Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
House under Dems quietly approved pay raise of $34K for members’ cost of living in D.C.
A quiet rule change in the waning days of the Democratic majority of the House will allow lawmakers to seek reimbursements for the cost of living while they are in Washington, effectively providing a massive pay bump that Congress had avoided for years. Published January 13, 2023
FAA says engineer’s slip-up caused midweek ground-stop debacle
Federal aviation officials are tracing a midweek computer debacle to a single employee. Published January 13, 2023
Biden extends emergency rules on COVID-19, sparking GOP outcry
The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the public health emergency on COVID-19 for another 90 days amid concerns about a fast-moving variant. Published January 12, 2023
House GOP pushes bill to get fed workers back into the office, reverse COVID-19 policy
House Republicans are pushing a bill that would order federal workers back into the office after a period of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Published January 12, 2023
Trump eyes S.C. event in late January to jump-start campaign in early primary state
Former President Donald Trump is planning to accelerate his 2024 campaign for the White House with an event this month in South Carolina, an early primary state. Published January 12, 2023
FAA says a damaged database file caused morning problems with pilot notice system
The Federal Aviation Administration says the outage that kept planes from flying early Wednesday was due to a corrupted file in its system. Published January 12, 2023
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff to visit Poland, Germany for Holocaust remembrance events
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will visit Poland and Germany later this month for Holocaust remembrance events and to advance efforts to combat antisemitism, his office said Thursday. Published January 12, 2023
WH says FAA will probe ‘root causes’ of system outage, says cyberattack unlikely
The Federal Aviation Administration is probing what caused a key pilot notification system to fail overnight, prompting a 90-minute group stop early Wednesday and more headaches for air travelers and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Published January 11, 2023
C-SPAN asks House Speaker McCarthy to make its broader floor coverage permanent
C-SPAN got permission to shoot the House floor during raucous votes to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker, drawing rave reviews as it captured huddles among rival lawmakers and factions plotting their next moves. Published January 11, 2023
FAA lifts ground stop of departures as flights resume at some airports after unprecedented outage
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it was safe for planes to land and that it made "progress" in restoring a major pilot notification system after an unprecedented outage grounded flights across America in the early morning. Published January 11, 2023
Federal Reserve’s Powell warns the bank not to ‘wander’ into climate, social programs
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says institutions such as the central bank should resist taking on big issues like climate change unless Congress authorizes it. Published January 11, 2023
Korean solar panel company announces massive expansion in Georgia
President Biden took a victory lap Wednesday over a South Korean company's decision to spend more than $2 billion on an expansion of its solar-energy footprint in Georgia, making it the largest investment of its kind in U.S. history. Published January 11, 2023
FAA stops all flight departures after massive, unprecedented software outage
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all domestic flight departures Wednesday morning while it scrambled to fix a critical pilot notification system that suffered a massive, unprecedented outage. Published January 11, 2023
Rep. George Santos under scope again as nonpartisan watchdog group files campaign complaint
A nonpartisan watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint against freshman Rep. George Santos alleging the New York Republican violated campaign-finance laws. Published January 10, 2023
House GOP launches new panel to probe virus origins, fraud in relief programs
House Republicans are launching a panel to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and other issues involving the pandemic, including the economic consequences of lockdown policies, and how vaccines were manufactured and mandated for federal employees and the military. Published January 10, 2023
Very low share of Americans think members of Congress have high ethical standards: Poll
Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as high or very high, according to a Gallup survey released Tuesday. Published January 10, 2023
Biden kicks off North America summit with a call to protect democracies in Western Hemisphere
President Biden kicked off a North American summit Monday by calling on leaders to bolster democracies in the Americas after a weekend attack on Brazil's seat of government that some are comparing to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Published January 9, 2023
Biden, Trudeau and Lopez Obrador condemn violence in Brazil
President Biden and the leaders of Canada and Mexico teed up a crucial North American summit on Monday by jointly condemning the violent attacks on Brazil's "democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power." Published January 9, 2023
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to stop busing migrants to NYC, Chicago
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will halt plans to bus migrants to New York City and Chicago, citing productive conversations with mayors in both cities. Published January 9, 2023
Many Republicans still value candidates’ loyalty to Trump, poll shows
Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say it is important for the GOP to show at least some loyalty to former President Donald Trump despite the widespread belief his political influence has dimmed heading into the 2024 cycle. Published January 9, 2023
