Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Boehner: Congress’ spending needs complete reset
Congress must rethink the entire way it spends money, including getting rid of massive multiagency spending bills and forcing lawmakers to cut a program any time they want to start a new one, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Thursday. Published September 30, 2010
Lawmakers itching to leave Hill
Leaving taxpayers hanging and next year's spending bills undone, Congress is rushing to return to the campaign trail, pausing just long enough to agree on a stopgap bill to keep the government from shutting down after Thursday. Published September 29, 2010
Democrats not getting jobs, tax bills done
The Democrats' agenda of jobs and tax cuts has begun to lose support within the party's own ranks, even as House and Senate members rush to finish their pre-election business and return home to seek votes for November's midterms. Published September 28, 2010
Final Senate jobs bill fails
The jobs agenda put forth by Senate Democrats has begun to lose support within their own caucus, including a Tuesday vote in which a bipartisan filibuster defeated a bill to stop jobs from being shipped overseas. Published September 28, 2010
Full tax-cut extension good in short term, worse in long run, CBO director says
A full, permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts could help the economy grow by nearly 2 percent more next year — and would be a bigger boost than just a partial extension, Congress' chief scorekeeper said Tuesday. Published September 28, 2010
Tax-cuts vote unlikely until after elections
Democrats said Sunday they will put off until after the elections a vote on whether to extend the Bush tax cuts, leaving most taxpayers in limbo for months as to whether they'll face tax increases at the beginning of next year. Published September 26, 2010
Hoyer raps TV comic’s testimony
A top House Democrat said Sunday that TV comic Stephen Colbert's in-character testimony at a congressional hearing Friday was "an embarrassment" to the comedian and wrong for the House. Published September 26, 2010
Democrats to postpone tax-cut vote until after elections
Democrats said Sunday they'll put off until after the elections a vote on whether to extend the Bush tax cuts, leaving most taxpayers in limbo for months as to whether they'll face tax increases at the beginning of next year. Published September 26, 2010
Hoyer: Colbert’s testimony ‘an embarrassment’
A top House Democrat said Sunday that TV comic Stephen Colbert's in-character testimony at a congressional hearing Friday was "an embarrassment" to the comedian and wrong for the House. Published September 26, 2010
GOP makes a ‘Pledge’ to voters
House Republicans on Thursday promised to cancel unspent stimulus funds, stop suspected terrorists from being tried in civilian courts, cut lawmakers' own budgets and impose a hiring freeze on civilian federal workers if Americans vote for the GOP in November. Published September 23, 2010
House Republicans offer ‘Pledge’ contract
Fighting back against the Democrats' charge that they are the "party of no," House Republicans on Thursday sought to become the party of "No, but" by offering a broad blueprint for spending cuts and government rollbacks ahead of the November midterm elections. Published September 23, 2010
Obama calls health-care repeal good politics, bad policy
President Obama acknowledged Wednesday that Republicans' push to repeal the health care overhaul is good politics for the GOP, but said such a move would cause people to lose insurance they've gained under the law over the past six months. Published September 22, 2010
Republicans block moves on gays, immigration
Congressional Democrats' last-ditch, pre-election effort to pass gay rights and immigration legislation fell victim to a Republican-led filibuster Tuesday, dealing a setback to those trying to lift the ban on openly gay troops serving in the U.S. military. Published September 21, 2010
GOP senators demand assurance of no ‘backdoor’ illegals amnesty
A series of new administration memos have effectively created a backdoor amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, Senate Republicans charged Tuesday in a letter demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explain the policies. Published September 21, 2010
Senate blocks bill to lift military gay ban
Democrats' last-ditch pre-election effort to pass gay-rights and immigration legislation fell short Tuesday after the Senate blocked the defense policy bill and as Republicans questioned Democrats' motives, arguing that now isn't the time for those politically charged debates. Published September 21, 2010
Senators say DHS allows backdoor amnesty
A series of new internal rules has effectively created a possible backdoor amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, Senate Republicans charged on Tuesday in a letter demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explain the new policies. Published September 21, 2010
Economic worries shove security aside in minds of voters
Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Iranian nuclear weapons - they dominated elections in recent years, but they're nowhere to be found in this year's broad national campaign debate. Published September 20, 2010
Politics is local for U.S. Senate candidates
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's re-election hinges in part on his efforts to stop the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository from being built. But a fellow Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray, could hurt her re-election chances if she can't show that she's trying hard enough to get the project restarted. Published September 12, 2010
Pa. town’s immigration law falls in court
A federal appeals court on Thursday struck down a Pennsylvania town's immigration ordinances as infringing on the federal government's right to control immigration rules, adding more fuel to the heated battle over how far states and localities can go in trying to push out illegal immigrants. Published September 9, 2010
Budget dilemma pits raising revenues vs. spending cuts
President Obama says the federal government needs more revenue, while House Minority Leader John A. Boehner says it needs to spend less. Published September 8, 2010
