Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Puerto Rico’s governor: Put us in health bill
Puerto Rican Gov. Luis G. Fortuno is intent on making clear he's a different kind of leader — the sort who pays for even his official expenses with his own credit card. Published September 29, 2009
Liberals seek health-care access for illegals
Fearful that they're losing ground on immigration and health care, a group of House Democrats is pushing back and arguing that any health care bill should extend to all legal immigrants and allow illegal immigrants some access. Published September 28, 2009
Senate rejects wildfire funds for D.C. parks
The Senate this week told the Obama administration to stop spending stimulus bill wildland firefighting money on urban parks in the nation's capital. Published September 24, 2009
GOP lawmakers seek generals to lobby for Afghan war
Capitol Hill Republicans eager to boost the Pentagon's push for a troop surge in Afghanistan are lobbying to give military commanders a chance to make their pitch directly to Congress - using tactics that backfired on Democrats in their bid to end the Iraq war. Published September 22, 2009
Stimulus spending sags after deadline rush
After a two-week binge to meet President Obama's 200-day goal, stimulus spending has plummeted once again - and the roller-coaster pace of spending has critics worried about how the money is being spent. Published September 21, 2009
Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care
President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. Published September 18, 2009
Millions go to signs flagging stimulus projects
Senate Democrats on Wednesday voted to continue spending stimulus money on road signs that advertise that they're spending stimulus money. Published September 17, 2009
Republicans seek czar accountability
With White House "czars" under scrutiny, two senior House Republicans are demanding that the White House account for the dozens of advisers whom the press has designated as czars and either make them available to testify to Congress or explain why they should be exempt. Published September 16, 2009
Specter fundraiser stalls Senate voting
Senate Democrats halted voting Tuesday afternoon to help their newest convert, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, attend fundraisers back home with President Obama, as party bigwigs made clear who they back in what's expected to be a brutal Democratic primary. Published September 16, 2009
Specter flip-flops again, backs labor bill
Flipping yet again, Sen. Arlen Specter on Tuesday told labor leaders he will back the labor-friendly bill Democratic leaders want to bring up for a vote later this year. Published September 15, 2009
Obama aide clashes with immigrant groups
President Obama's new director of Citizenship and Immigration Services on Monday defended the accuracy of E-Verify, the government's electronic verification system for workers. Published September 15, 2009
Obama’s late spending spree reaches goal
President Obama met his goal of obligating $225 billion in stimulus money within 200 days, but only by going on a late spending spree that included a last-minute $11 billion grant to states to spend on education. Published September 14, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Forest fire funds aid D.C. festivals
The U.S. Forest Service this week announced it will spend nearly $2.8 million in forest-fire-fighting money in Washington — a city with no national forests and where the last major fire was probably lit by British troops in 1814. Published September 11, 2009
Obama asks Congress to pass health bill
Seizing control of the health care debate, President Obama implored feuding lawmakers Wednesday night to pass a plan that would require Americans to buy insurance and all companies to help cover the costs. Published September 10, 2009
Public option not only hurdle
The fight over a public insurance option has grabbed all the attention, but President Obama's health care plan faces plenty of other obstacles, from the price tag to ideological battles over immigration and abortion to questions over who would be kicked off their current plans. Published September 10, 2009
Pro-reform doctor wants critics to forgo Medicare
Oppose a government health care plan? A Jackson, Miss., doctor wants you to put your convictions on the line by burning your mother's Medicare card. Published September 7, 2009
Delta residents deal with lack of insurance
Bad economic times, coupled with the traditional agriculture-based economy, mean many businesses in the Mississippi Delta simply don't offer coverage to their workers. The solutions, however, are not as easy to pinpoint. Published September 6, 2009
GOP urges Rangel to give up post
With accusations of tax evasion mounting against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, the top House Republican on Friday called for the New York Democrat to step aside as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Published September 5, 2009
Senate’s liberal lion falls to cancer at 77
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a one-time presidential hopeful and nine-term senator who evolved from the overshadowed youngest son to the patriarch of the country's most famous political dynasty, died late Tuesday. Published August 27, 2009
U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy dies at 77
It boggles the mind to imagine the decisions that were reached behind the closed doors of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's hideaway, the private office he kept near the Senate chamber. Published August 26, 2009
