Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House to vote on repeal of health care law
It didn't save them from catastrophic losses at the polls, but Democrats say the nuts-and-bolts benefits already in place thanks to the health care law, such as coverage for young adults and people with pre-existing health conditions, will derail House Republicans' repeal efforts. Published January 4, 2011
GOP to scrutinize Obama’s feats
With Congress split this year between Republicans and Democrats, the GOP may not be able to pass much of its repeal agenda, but it still expects to play a major role in shaping government through hearings and investigations into much of what the Obama administration has done. Published January 2, 2011
New House rules end official commendations
With little fanfare earlier this month, the House passed a commending resolution recognizing the University of Wisconsin's football team for making it to the Rose Bowl. But if the team wins, it's likely to have to go without a pat on the back from the country's 435 House members — at least as far as official recognition goes. Published December 29, 2010
Obama trails Bush on judicial confirmations
President Obama won two Supreme Court nominations in his first Congress, but his overall stamp on the federal judiciary has been muted as fights over judges have taken a lower profile than in recent years. Published December 27, 2010
‘We the people’ to open next Congress
The Constitution frequently gets lip service in Congress, but House Republicans next year will make sure it gets a lot more than that - the new rules the incoming majority party proposed this week call for a full reading of the country's founding document on the floor of the House on Jan. 6. Published December 23, 2010
Obama signs bill to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Breaking a new barrier in gay rights, President Obama signed a bill Wednesday that sets in motion a repeal of the military's ban on openly gay troops. Published December 22, 2010
Senate passes short-term spending stopgap
The Senate on Tuesday cleared the last must-pass bill of the year, a stopgap spending measure that funds basic government operations through March 4 at the same rate as in 2010. Published December 21, 2010
Hot off the press: Obsolete bill costs $78,000 to print
Sometimes in Congress, the physical size of the bill matters. Published December 20, 2010
Senate repeals ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Setting the stage for a major social change, the Senate voted Saturday to overturn the military's policy banning openly gay and lesbian troops, know as "don't ask, don't tell," sending the repeal to President Obama for his signature. Published December 18, 2010
Senate rejects legalization for illegal immigrant students
In a final showdown on immigration legislation, the Senate on Saturday blocked a bill to grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant children and young adults, likely taking the issue off the table for several years. Published December 18, 2010
House approves tax-cut compromise bill
Staving off the largest tax increase in history, lawmakers Friday morning passed President Obama's tax-cut deal with Republicans through the House after fending off a last-minute effort to increase the estate tax beyond what was proposed. Published December 16, 2010
Reid pulls $1.1T omnibus spending bill
Senate Democrats conceded defeat Thursday and pulled their $1.1 trillion spending bill loaded with earmarks from the chamber floor, stymied by Republicans who unified to block the massive bill in the final days of a contentious session of Congress. Published December 16, 2010
Reid: Earmarks are ‘what we’re supposed to do’
Preparing for a final showdown on the massive $1.1 trillion spending bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid defended the thousands of earmarks in the measure as the basic function of Congress. Published December 16, 2010
Senate votes to begin debate on START
The Senate voted Wednesday to begin debating a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia in a test vote that signals the treaty — which would cut the number of nuclear weapons that the U.S. and Russia have deployed — has enough support to be ratified. Published December 15, 2010
Senate approves Obama-GOP tax-cut deal
Taking a major step toward staving off the largest tax increase in history, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to pass the tax-cut deal President Obama and congressional Republicans struck last week. Published December 15, 2010
Senate strongly backs continued tax cuts
Taking a major step toward staving off the largest tax increase in history, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to pass the tax-cut deal President Obama and congressional Republicans struck last week. Published December 15, 2010
Senate’s agenda grows as the clock ticks
Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a broad agenda for an end-of-session sprint that otherwise could be a whole year's worth of activity — including an arms-reduction treaty with Russia, a major immigration reform bill and legislation overturning the ban on openly gay military service members. Published December 14, 2010
Reid threatens to keep Congress into next year
Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a broad agenda for an end-of-session sprint that, in other years, could be a whole year's worth of activity. Published December 14, 2010
Ruling hinged in part on terminology
When Congress was writing the health care bill, lawmakers insisted the individual mandate that consumers buy insurance was backed up by a penalty, not a tax. On Monday, that decision came back to bite them. Published December 13, 2010
Tax-cut deal clears big hurdle in Senate
In an overwhelming bipartisan vote the Senate on Monday cleared a path for the tax-cut deal President Obama struck with Republicans last week, with even former staunch opponents of the Bush-era tax cuts voting for their extension. Published December 13, 2010
