Stephen Dinan

DHS spending bill to ID sanctuary cities; Obama amnesty fight looms

The House GOP's new homeland security spending bill released Friday would require the Obama administration to name-and-shame so-called sanctuary city jurisdictions that refuse to hold illegal immigrants for federal authorities to deport.

January 9, 2015

House approves building Keystone pipeline

The Keystone XL pipeline cleared its first hurdle of the new Congress on Friday when the House voted to approve construction of the long-stalled project, just hours after a court in Nebraska cleared a final legal hurdle there.

January 9, 2015

Terrorism insurance bill passes quickly after Tom Coburn’s exit

It took just two days for the new Senate to leave former Sen. Tom Coburn's legacy behind, quickly passing a terrorism insurance bill that the Oklahoma Republican had single-handedly blocked late last year.

January 8, 2015

Obama veto threats key to Democrats’ strategy under Republican majority

The 114th Congress isn't even a week old, and the V-word is already dominating the agenda as President Obama stacks up veto threats and Democratic leaders vow to deliver the votes to back him up.

January 8, 2015

Democrats launch first filibuster of the year on Keystone

Democrats launched the first filibuster of the new Congress on Thursday, objecting to the GOP's effort to try to bring the Keystone XL pipeline bill to the floor early next week.

January 8, 2015

John Boehner: ‘I’m the most anti-establishment speaker’

House Speaker John A. Boehner bristled at charges he's "a squish" when it comes to his conservative principles, declaring himself Thursday to be "the most anti-establishment speaker we've ever had."

January 8, 2015

Barbara Boxer to retire at end of 2016

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal champion and California Democrat, announced Thursday she will not seek re-election in 2016, ending a combative career that saw her become one of the country's chief progressive champions.

January 8, 2015

Nancy Pelosi vows to back Obama on vetoes

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday her troops will be able to sustain President Obama's vetoes on the Keystone XL pipeline and on a bill to tweak the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, as she and her troops adapt to in the minority on both sides of the Capitol.

January 8, 2015

Gridlock in Congress rekindled quickly despite Democrat, Republican calls for cooperation

Four months after they joined Republicans in voting to tweak the Dodd-Frank law, House Democrats reversed themselves and killed similar legislation Wednesday, sending the latest grim signal that the last year's elections did little to break gridlock on Capitol Hill.

January 7, 2015

Steve Scalise rejects ‘bigotry’ as racism questions dog House GOP

Rep. Steve Scalise said Wednesday he should be judged by his recent record and the defense of his colleagues, not by his decision more than a decade ago as a state legislator to speak to a group with racist ties.

January 7, 2015

Illegal immigrant ducks chance to challenge Obama amnesty

The Honduran illegal immigrant whose case sparked a judicial spanking for President Obama's new deportation amnesty said Tuesday he doesn't think he would qualify for the president's new policy anyway, and wants to get his case over with as quickly as possible.

January 7, 2015

Mitch McConnell: Obama will determine how much new Congress works

Ending gridlock in Washington will require a change of heart by President Obama, the Senate's new leader said Wednesday in laying out terms for getting things done on Capitol Hill this year, now that Republicans have majorities in both chambers.

January 7, 2015

Obama, Democrats clash with new Republican majority as 114th Congress convenes

The 114th Congress convened at noon Tuesday, and by 1 p.m. Democrats already had thrown a wrench into the works, setting roadblocks in the way of the new Republican majority in the Senate and signaling that midterm election defeats have not chastened President Obama or his top lieutenants on Capitol Hill.

January 6, 2015

John Boehner re-elected House speaker

Conservatives' rebellion against Rep. John A. Boehner fell short Tuesday, as he earned enough votes to win a third term as speaker of the House — though the contentious afternoon vote underscored the continued strain within the GOP.

January 6, 2015

114th Congress convenes with test for Boehner

The new session of Congress gaveled open Tuesday at noon, with the GOP holding majorities in both chambers and with a key vote to determine Rep. John A. Boehner's fate as speaker still to come.

January 6, 2015

Harry Reid ditches first day of Congress over exercise injuries

Sen. Harry Reid will miss his demotion Tuesday to minority leader of the Senate after a doctor ordered him to remain at home to recover from wounds he sustained while using exercise equipment, his office said.

January 6, 2015

Homeland Security’s drone program a waste of money, audit finds

Homeland Security's drone program has been a waste of money so far, according to the department's inspector general, who on Tuesday told the department to cancel plans to spend nearly a half-billion dollars on more of the aircraft.

January 6, 2015

Mitch McConnell, new Senate majority leader, equipped to succeed in tough job

At some point Tuesday, Vice President Joseph R. Biden will turn to Sen. Mitch McConnell and recognize him as "the majority leader," fulfilling a lifetime goal for the Kentucky Republican and marking him as the key figure in determining what gets done in Washington over the next two years.

January 5, 2015

Atheists urge lawmakers to reject Bible for swearing-in

The Secular Coalition for America asked members of Congress to reject using religious texts such as the Bible or Torah to swear into office Tuesday, urging them to instead use the Constitution — or nothing at all.

January 5, 2015

Feds say illegals who aid others in crossing won’t be eligible for amnesty

The Obama administration said Monday that illegal immigrants already in the U.S. who try to aid their relatives in sneaking across the border won't be eligible for the president's new deportation amnesty, as federal officials try to head off a new surge of illegal immigrants hoping to take advantage of lax enforcement.

January 5, 2015