Stephen Dinan

U.S. sets $223B deficit record

The federal government posted its largest monthly deficit in history in February, a $223 billion shortfall that put a sharp point on the current fight on Capitol Hill about how deeply to cut this year's spending.

March 7, 2011

$6 billion budget cut: A ‘limit’ for Democrats, a nick for Republicans

A top Senate Democrat said Sunday that the $6 billion in additional spending cuts that his party offered is the limit Democrats can accept — drawing a line well short of Republicans' goal with less than two weeks to go before a government shutdown if the two sides can't agree.

March 6, 2011

Senate Democrats offer $6 billion in spending cuts

Senate Democrats introduced a bill Friday calling for an additional $6 billion in spending cuts this year, putting meat to the bones of President Obama's opening offer this week to come to the table and negotiate with House Republicans.

March 4, 2011

White House antes up $6 billion in cuts

The White House offered its ante in the great spending-cuts debate, saying Thursday it's willing to cut at least another $6 billion in spending this year — which stacks up against House Republicans' $57 billion in cuts.

March 3, 2011

With government shutdown averted, parties debate next move

With a government shutdown averted, at least for the time being, President Obama on Wednesday invited congressional leaders to sit down and hash out the rest of this year's spending bills — but Republicans said they have done their work and want to see Democrats put their own proposal on the table first.

March 2, 2011

House’s 2-week stopgap bill cuts $4 billion

Congress cleared the path Tuesday to avert an end-of-the-week government shutdown as Democrats and Republicans rallied around the GOP's two-week funding bill that cuts $4 billion from 2010 spending levels.

March 1, 2011

Short-term spending measure likely to be passed

Congress is nearing passage of a short-term spending bill to keep the government from shutting down at the end of this week, but the deal does little to resolve the long-term fight over spending for the rest of 2011 and beyond.

February 28, 2011

State compacts on health care eyed as end run around Obama

With efforts to repeal the health care law stalling on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers in states across the country are turning to another tool in the Constitution to try to limit the law's reach — interstate compacts.

February 27, 2011

Government shutdown solution appears near

Congress appeared to be closing in Friday on a short-term spending bill to prevent a government shutdown next week, with House Republicans proposing a two-week extension that would cut $4 billion from last year's spending levels.

February 25, 2011

Despite looming shutdown, Capitol Hill is a ghost town

With the clock ticking to a March 4 government shutdown, you might imagine the Capitol would be buzzing, with lawmakers seeking to cut deals, make impassioned speeches and do everything they could to strike a deal on spending. You'd be wrong.

February 24, 2011

Shutdown skedaddle: Congress deserted as deadline looms

With the clock ticking to a March 4 government shutdown, you might imagine the Capitol would be buzzing with lawmakers seeking to cut deals, make impassioned speeches and do everything they could to strike a deal on spending. You'd be wrong.

February 24, 2011

CBO raises its stimulus cost estimate, again

Congress' chief scorekeeper has again raised the cost estimate of President Obama's two-year-old economic-stimulus program, calculating it will end up costing taxpayers $821 billion — or $34 billion more than originally projected.

February 23, 2011

CBO raises its stimulus cost estimate, again

Congress' chief scorekeeper has again raised the cost estimate of President Obama's two-year-old economic-stimulus program, calculating it will end up costing taxpayers $821 billion — or $34 billion more than originally projected.

February 23, 2011

Democrats say GOP cuts jeopardize border security

After watching Republicans use immigration to attack their priorities for the past two years, Democrats are turning the table, saying congressional Republicans' spending-cuts bill would slice money from border fencing and could scuttle much of President Obama's Border Patrol surge.

February 22, 2011

Democrats counter with cuts of their own

Just hours after House Republicans passed their bill late last week to cut $61 billion from 2010 spending, or what amounts to $100 billion below President Obama's original proposal, Senate Democrats countered with their ante — $41 billion short of Mr. Obama's budget, or essentially a straight spending freeze at the current fiscal year's levels.

February 21, 2011

In House debate, pet projects euthanized

After more than 100 votes in four days, the lesson from last week's spending debate in the House is that nobody's pet projects are safe anymore.

February 20, 2011

House GOP pushes through historic spending cuts

Flexing their new large majority in the House, Republicans early Saturday morning pushed through a bill that cuts more than $61 billion from last year's spending levels, setting up a showdown with Senate Democrats, who have vowed to block it, and President Obama, who has said he'll veto it.

February 19, 2011

Lawmakers hit limit for size of spending cuts

Drawing a line on how deeply they are willing to cut, a coalition of congressional Democrats and Republicans on Friday shot down an effort to slice another $22 billion from this year's federal spending levels.

February 18, 2011

Boehner, on spending, gives own ‘Read my lips’ pledge

Making a "read-my-lips" promise, Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday that House Republicans will produce a budget this year that reins in entitlements and cuts spending, upping the ante on President Obama, who declined to tackle those long-term fiscal problems in the budget he sent to Congress on Monday.

February 17, 2011

House breaks old taboos in cutting spree

In the first freewheeling spending debate the House has held in years, Democrats and Republicans teamed up to take on entrenched defense interests and to rewrite a GOP 2011 spending bill to cut about $800 million from NASA and from homeland security research and development, and send the savings to fund local police and firefighters.

February 16, 2011