Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Illegal Haitians get short-term legal status
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Friday granted an 18-month amnesty to Haitians who were in the U.S. as illegal immigrants or legal visitors at the time of this week's earthquake. Published January 16, 2010
Debate on Haitian refugees’ status begins
Americans are already pouring humanitarian aid into Haiti, but the next question for President Obama will be whether to grant temporary legal residence to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants and legal visitors from Haiti. Published January 15, 2010
EXCLUSIVE: Obama wins more spending cuts than Bush
President Obama notched substantial successes in spending cuts last year, winning 60 percent of his proposed cuts and managing to get Congress to ax several programs that had bedeviled George W. Bush for years. Published January 14, 2010
Troops confused, Republicans say
Congressional Republicans just back from a trip to Afghanistan said Tuesday that the Obama administration's approach to the war has confused U.S. troops, leaving them "dangerously" preoccupied with worrying about captured enemy fighters' rights. Published January 13, 2010
GOP: Obama’s Afghan policies confusing
Republican lawmakers just back from Afghanistan say the Obama administration's approach to the war has befuddled U.S. troops, leaving them "dangerously" preoccupied with worrying about captured enemy fighters' rights. Published January 12, 2010
Obama in no rush for State of Union
The State of the Union address may be going the way of the NFL's Super Bowl, another January tradition that has become a February fixture. Published January 12, 2010
Pro-immigration groups ready to fight
Pro-immigration groups are more united, better-funded and, unlike the last battle in 2007, are ready to fight back against what they say is a wave of hatred from opponents as they gear up for another bruising immigration fight in Congress. Published January 11, 2010
Departures called ‘profound loss’ for Senate ‘expertise’
As Sens. Byron L. Dorgan and Christopher J. Dodd announced their retirements this week, their colleagues lamented the years of experience they'll take with them. Published January 7, 2010
Dorgan to retire; GOP sees opening
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election this year, becoming the first elected Democratic senator to say he will retire — and creating an opening for Republicans this fall. Published January 6, 2010
Making progress on pork busting
Earmarks — the pet projects members of Congress slip into spending bills — have become a symbol of how Washington works and of its worst excesses. Published January 5, 2010
‘Historic’ health care bill passes Senate
At the break of dawn on Christmas Eve, Senate Democrats passed their version of health care reform, advancing the issue further than ever before and setting up a potentially rocky reconciliation with the House legislation. Published December 25, 2009
Senate passes health care bill in historic vote
UPDATED: The Senate early Christmas Eve morning passed its version of a health care overhaul, advancing the issue further than ever before and setting up a bruising stretch-run early next year to get a final bill to President Obama. Published December 24, 2009
Long history of vote-trading on Capitol Hill
UPDATED: As it has come down in history, President Andrew Johnson's narrow escape from being the first president convicted on impeachment charges in 1868 depended on the honorable doings of Sen. Edmund Ross of Kansas. Published December 24, 2009
Health bill faces constitutional challenge
With their procedural options in the Senate exhausted, Republicans are looking to the Constitution for a way to fight the Democrats' health care reform bill. Published December 23, 2009
Senate clears second hurdle on health care
In a series of votes Tuesday morning, the Senate hurdled another procedural roadblock to health care and remained on track to pass Democrats' bill by Christmas. Published December 22, 2009
Defense bill comes at a price for taxpayers
President Obama won most of his spending fights with Congress over the Defense Department this year, but it cost several billion dollars of taxpayers' money to buy legislative peace. Published December 22, 2009
Senate passes $636 billion bill for defense
The Senate on Saturday sent the final spending bill of the year, the $636.3 billion defense measure, to President Obama to sign into law, setting the stage for a stretch run to try to pass health care reform by Christmas. Published December 20, 2009
Senate sends Pentagon budget bill to Obama
The Senate on Saturday sent the final spending bill for fiscal year 2010, the $636.3 billion defense spending bill, to President Obama to sign into law, setting the stage for a stretch run to try to pass health care. Published December 19, 2009
Dems block GOP’s defense bill filibuster
The Senate early Friday headed off a Republican filibuster on the final spending bill of the year, clearing the way both for the bill's passage and for the final endgame on a health care bill. Published December 19, 2009
Spending earmark sends $100,000 grant to wrong coast
When he earmarked $100,000 in taxpayer spending to go to Jamestown's library, Rep. James E. Clyburn meant for it to go to the library in Jamestown, S.C., which is in his district. Published December 18, 2009
