Steven T. Dennis
Steven Dennis has covered House leadership for Roll Call since 2007. Prior to that, he covered budget and appropriations for Congressional Quarterly starting in 2005. Before covering Congress, he covered state and local politics in Maryland at the Gazette of Politics and Business, the Montgomery Gazette and the Herald-Mail in Hagerstown. He is a 1994 graduate from the University of Maryland's College of Journalism.
Obama Kept in Dark by Staff on IRS Targeting
May 20, 2013Top White House staff, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, knew that a potentially damaging inspector general’s report on the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of tea party groups was looming but decided not to inform President Barack Obama.
Senate Immigration Bill Could Benefit Hiring of Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens
May 17, 2013The current draft of the Senate’s immigration overhaul appears to give some employers a $3,000-a-year incentive to hire a newly legalized immigrant rather than an American citizen in order to avoid the new employer mandates in the health care law.
Obama Defends Battle Against National Security Leaks
May 16, 2013President Barack Obama defended his administration’s effort to stamp out national security leaks amid the controversy over the seizure of Associated Press phone records by the Justice Department.
Obama Calls IRS Scrutiny of Conservatives 'Outrageous,' Dismisses Benghazi Dispute as 'Sideshow'
May 13, 2013President Barack Obama said it would be “outrageous” if the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups and that he would hold the agency accountable, while angrily dismissing the new reports last week over the editing of Benghazi talking points by his administration as a “sideshow” trumped up by his political opponents.
Obama Nominates Pritzker for Commerce Secretary, Froman for Top Trade Post
May 2, 2013President Barack Obama Thursday tapped longtime Democratic fundraiser and billionaire businesswoman Penny Pritzker to lead the Commerce Department and economic adviser Michael Froman as the U.S. Trade Representative in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday morning.
Obama Challenges Congress on Its Refusal to End Sequester
April 30, 2013President Barack Obama chided Congress Tuesday for failing first to prevent, and now to stop, the sequester and defended his decision to sign a legislative fix carved for the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent air traffic delays.
Obama, Lawmakers Praise Capture of Bombing Suspect
April 19, 2013President Barack Obama praised the capture of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Friday night, even as he mourned those who lost their lives. He also vowed to pursue answers for the victims about what happened and whether anyone provided assistance.
Gun Loss Shouldn't Deter Obama Charm Offensive, Republicans Say
April 19, 2013Several Republican senators say President Barack Obama should keep up his charm offensive despite seeing his gun agenda shredded April 17 by a minority of the Senate.
Wicker Hired Ricin Suspect As Elvis Impersonator
April 18, 2013Sen. Roger Wicker told reporters Thursday that, about a decade ago, he met the man who was arrested on charges of sending him a ricin-laced letter.
Obama to Dine with Senators -- Democrats This Time
April 16, 2013Guess who’s going out to dinner again? Another dozen senators will dine with President Barack Obama Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel, but this time they will be Democrats.
Obama on Boston Blasts: 'We Will Hold Them Accountable'
April 15, 2013As the tragic scene continued to unfold near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, officials in Washington, D.C., enhanced visible security and lawmakers sent prayers to those affected by the explosions.
Obama Signs Partial Repeal of STOCK Act
April 15, 2013President Barack Obama signed a partial repeal of the STOCK Act on Monday, with the White House citing national security concerns in canceling a planned online database of investment information of top congressional staffers and administration employees.
White House, Reid Criticize GOP Filibuster Threat on Guns
April 8, 2013White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday slammed Senate Republicans for threatening to block debate on legislation designed to address gun violence.
Obama Urges Voters to Pressure Congress to Act on Guns
April 8, 2013An angry President Barack Obama made an emotional plea in Hartford, Conn., for the American people to pressure Congress to pass his gun control agenda.
Obama Plans Full-Court Press on Guns
April 5, 2013President Barack Obama will keep ramping up the public pressure on his gun control agenda next week, as the issue gathers steam in the Senate for debate this month. And the president, the vice president and the first lady are all slated to take part.
Has Obama Given Up on Republicans?
April 4, 2013Fewer than 75 days into his second term, President Barack Obama already seems resigned to the reality that big chunks of his second-term agenda will die without Nancy Pelosi holding the speaker’s gavel.
They're Federal Workers, Too: Obama, Begich to Give Up Some Pay
April 3, 2013President Barack Obama will give up 5 percent of his salary in solidarity with federal employees facing furloughs, joining Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and a few members of Congress, according to a senior administration official.
Obama Budget to Propose $100 Million for Brain Research
April 2, 2013President Barack Obama announced Tuesday morning he will seek $100 million for brain research in the budget he presents next week, aside from his efforts to end the sequester’s hit on science.
Carney Says Administration Didn't Mislead on Sequester
April 2, 2013White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that the White House didn’t mislead the public about the dangers of the sequester as he was questioned on the issue by Ed Henry of Fox News.
West Wing Spared From Sequester Cuts, So Far
April 1, 2013The sequester doesn’t appear to have hit the West Wing of the White House particularly hard.
Kid Prez Takes Over 1600 Penn
April 1, 2013A web-anointed “Kid President” took over briefly at the White House today, at least on YouTube.
Breakthrough Reached Between Business, Labor on Guest-Worker Program
March 30, 2013Labor and business groups have agreed on the details of a new guest-worker program, likely removing a major hurdle to an immigration deal in the Senate, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
Larry Craig Loses Major Battle in Fight Against FEC
March 28, 2013A federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit in which former Sen. Larry E. Craig is accused of improperly using campaign funds in a quest to vacate his guilty plea in a Minnesota airport bathroom sting.
'Don't Get Squishy' on Guns, Obama Tells Congress
March 28, 2013President Barack Obama rejected pessimism in the Capitol over his gun control agenda Thursday, telling Congress “don’t get squishy” and vowing not to forget the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
14 Most Telling DOMA Moments at the Supreme Court
March 27, 2013In the second day of arguments about gay marriage, the Supreme Court wrestled with the Defense of Marriage Act. The central question is whether the federal government has the authority to define marriage separately from states for the purpose of federal benefits and, if so, whether defining it to the exclusion of gay couples violates the Constitution’s requirement of equal protection under law. Many court watchers opined that most justices seemed inclined to rule in favor of gay rights.
