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Articles by Stephen Dinan

Rep. Dave Camp, Michigan Republican

Congress gives OK to small portion of Obama’s jobs bill

It took two months, but a sliver of President Obama's jobs-stimulus plan is finally on its way to his desk after the House gave a final sign-off Wednesday to new tax credits to promote hiring of veterans and a repeal of the so-called "withholding tax" that was set to bite government contractors in 2013.

November 16, 2011

Hopes dim for amendment to balance budget

Fifteen years ago, the budget deficit stood at $107 billion, government debt totaled about $5 trillion and a balanced-budget constitutional amendment came within one senator's vote of passing Congress, buoyed by the likes of then-Sen. Joseph R. Biden, who made an impassioned plea on the floor for its adoption.

November 16, 2011
** FILE ** Rep. Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican and House Budget Committee chairman. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Federal debt tops $15 trillion

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that federal debt now tops $15 trillion — a staggering figure that has risen precipitously over the last decade.

November 16, 2011
**FILE** Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican (Associated Press)

Coburn: Congress shirking oversight duties

Congress has punted on doing the kind of scrutiny of federal agencies that's required to prevent waste and keep the government running smoothly, according to a new report by Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who serves as the institution's unofficial watchdog.

November 16, 2011
**FILE** Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan (Associated Press)

Health case raises recusal questions for Kagan, Thomas

The Supreme Court's announcement Monday that it will hear challenges to President Obama's health care law have put the spotlight on Justice Elena Kagan, who worked in the administration while the law was being written and, conservatives argue, helped craft its legal defense.

November 14, 2011
Illustration: Constitution

Little will on Capitol Hill to alter Constitution

With no fanfare, the country in August quietly passed a peculiar milestone: The 14,746th day since Congress last proposed a successful amendment to the Constitution, officially becoming the second-longest such dry spell in history and raising questions about when, if ever, the next amendment will pass.

November 13, 2011
An Opportunity Expo held Thursday in Miami by RecruitMilitary attracts lines of veterans seeking jobs and educational and business-ownership opportunities. The Senate on Thursday passed a bill promoting hiring veterans. (Associated Press)

Small part of jobs stimulus clears Senate, may be the last

Two months after President Obama proposed a $447 billion jobs-stimulus bill, the Senate has finally found a part it can agree on: a $30 billion package that promotes hiring of veterans and ends an unpopular withholding requirement for government contractors.

November 10, 2011
Sen. John McCain greets the crowd after a "Road to Victory" campaign rally in Woodbridge. Va. during the 2008 campaign. (Allison Shelley/The Washington Times File)

Cain’s hopes hang on McCain’s miracle

Herman Cain faces many head winds in his quest to win the Republican presidential nomination next year, but the biggest one is still likely to be money - as of last month, his available campaign funds accounted for a little more than 2 percent of the entire GOP field.

November 9, 2011
**FILE** Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican (Associated Press)

Government fines jailed Border Patrol agent’s family

After successfully winning a two-year prison sentence against U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr., the Justice Department is now trying to collect a $6,870 fine from his wife, saying it should be paid "immediately" — even though the judge signaled she would have a grace period.

November 8, 2011
President Obama met with veterans Monday at the White House and spoke about how tax credits for businesses that hire veterans would encourage them to hire some of the 850,000 out of work. "If you can oversee a convoy or millions of dollars of assets in Iraq, you can help a business back home manage their supply chain or balance their books," he said. (Associated Press)

Senators agree on provision of jobs bill

The partisan fog stifling the Senate for most of this year lifted slightly Monday evening as senators signaled that they may finally have found a slim part of President Obama's jobs-stimulus plan they can agree to pass.

November 7, 2011
Former Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, Virginia Republican

Redistricting sets up tussles for many congressional seats

The last time California redrew its congressional districts, Republicans and Democrats cut a deal to preserve all the incumbents, essentially erasing the country's biggest electoral fishing ground from the map in 2002.

November 6, 2011

Napolitano subpoenaed for illegals data

The House immigration subcommittee issued a subpoena Friday demanding Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano turn over records showing which illegal immigrants her department has declined to pursue deportation cases against.

November 4, 2011

Third Obama jobs bill blocked in Senate

President Obama is now 0-for-3 in his push to stimulate jobs after Republicans led a filibuster Thursday of his latest proposal to boost infrastructure spending.

November 3, 2011

House subpoenas White House for Solyndra documents

Showing a growing frustration with the Obama administration, congressional Republicans on Thursday authorized their second subpoena this week, this time demanding documents from the White House on contacts that President Obama's top aides might have had with failed solar-technology company Solyndra.

November 3, 2011
President Obama implores Congress to pass the infrastructure part of the American Jobs Act as he speaks on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, to a Washington audience that includes ironworkers and steamfitters at Georgetown Waterfront Park. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Obama calls for action by Congress on jobs bill

With yet another part of his jobs package on the line in Congress on Thursday, President Obama traveled across Washington on Wednesday to press his case — and claimed the support of the Almighty for his plans.

November 2, 2011
Rep. Lamar Smith (Associated Press)

Subpoena OK’d for ICE’s illegal-immigration data

Signaling growing unrest with the Obama administration's level of cooperation, House Republicans on an immigration subcommittee voted Wednesday to authorize a subpoena to get data on illegal immigrants against whom the government has declined to pursue deportation cases.

November 2, 2011
"Why would DHS want to keep this information from the committee? If there is nothing to hide, why wouldn't they provide Congress with these documents? Are administration officials concerned that the requested information will show that illegal and criminal immigrants intentionally released by ICE have gone on to commit more crimes?" — Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, Texas Republican

House GOP to subpoena immigration data

House Republicans are moving to subpoena a list of all immigrants whom the Obama administration has flagged under its secure communities program but failed to arrest for deportation, after the Homeland Security Department missed a congressionally imposed deadline to produce the information this week.

November 1, 2011
Holder

Justice Department sues over S. Carolina’s immigration law

The Justice Department sued Monday to block South Carolina's new immigration crackdown law, making it the third state to face such a challenge from the Obama administration, which argues only the federal government can decide immigration enforcement.

October 31, 2011