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Articles by Stephen Dinan

Senate delays jobs bill to take on China

President Obama is still pressing Congress to pass his jobs-stimulus bill immediately, but Democratic Party leaders in the Senate once again have delayed taking a vote on the legislation and instead will take up a bill to punish China over its currency valuation.

September 27, 2011
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, is joined by fellow Democrats (from left) Sens. Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Chuck Schumer of New York and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan after Monday's vote on a short-term funding bill. (Associated Press)

Senate OKs stopgap bill to prevent shutdown

The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Monday night to avert a potential government shutdown after the Obama administration discovered it had enough money in its disaster accounts to last through the end of this month, leaving lawmakers with "nothing to fight about."

September 26, 2011

Obama stumps for jobs stimulus plan

Declaring himself "a warrior for the middle class," President Obama traveled Thursday to a bridge that connects Ohio to Kentucky — the homes of the two top Republicans in Congress — and said they have the power to kill or pass his jobs-stimulus plan.

September 22, 2011
Rep. Lamar Smith (Associated Press)

E-Verify bill stirs broader immigration debate

House Republicans on Wednesday jump-started the immigration debate, pushing through the Judiciary Committee a key immigration-enforcement measure to require businesses to check new employees' work status against a government database — but the fight highlighted deep divides that make it unlikely any bill clears Congress in the near future.

September 21, 2011

Obama: U.N. can’t impose Mideast peace

Struggling to head off a divisive showdown on Palestinian statehood at the U.N. later this week, President Obama on Wednesday told the world body there can be "no shortcut" to peace in the Middle East and called on other countries to insist both sides negotiate a solution rather than have it imposed by the international community.

September 21, 2011
VETO VOW: President Obama said Monday that he would "not support any plan that puts all the burden for closing our deficit on ordinary Americans," and called for higher taxes on the wealthiest. (Associated Press)

Obama ties Medicare cuts to tax hikes on the rich

Seeking to put his stamp on deficit-reduction talks, President Obama on Monday said he will veto any debt plan that cuts Medicare benefits without also imposing higher taxes on the wealthy, and he embraced a broad call that all millionaires be made to pay an effective higher tax rate on income than middle-class families do.

September 19, 2011

Obama calls for broad tax increases

President Obama on Monday proposed a deficit reduction plan that calls for about $3 in new tax increases for every dollar in additional spending cuts as he seeks to put his imprint on the ongoing talks with Congress over reducing the government's staggering debt.

September 18, 2011

Patent bill signing caps week of bipartisan deals

Capping a rare week of bipartisanship in Washington, President Obama on Friday signed into law a measure that is designed to revamp the way patents are won in the U.S., and which its backers said could spur creation of jobs.

September 16, 2011
Democratic Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Barbara Boxer of California arrive Thursday to speak to reporters about legislation funding the Federal Aviation Administration. (Associated Press)

Senate OKs stopgap funding for highways and FAA

In a flurry of bipartisan cooperation late Thursday, the Senate cleared a $7 billion bill to boost federal disaster funding and measures to keep the Federal Aviation Administration and federal highway spending going for the rest of this year, as lawmakers brushed aside conservatives' concerns over the deficit.

September 15, 2011

Boehner advocates rewrite of tax code

House Speaker John A. Boehner on Thursday ruled out tax increases as an option for the deficit supercommittee, but in a broad speech laying out his goals for Congress, he urged the 12-member panel to lay the groundwork for a full rewrite of the U.S. tax code.

September 15, 2011
Rep. Zoe Lofgren

Nationwide use of E-Verify goes before committee

After months on the back burner, the immigration issue returns to the political forefront Thursday when House Republicans take the first steps to require all businesses to verify their employees' work status electronically.

September 14, 2011
Mr. Elmendorf said Tuesday that if the new deficit supercommittee is going to meet its Thanksgiving deadline for a deal, his office will need to see an agreement in early November. The supercommittee held its first hearing Tuesday. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

Budget director cuts time for supercommittee to reduce deficit

Congress' chief scorekeeper effectively shortened the window for the new deficit supercommittee to reach a deal, saying Tuesday that if lawmakers are going to meet their Thanksgiving deadline, his office will need to see an agreement at the beginning of November.

September 13, 2011

Jobs plan paid for as Obama says, but with tax hikes in future

At its root, President Obama's jobs stimulus plan pays for spending and tax cuts now by promising tax increases that wouldn't kick in until 2013 — after next year's elections — and would last through the rest of the decade.

September 12, 2011
This booking photo from Aug. 24, 2011, shows Onyango Obama, who was arrested in Framingham, Mass., for several infractions, including operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He is the uncle of President Obama. (Associated Press)

House chairman: Obama uncle’s got ‘backdoor amnesty’

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that President Obama's half-uncle, an illegal immigrant who was picked up but has reportedly been released from jail, appears to have benefited from the new "backdoor amnesty" the administration announced last month.

September 9, 2011

Feds’ deficit streak hits 35 months

The federal government ran a $132 billion deficit in August, marking a record 35th straight month in the red, according to preliminary estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

September 8, 2011

Perry vs. Paul: A Texas-sized war

The scrap between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney may have gotten more attention in Wednesday's presidential candidates debate, but it was tame compared to the dust-up between Mr. Perry and Rep. Ron Paul, two Texans who apparently have spent plenty of time digging up dirt on each other and aren't afraid to use it.

September 8, 2011
PARTY POLITICS: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (left) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry spar during a Wednesday debate held at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., among eight Republicans seeking the 2012 GOP presidential nod. (Associated Press)

In wide field, it’s Romney vs. Perry

Mitt Romney and Rick Perry wasted little time in going straight at each other Wednesday night, sparring over whether the former's business experience or the latter's decade as governor of Texas is better training for boosting jobs as the occupant of the White House.

September 7, 2011