Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
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
Perry vs. Paul: A Texas-sized war
The scrap between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney may have gotten more attention in Wednesday's presidential candidates debate, but it was tame compared to the dust-up between Mr. Perry and Rep. Ron Paul, two Texans who apparently have spent plenty of time digging up dirt on each other and aren't afraid to use it. Published September 8, 2011
In wide field, it’s Romney vs. Perry
Mitt Romney and Rick Perry wasted little time in going straight at each other Wednesday night, sparring over whether the former's business experience or the latter's decade as governor of Texas is better training for boosting jobs as the occupant of the White House. Published September 7, 2011
Romney predicts 4% growth, 11.5M jobs
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Tuesday for deeper discretionary spending cuts and a broad rewrite of the relationship between businesses and Washington, saying he will lead the country to 4 percent annual growth and create 11.5 million jobs. Published September 6, 2011
Hopefuls court tea party at S.C. forum
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney promised Monday to support repeal of a full range of financial-regulation legislation enacted over the past few decades as he sought to woo conservative and tea party voters in South Carolina, and pledged that his vice-presidential pick would be pro-life. Published September 5, 2011
Academics dub tea partyers devout, racist
Two years after it burst onto the political scene, the tea party is getting a critical eye from political science academics who say the movement generally is populated by knowledgeable and religiously devout voters, but they are hypocritical and more likely to be motivated by "racial resentment." Published September 4, 2011
Dark-cloud financial forecast precedes president’s speech
Ahead of President Obama's major speech next week, his administration on Thursday released a gloomy picture of the government's finances that shows that even with the deficit supercommittee's action, the government will pile up nearly $10 trillion in deficits over the next decade. Published September 1, 2011
Two senators riled by EPA payouts in lawsuits
A new government watchdog report says environmental lawyers have collected millions of dollars in lawyers' fees from taxpayers by suing and winning cases against the Environmental Protection Agency. Published August 31, 2011
Napolitano wants National Guard to stay on Mexican border
Funding for National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border runs out in another month, but Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday she would like to see them stay there — if Congress or the Defense Department can find the money. Published August 30, 2011
New book disputes claim Jefferson fathered children of slave Hemings
In a book due out Thursday, eminent scholars say it's unlikely that Thomas Jefferson fathered Sally Hemings' children, disputing a decade's worth of conventional wisdom that the author of the Declaration of Independence sired offspring with one of his slaves. Published August 30, 2011
Judge blocks Alabama immigration law
A federal district judge halted Alabama's tough new immigration law Monday just days before it was to take effect, making it the latest state to see a crackdown law blocked by a court. Published August 29, 2011
Trumka: Labor support for Obama in question
The AFL-CIO has not decided yet if it will participate in next year's Democratic National Convention, as labor union members ponder whether President Obama has earned their support heading into next year's elections, the organization's head said Thursday. Published August 25, 2011
Stimulus boosted economy but fell short on jobs
President Obama's stimulus led to between 1.3 million and 3.3 million jobs at its peak last year, according to the latest account by Congress's chief scorekeeper, placing somewhere between a little bit and way short of the administration's goal of sustaining 3.5 million jobs. Published August 24, 2011
