Stephen Dinan

Obama: Stimulus money is taxpayers’

As he prepared to sign the massive economic recovery spending bill President Obama called Saturday for citizens to become watchdogs on where the $787 billion goes.

February 14, 2009

Bill nixes hiring checks; Filipino vets, mouse safe

Congress has removed the key check on making sure illegal immigrants aren't hired by firms getting money from the economic stimulus package, but left in nearly $200 million in spending for Filipino veterans of World War II.

February 14, 2009

CBO predicts lower GDP in a decade

The Congressional Budget Office says President Obama's giant economic recovery bill will actually hurt Americans' paychecks in the long run, even if the plan's tax cuts start out putting an extra $13 a week in most worker's pockets.

February 13, 2009

CBO: Obama’s plan harmful long-term

The Congressional Budget Office says President Obama's giant economic recovery bill actually will end up hurting American workers' paychecks in the long run.

February 12, 2009

Jindal to give GOP response to Obama

Republicans have tapped Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana to give their official response to President Obama's Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, giving Republicans a fresh face to offer their counterpoint.

February 12, 2009

Gov. Jindal to respond to Obama

Republicans have tapped Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana to give their official response to President Obama's Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, giving Republicans a fresh face to offer their counterpoint.

February 11, 2009

Obama signs 4th pro-union regulation

President Obama on Friday quietly signed an executive order pushing federal construction projects to favor union workers, undoing yet another Bush administration labor rule and generating criticism of political "payback."

February 7, 2009

Obama reassures terror victims’ kin

President Obama on Friday met with families of victims of al Qaeda terrorist attacks, telling them that terror suspects would not be a danger if they were moved to the U.S., reaffirming his commitment to closing Guantanamo Bay, but saying he is still open to military commission trials.

February 7, 2009

Obama: Job losses demand action on stimulus

President Obama on Friday said the worst job losses are still to come as the economy also gets worse, not better, and said that's why Congress must act immediately to pass an economic recovery package.

February 6, 2009

Obama ‘guarantees’ stem cell work

President Obama on Thursday gave lawmakers his "guarantee" he will sign an executive order overturning President Bush's embryonic stem cell research policy.

February 6, 2009

CBO: Obama stimulus harmful over long haul

President Obama's economic recovery package will actually hurt the economy more in the long run than if he were to do nothing, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

February 4, 2009

McCain challenges Obama on stimulus

Just two weeks after being feted by President Obama, Sen. John McCain has gone head-to-head with him, mobilizing his own campaign supporters to oppose the president's giant economic recovery spending bill.

February 4, 2009

McCain rallies supporters to oppose Obama spending

Sen. John McCain on Tuesday went head-to-head with President Obama by mobilizing his network of campaign supporters against the president's economic recovery package, saying Republicans have not been given enough input.

February 3, 2009

Obama wields pen at historic pace

Looking to move quickly on his campaign promises, President Obama has turned to the one tool that he has to ignore Congress and take unilateral action - he signed eight executive orders in his first 11 days in office, making him by far the most activist new president in modern history on that score.

February 3, 2009

Obama reversing Bush on unions

After eight years in political exile, leaders of labor unions were brought into the White House on Friday to see President Obama sign executive orders that will curb union-busting and preserve workers' jobs on federal contracts.

January 31, 2009

Bill allots millions to Filipino vets abroad

Senators say their goal is to stimulate the U.S. economy, but the Senate's economic recovery package spends up to $198 million in lump-sum payments to aging Filipino veterans of World War II -- two-thirds of whom don't live in the U.S. and are unlikely to be pumping much money into the economy.

January 30, 2009

Database targets jailed immigrants

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pledged Thursday to create a database network aimed at deporting immigrant criminals after their jail time rather then releasing them onto U.S. streets, though the administration also put off implementing a Bush-era effort to crack down on illegal-immigrant workers.

January 30, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: Stimulus has plum for lawmaker’s son

EXCLUSIVE: A top House Republican is demanding an investigation into whether the more than $2 billion for national parks in the House economic recovery package is proper in light of the fact that the chief lobbyist for the National Parks Conservation Association is the son of House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey.

January 29, 2009

Stimulus bills include STD prevention

The two sides of Capitol Hill appear to be engaging in a bidding war to see who can put more money toward the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in its version of the economic stimulus bill.