
Obama stumps for jobs stimulus plan
Declaring himself "a warrior for the middle class," President Obama traveled Thursday to a bridge that connects Ohio to Kentucky — the homes of the two top Republicans in Congress — and said they have the power to kill or pass his jobs-stimulus plan. Published September 22, 2011
E-Verify bill stirs broader immigration debate
House Republicans on Wednesday jump-started the immigration debate, pushing through the Judiciary Committee a key immigration-enforcement measure to require businesses to check new employees' work status against a government database — but the fight highlighted deep divides that make it unlikely any bill clears Congress in the near future. Published September 21, 2011
Obama: U.N. can’t impose Mideast peace
Struggling to head off a divisive showdown on Palestinian statehood at the U.N. later this week, President Obama on Wednesday told the world body there can be "no shortcut" to peace in the Middle East and called on other countries to insist both sides negotiate a solution rather than have it imposed by the international community. Published September 21, 2011
Obama: Libya is international model
Libya's transition provides lessons for how to proceed in the future, President Obama said. Published September 20, 2011
Obama ties Medicare cuts to tax hikes on the rich
Seeking to put his stamp on deficit-reduction talks, President Obama on Monday said he will veto any debt plan that cuts Medicare benefits without also imposing higher taxes on the wealthy, and he embraced a broad call that all millionaires be made to pay an effective higher tax rate on income than middle-class families do. Published September 19, 2011
Obama calls for broad tax increases
President Obama on Monday proposed a deficit reduction plan that calls for about $3 in new tax increases for every dollar in additional spending cuts as he seeks to put his imprint on the ongoing talks with Congress over reducing the government's staggering debt. Published September 18, 2011
Patent bill signing caps week of bipartisan deals
Capping a rare week of bipartisanship in Washington, President Obama on Friday signed into law a measure that is designed to revamp the way patents are won in the U.S., and which its backers said could spur creation of jobs. Published September 16, 2011
Senate OKs stopgap funding for highways and FAA
In a flurry of bipartisan cooperation late Thursday, the Senate cleared a $7 billion bill to boost federal disaster funding and measures to keep the Federal Aviation Administration and federal highway spending going for the rest of this year, as lawmakers brushed aside conservatives' concerns over the deficit. Published September 15, 2011
Boehner advocates rewrite of tax code
House Speaker John A. Boehner on Thursday ruled out tax increases as an option for the deficit supercommittee, but in a broad speech laying out his goals for Congress, he urged the 12-member panel to lay the groundwork for a full rewrite of the U.S. tax code. Published September 15, 2011
Nationwide use of E-Verify goes before committee
After months on the back burner, the immigration issue returns to the political forefront Thursday when House Republicans take the first steps to require all businesses to verify their employees' work status electronically. Published September 14, 2011
Budget director cuts time for supercommittee to reduce deficit
Congress' chief scorekeeper effectively shortened the window for the new deficit supercommittee to reach a deal, saying Tuesday that if lawmakers are going to meet their Thanksgiving deadline, his office will need to see an agreement at the beginning of November. Published September 13, 2011
Jobs plan paid for as Obama says, but with tax hikes in future
At its root, President Obama's jobs stimulus plan pays for spending and tax cuts now by promising tax increases that wouldn't kick in until 2013 — after next year's elections — and would last through the rest of the decade. Published September 12, 2011
House chairman: Obama uncle’s got ‘backdoor amnesty’
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that President Obama's half-uncle, an illegal immigrant who was picked up but has reportedly been released from jail, appears to have benefited from the new "backdoor amnesty" the administration announced last month. Published September 9, 2011
Feds’ deficit streak hits 35 months
The federal government ran a $132 billion deficit in August, marking a record 35th straight month in the red, according to preliminary estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Published September 8, 2011
