Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Workers, businesses pick up pieces from lengthy shutdown
President Trump's push to temporarily reopen the government with Congress may be good news for Washington, but federal employees and businesses said Friday they'll continue to pick up the pieces after the longest shutdown in history. Published January 25, 2019
Nancy Pelosi: State of the Union is ‘not planned’ right now
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said a date has not yet been worked out for President Trump's State of the Union Address and that those negotiations will take place once the government is open. Published January 25, 2019
Senate leaders aim to speed bill through to reopen government
Senate leaders on Friday said they hope to send President Trump a short-term funding bill that will reopen the government by day's end, after Mr. Trump said he would support a measure to fund the government for three weeks while broader negotiations over border security take place. Published January 25, 2019
Trial therapy for Ebola shows promise in NIH trial
An investigational treatment that stifles Ebola proteins is safe and easy to use, the National Institutes of Health announced Friday, underscoring its potential in the fight against a thorny epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Published January 25, 2019
Government shutdown effects mount as shuttered agencies exhaust workarounds, funding
Although the Trump administration has taken extraordinary steps to try to blunt the effects of the partial shutdown, agencies say they are running out of workarounds and the effects are piling up. Published January 24, 2019
OPM to federal agencies: Make shutdown less painful; Consider telecommutes, flexible hours
The federal personnel office told agencies Wednesday they should, wherever possible, make the shutdown as painless as possible for "essential" employees forced to work without pay, from allowing them to work remotely to giving them a more flexible start or end to their workday. Published January 23, 2019
Federal workers protest at Senate offices, decry ‘temper tantrum’
Federal workers protested the government shutdown on Capitol Hill Wednesday with cheeky signs and 33 minutes of silence to mark each day they've been furloughed or forced to work without pay. Published January 23, 2019
Muriel Bowser, D.C. mayor, offers zero-interest loans to workers affected by shutdown
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday the District will offer zero-interest loans of up to $5,000 to people who might not be able to pay their mortgage this month because of the partial federal government shutdown. Published January 23, 2019
More than half of Americans support government-run health care: poll
More than half of the public supports a Bernie Sanders-style plan that replaces private coverage with a sweeping, "Medicare for all" style program that imposes a nationwide plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Published January 23, 2019
Democrats work to show federal workers’ pain during government shutdown
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in Washington overseeing the drama on the partial government shutdown, but his constituents back home are about to get a taste as billboards pop up this week imploring him to bring the episode to a conclusion. Published January 22, 2019
Mark Warner to Trump agencies: Explain piecemeal recall of workers
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia asked the Trump administration Tuesday to justify its piecemeal recall of federal workers amid the partial government shutdown, saying he fears the White House is picking "winners and losers" for political expediency. Published January 22, 2019
Congo struggles to contain Ebola outbreak
Ebola infections have slowed inside the initial center of the Democratic Republic of Congo's outbreak, but the disease is marching south toward major cites, opening a critical new stage in the epidemic that's already the second worst on record. Published January 21, 2019
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants unemployment pay for federal workers
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its refusal to make unemployment insurance available to federal workers who are still on the job amid the shutdown, yet missed their last paycheck and could miss another. Published January 20, 2019
Trump admin. approves Arizona’s request to condition Medicaid on work
The Trump administration approved Arizona's request to attach work requirements to Medicaid coverage, making it the eighth state to condition benefits on seeking a job, going to school or otherwise engaging in the community. Published January 18, 2019
DC mayor, California governor blast Labor Department’s shutdown guidance
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its refusal to make unemployment insurance available to federal workers who are still on the job amid the shutdown, yet missed their last paycheck and could miss another. Published January 18, 2019
More government employees being put back to work during shutdown
The State Department said Thursday it has found enough cash to recall most of its employees and to pay them at least one check during the partial government shutdown, adding a new dimension to President Trump's piecemeal plan to blunt the pain. Published January 17, 2019
Court postpones lawsuit over shutdown — because of the shutdown
A federal judge froze proceedings Wednesday in a lawsuit that seeks back pay and damages for essential employees forced to work without paychecks during the government shutdown. Published January 16, 2019
Treasury union blasts IRS labor recall amid shutdown
A Treasury employee union says the "mass call back" of tens of thousands of workers for the tax-filing season is exactly why it's suing to prevent the administration from forcing members to work "in exchange for only an IOU." Published January 16, 2019
IRS recalls major swath of workforce for filing season
Facing tax-filing season, the IRS will recall tens of thousands of employees to work without pay amid the government shutdown, according to a contingency plan released Tuesday. Published January 15, 2019
Judge declines to grant immediate pay, other relief to workers in throes of gov’t shutdown
A judge on Tuesday refused to order the Trump administration to pay federal employees kept on the job during the partial shutdown, as the IRS said it was bringing back tens of thousands of employees to process tax returns. Published January 15, 2019
