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Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr. covers politics and the White House for The Washington Times. He can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about prescription drug prices with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, right, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday May 11, 2018, in Washington (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump vows to end ‘rip-offs’ at the pharmacy counter

President Trump said Friday he will put "American patients first" by speeding cheaper drugs to market, forcing companies to disclose prices and leveraging trade deals to put U.S. consumers on a level playing field with those abroad. Published May 11, 2018

President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd's applause during a Republican campaign rally Thursday, May 10, 2018, in Elkhart, Ind. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Donald Trump to announce plan to lower prescription drug prices

President Trump is set to propose the most comprehensive plan to tackle prescription drug prices in history, the White House boasted Thursday, setting a high bar for an upcoming address in which Mr. Trump plans to put "American patients first" by cracking down on "freeloading" by foreign nations and requiring Medicare to give a leg up to seniors. Published May 10, 2018

In this Feb. 24, 2018, file photo, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at the National Governor Association 2018 winter meeting in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Alex Azar, HHS secretary, fends off shouts of Obamacare ‘sabotage’

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar defended President Trump's push to let Americans ditch Obamacare for cheaper, skimpier plans, saying President Barack Obama kept the same policy for most of his tenure and subsidized customers are unlikely to flee the program's exchanges en masse. Published May 10, 2018

In this Friday, April 13, 2018, file photo, chemist Meg Walker works with evidence in the Lexington County Sherriff's Department's forensics laboratory, in Lexington, S.C. Lexington County deputies stopped field testing in 2017 as a precautionary measure due to dangers associated with synthetic drugs like fentanyl. (AP Photo/Christina Myers)

House panel advances dozens of opioid bills

A House panel advanced a series of opioid bills Wednesday that would link overdose victims to treatment before leaving the emergency room, let hospice workers get rid of unused pills and spur the National Institutes of Health to find non-addictive solutions for pain. Published May 9, 2018

Dr. Robert Redfield Jr. The government is paying Redfield $375,000 a year to run the Atlanta-based CDC, U.S. officials confirmed in April 2018, nearly twice what his predecessor made and far more than other recent past directors. On Monday, April 30, 2018, HHS officials said Redfield had asked for a pay reduction because the topic had become a distraction.(Tracey Brown/University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)

Robert Redfield, CDC director, gets salary cut

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert R. Redfield asked for a pay cut, saying he didn't want his larger-than-usual salary to distract from the important work his agency performs. Published May 8, 2018

Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor nand Pensions Committee (Associated Press) **FILE**

Lamar Alexander: Obamacare stabilization effort is dead

Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander says legislative efforts to stabilize the Obamacare markets this year are dead and that it's up to states and the Trump administration to provide relief from rising insurance rates. Published May 8, 2018

George Barrett, far left, executive chairman of the board, Cardinal Health Inc., Dr. Joseph Mastandrea, chairman of the board, Miami-Luken Inc., John Hammergren, chairman, president, and CEO, McKesson Corporation, J. Christopher Smith, former president and CEO, H.D. Smith Wholesale Drug Company, and Steven Collis, right, chairman, president, and CEO, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, testify during a hearing of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, about combating the opioid epidemic, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 8, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Opioid distributors say ‘pill dumping’ won’t happen again

Wholesale opioid distributors say they now are able to recognize and stop suspicious drug orders, telling Congress on Tuesday they're in a position to stop the kinds of mistakes that led to millions of pills flooding West Virginia towns beginning a decade ago. Published May 8, 2018

Scientists confirmed Ebola strains in two specimens collected from five patients. (Associated Press/File)

Democratic Republic of the Congo declares new Ebola outbreak

Congo declared a new Ebola outbreak Tuesday after two samples taken from patients tested positive for the deadly disease that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa and sparked a worldwide panic earlier this decade. Published May 8, 2018

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma speaks to reporters Thursday, March 29, 2018, during a visit to the Center for Medical Interoperability in Nashville. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Trump admin. rejects Kansas’ bid for lifetime limit on Medicaid

The Trump administration on Monday said it will reject Kansas' push to place a three-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits for some enrollees, signaling it is willing to draw the line even as it allows states to revamp their programs in other ways. Published May 7, 2018

Although some fast-food chains began posting calorie counts a decade ago to comply with a patchwork of local laws, there has never been a national requirement until now. (Associated Press/File)

Restaurant calorie count requirement begins across U.S.

If calories count, then calorie counters will get a big boost Monday as one of Obamacare's big social changes kicks in: a requirement that chain restaurants, supermarkets and movie theaters begin posting information for all of their offerings. Published May 6, 2018

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, speaks during a Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 31, 2017. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Obama endorses Sen. Dianne Feinstein for re-election

Former President Barack Obama on Friday endorsed Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein for reelection to her California seat, giving the veteran legislator another dose of big-name support as she tries to fend off an upstart challenger from her left. Published May 4, 2018

In a Monday, May 8, 2017 photo, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., talks about the bills that have been passed recently in Congress during a town hall meeting, in Baker City, Ore. (E.J. Harris/East Oregonian via AP) ** FILE **

House leaders want to advance opioids bills by May 17

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wants to advance its sweeping opioids plan within two weeks, splitting a legislative markup into two sessions to try and mollify Democrats who say majority Republicans are moving too fast. Published May 4, 2018

In this June 15, 2017, file photo, then-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Health and Human Services Department's fiscal 2018 budget. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** FILE **

Tom Price: Repeal of Obamacare mandate will drive up costs

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Tuesday the GOP's decision to repeal Obamacare's individual mandate without a broader overhaul of the heath care system will likely increase costs on consumers who remain in the program. Published May 1, 2018