Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
CBO: Stimulus hurts economy in the long run
The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday downgraded its estimate of the benefits of President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, saying it may have sustained as few as 700,000 jobs at its peak last year and that over the long run it will actually be a net drag on the economy. Published November 22, 2011
GAO: Illegal immigrants caused nearly half of border fires
Illegal immigrants started nearly 40 percent of human-ignited wildfires along the U.S.-Mexico border between 2006 and 2010, according to a new government report that gives new credence to claims Arizona lawmakers made earlier this year during catastrophic blazes in the Southwest. Published November 22, 2011
Seismic shift on Hill sank amendment bid for balanced budget
The defeat last week of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution showed a remarkable shift in congressional opinion in just 15 years on what had, at one point, appeared destined to become the 28th addition to the founding document. Published November 20, 2011
Leading senators: Kagan may have to recuse herself from health case
Top Republican senators said late Friday the Justice Department has been stonewalling their request for more information on Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, and said her previous work as solicitor general "may satisfy both requirements for recusal" from the upcoming health-care case. Published November 18, 2011
House defeats balanced budget amendment
The House on Friday rejected a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, falling well short of the two-thirds vote required and signaling a striking slide since the amendment's high point in the 1990s. Published November 18, 2011
Congress OKs $128B spending bill
Breaking a legislative drought that had extended for two years, Congress on Thursday passed three of its annual spending bills and a stopgap measure to keep the rest of the government open through the middle of December, though not without deep partisan divides. Published November 17, 2011
Congress gives OK to small portion of Obama’s jobs bill
It took two months, but a sliver of President Obama's jobs-stimulus plan is finally on its way to his desk after the House gave a final sign-off Wednesday to new tax credits to promote hiring of veterans and a repeal of the so-called "withholding tax" that was set to bite government contractors in 2013. Published November 16, 2011
Hopes dim for amendment to balance budget
Fifteen years ago, the budget deficit stood at $107 billion, government debt totaled about $5 trillion and a balanced-budget constitutional amendment came within one senator's vote of passing Congress, buoyed by the likes of then-Sen. Joseph R. Biden, who made an impassioned plea on the floor for its adoption. Published November 16, 2011
Federal debt tops $15 trillion
The Treasury Department said Wednesday that federal debt now tops $15 trillion — a staggering figure that has risen precipitously over the last decade. Published November 16, 2011
Coburn: Congress shirking oversight duties
Congress has punted on doing the kind of scrutiny of federal agencies that's required to prevent waste and keep the government running smoothly, according to a new report by Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who serves as the institution's unofficial watchdog. Published November 16, 2011
Health case raises recusal questions for Kagan, Thomas
The Supreme Court's announcement Monday that it will hear challenges to President Obama's health care law have put the spotlight on Justice Elena Kagan, who worked in the administration while the law was being written and, conservatives argue, helped craft its legal defense. Published November 14, 2011
Little will on Capitol Hill to alter Constitution
With no fanfare, the country in August quietly passed a peculiar milestone: The 14,746th day since Congress last proposed a successful amendment to the Constitution, officially becoming the second-longest such dry spell in history and raising questions about when, if ever, the next amendment will pass. Published November 13, 2011
Government demands payment from jailed ex-Border Patrol agent
The Justice Department this week demanded former Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr.'s family immediately pay a nearly $7,000 fine and imposed a lien on his property. Published November 10, 2011
Small part of jobs stimulus clears Senate, may be the last
Two months after President Obama proposed a $447 billion jobs-stimulus bill, the Senate has finally found a part it can agree on: a $30 billion package that promotes hiring of veterans and ends an unpopular withholding requirement for government contractors. Published November 10, 2011
Cain’s hopes hang on McCain’s miracle
Herman Cain faces many head winds in his quest to win the Republican presidential nomination next year, but the biggest one is still likely to be money - as of last month, his available campaign funds accounted for a little more than 2 percent of the entire GOP field. Published November 9, 2011
Government fines jailed Border Patrol agent’s family
After successfully winning a two-year prison sentence against U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr., the Justice Department is now trying to collect a $6,870 fine from his wife, saying it should be paid "immediately" — even though the judge signaled she would have a grace period. Published November 8, 2011
Senators agree on provision of jobs bill
The partisan fog stifling the Senate for most of this year lifted slightly Monday evening as senators signaled that they may finally have found a slim part of President Obama's jobs-stimulus plan they can agree to pass. Published November 7, 2011
Government starts fiscal 2012 with deficit
The federal government started fiscal 2012 the same way it ended 2011: in the red. Published November 7, 2011
Redistricting sets up tussles for many congressional seats
The last time California redrew its congressional districts, Republicans and Democrats cut a deal to preserve all the incumbents, essentially erasing the country's biggest electoral fishing ground from the map in 2002. Published November 6, 2011
Napolitano subpoenaed for illegals data
The House immigration subcommittee issued a subpoena Friday demanding Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano turn over records showing which illegal immigrants her department has declined to pursue deportation cases against. Published November 4, 2011
