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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.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, pauses for a reporter's question at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 18, 2018. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Lamar Alexander proposes bill to empower FDA in opioids fight

The Food and Drug Administration should use its share of anti-opioid money in the new omnibus spending bill to expand labs and train dogs to sniff out deadly fentanyl that's slipping through U.S. mail facilities, a top senator proposed Monday. Published March 26, 2018

Mainers for Health Care rally outside the State House prior to Gov. Paul LePage's State of the State address, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Augusta, Maine. The coalition that supported the successful Yes on 2 campaign to expand Medicaid in 2017 say LePage and his allies in the Legislature are trying to block Medicaid expansion, which is now state law. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Affordable health care tops ‘worry list’: Gallup poll

Fifty-five percent of Americans worry a "great deal" about finding affordable health care, according to a Gallup poll Monday that says the issue tops a list of more than a dozen problems facing the country. Published March 26, 2018

In this June 6, 2017, file photo, a reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly, after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure, at DEA Headquarters in Arlington, Va. The chief justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court told prosecutors she fears that allowing fentanyl and carfentanil into courtrooms as evidence puts people at risk even when the drugs are properly packaged. Some medical experts said a proposal to ban them from courtrooms appears to be driven by a misguided understanding of the real dangers of the substances. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

GOP lawmakers heed Trump’s call to crack down on opioid dealers

Heeding President Trump's call to "get tough," Capitol Hill Republicans filed legislation Thursday that sets lengthy prison terms for fentanyl dealers, saying criminals must think twice before they peddle synthetic powders that can fit into a salt shaker, yet kill tens of thousands. Published March 22, 2018

FILE - In this June 6, 2017 file photo, a reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure, at DEA Headquarters in Arlington Va. Some large law enforcement agencies have recently abandoned the routine chemical field tests out of concern that officers could be exposed to opioids that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Even a minute amount of the most potent drugs, such as fentanyl, can cause violent illness or death. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FDA pushes for authority to destroy unlabeled drugs in mail

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb urged Congress on Wednesday to let his agency destroy unlabeled drugs found in the mail, saying officials are seeing traffickers try to sneak illegal shipments through from overseas. Published March 21, 2018

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine center, joined by, from left, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., pushes for inclusion in the pending government spending bill of provisions aimed at lowering premiums for people purchasing health insurance in the Affordable Care Act's individual marketplace, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 21, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ]

GOP: Democrats playing politics with Obamacare funds

Moderate Republicans accused Democrats Wednesday of using an abortion fight to tank Congress' last chance to stabilize Obamacare, saying they'd rather use soaring premiums as a cudgel against the GOP in November than help struggling consumers. Published March 21, 2018

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb listens during an interview with The Associated Press in New York on Monday, March 5, 2018. Gottlieb said Monday that he needs more staffers to intercept opioids that are being disguised as other drugs and supplements. (AP Photo/Kathy Young)

FDA seeks authority to destroy illicit drug shipments

Food and Drug Commissioner Scott Gottlieb urged Congress Wednesday to let his agency destroy unlabeled drugs that pour in through the mail, saying it is not uncommon to see traffickers resend parcels that were rejected once and may contain opioids or other deadly drugs. Published March 21, 2018

Cigarettes are displayed on a store shelf in New York on Aug. 28, 2017. (Associated Press) **FILE**

FDA announces push to slash nicotine in cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration launched a historic effort Thursday to try to end cigarette addiction, proposing to slash the level of nicotine in smokes in an attempt to curb what remains a deadly public health issue. Published March 15, 2018

Logo for America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) a health insurance lobby group (AHIP.org). [https://www.ahip.org/wp-content/themes/main/images/logo-meta.png]

Health insurance lobby AHIP selects Matt Eyles as new CEO

America's Health Insurance Plans, the main lobbying group for health insurers, announced Wednesday it is promoting one of its own to replace president and CEO Marilyn Tavenner, a former Obama administration official who is retiring in a few months. Published March 14, 2018

In this June 13, 2017, file photo, a man injects heroin into his arm under a bridge along the Wishkah River at Kurt Cobain Memorial Park in Aberdeen, Wash. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

House leaders eye ambitious opioids package

A key House panel announced plans Wednesday to debate more than two dozen bills targeting the opioids crisis, from speeding approval of painkilling alternatives to linking ER patients with treatment after they overdose. Published March 14, 2018