Stephen Dinan

IRS refused to pay stimulus checks, wrongly claiming taxpayers were dead

The IRS has taken plenty of flak for sending stimulus checks to dead people, but a new inspector general's audit says the agency also has the reverse problem: It refused to send checks to some living people, claiming they were already dead.

August 11, 2023

Federal appeals court skeptical of feds’ relationship with Big Tech, censorship of COVID-19 material

A federal appeals court cast a skeptical eye on the government's relationship with social media companies Thursday, saying the administration's pressure campaign to shut down certain views raises thorny constitutional questions.

August 10, 2023

DHS eyes more generous work permits for unauthorized migrants

The Department of Homeland Security has drafted a proposal that would allow some unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. to hold jobs for up to five years, more than twice the current limit, according to documents seen by The Washington Times.

August 10, 2023

Mayor of sanctuary city complains about cost of caring for immigrants

New York Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that his city has been overwhelmed by the illegal immigrant surge, which he said will cost $12 billion over three years and will force him to choose between migrants and the city's legal residents.

August 9, 2023

CBO says federal deficit will reach $1.7 trillion this year, third-worst in history

The Congressional Budget Office revised its projections Tuesday, saying it now expects the federal government to run a $1.7 trillion deficit this year as inflation hits Uncle Sam hard.

August 8, 2023

House Republicans send warning letter on Mayorkas ‘contempt’

Alejandro Mayorkas' behavior is wearing thin with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who warned Tuesday that the Homeland Security secretary's stonewalling of basic questions shows "contempt" for Congress.

August 8, 2023

Gangs used pandemic aid to rake in money for crimes; weak screening opened big opportunity

The Insane Crip Gang was a fearsome presence on Long Island in New York, blamed for two dozen attempted murders, at least three successful slayings and a host of other crimes.

August 6, 2023

Social Security scam: Agency employee fabricated children, claimed $75,000 in benefits

A Social Security employee managed to steal $75,000 from his agency by creating identities for two children who never existed, then having the government send them nearly three years' worth of benefit checks, according to federal prosecutors.

August 4, 2023

IRS lost hundreds of packages with taxpayers’ information

Sometimes the IRS needs to send taxpayers' documents from one location to another. The documents don't always get there.

August 3, 2023

Activists urge colleges to use immigration to diversify schools after end of racial preferences

A group of university presidents and immigration activists said Wednesday that colleges should turn to immigration to pursue their diversity goals as they struggle with the Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action in school admissions.

August 2, 2023

Dem lawmakers rail against speedy asylum process, say illegal immigrants forced to recount trauma

Congressional Democrats demanded Tuesday that Homeland Security stop conducting initial asylum screenings on newly arrived illegal immigrants in Border Patrol facilities, saying it's unfair to make the migrants have to recount traumatic events while in the custody of people with guns and badges.

August 1, 2023

House GOP launches DOJ probe over bungled plea deal with Hunter Biden

House Republicans launched an investigation Monday into how the Justice Department bungled a plea deal with Hunter Biden so badly that a judge sent them back for a mulligan.

July 31, 2023

ICE arrests, deportations must clear high hurdles; officers see ‘excuse for us not to do our job’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rekindled its policy that limits the illegal immigrants whom officers are allowed to arrest and deport, moving after the Supreme Court shot down a legal challenge to the policy.

July 31, 2023

Cartels thrive under Biden’s new policy; smugglers demand higher pay with lower numbers at border

Miguel Angel Salazar-Estrada, who rafted over the Rio Grande, told Border Patrol agents that his family paid $17,000 for his smuggling from Guatemala.

July 30, 2023

IRS skimps on audits of high-dollar partnerships

The IRS barely audits taxpayers that file as large partnerships, and it bungles the selection process for those that it does audit by failing to pick the returns likeliest to be in arrears, Congress' chief watchdog reported.

July 28, 2023

GOP tees up vote to cancel Biden’s new border policy

Senate Republicans announced legislation Thursday that would erase President Biden's new border policy that allows unauthorized migrants to enter the U.S. as long as they first schedule an appointment with Homeland Security.

July 27, 2023

GOP bill would force DHS to reopen northern border to pre-COVID hours

GOP lawmakers announced legislation Thursday to force the Department of Homeland Security to restore northern border crossings to the hours they had before the government shuttered them for the pandemic.

July 27, 2023

Evasive Mayorkas denies ‘smiling’ in mockery of Republican queries

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's feud with congressional Republicans reached the absurd Wednesday as he battled lawmakers over whether or not he was "smiling" while evading their questions.

July 26, 2023

Economy will slow this year, but avoid recession: CBO

The 2024 presidential campaign will take place under a troubled economy, the Congressional Budget Office projected Wednesday, foreseeing slowing growth and rising unemployment.

July 26, 2023

DHS secretary tells Congress he’s ‘not smiling’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wanted the public to know he wasn't smiling Wednesday as he faced intense criticism from Republicans over his job performance.

July 26, 2023