Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
GOP lawmakers hold fire against Trump — at least for now
Republicans said they'd prefer less "drama" coming from the White House, but generally reserved judgment on the latest reports on President Trump's sharing of potentially classified information, saying they weren't sure how to sort out accusations by anonymous sources in news articles. Published May 16, 2017
Senior House Democrat Steny Hoyer rips Trump, yet cautions against impeachment
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer on Tuesday accused President Trump of eroding confidence in the U.S. government both at home and abroad but stopped well short of calling for impeachment. Published May 16, 2017
Trump cancels small-business enrollment on HealthCare.gov
Obamacare's small business outreach has been such a flop that the Trump administration announced Monday it was nixing part of the federal HealthCare.gov website aimed at helping those companies enroll in the health law. Published May 15, 2017
Koch-aligned group uses Obamacare rates to cheer repeal
A Koch brothers-aligned group launched an ad campaign Monday highlighting the potential for yet another round of rate hikes on the Obamacare exchanges next year, hoping to spur the GOP's effort to repeal the program. Published May 15, 2017
Diane Black, House budget chair, eyes more changes to Medicaid
House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black on Monday called the House GOP health care bill a "good start" but said she wants to overhaul Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor, even further in the Republican budget for the coming year. Published May 15, 2017
GOP health bill is bad idea, say Americans by a 2-to-1 margin: Poll
Americans are far more likely to view the House-passed health care bill as a bad idea than a good one, underscoring the political tightrope GOP lawmakers are walking as they try to replace Obamacare, according to a new poll. Published May 15, 2017
Democrats lack clear health care plan
For six years, Democrats taunted Republicans for holding dozens of votes to repeal Obamacare without rallying around a legislative alternative, while Republicans saw little need to craft and vote on a plan that President Obama would kill with his veto pen. Published May 14, 2017
WHO identifies Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo
Ebola killed one person in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is suspected in two other deaths, the World Health Organization said Friday. Published May 12, 2017
Tom Price, HHS secretary, predicts Senate health vote by summer
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Friday he thinks the Senate will pass its Obamacare replacement bill this summer, even though leading Republicans have refused to commit themselves to a firm timeline, saying they'll get it done before the end of the year. Published May 12, 2017
Health insurers say rate hikes are likely under Trump coverage plans
Major health insurers in the Obamacare market say they may end up having to hike their prices unless they can get more certainty from the Trump administration about what the future will look like. Published May 10, 2017
Trump FDA pick Scott Gottlieb confirmed by Senate in 57-42 vote
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's pick to oversee the Food and Drug Administration, as every voting Republican and a handful of supportive Democrats overpowered critics who said he wouldn't serve as an adequate check on drug companies in the midst of a national opioid crisis. Published May 9, 2017
Senate Democrats to GOP: Yank repeal effort, and we’ll talk health care
Senate Democrats on Tuesday renewed their offer to work with Republicans on health care so long as GOP leaders take repeal of Obamacare off the table -- something that's a primary goal for President Trump, who recently toasted the passage of a House replacement plan. Published May 9, 2017
Senate Republicans revise House’s ‘repeal and replace’ health care bill
Senate Republicans picked up the health care debate Monday by promising a new start, saying they'll write their own legislation that looks substantially different than the embattled plan that cleared the House last week. Published May 8, 2017
Planned Parenthood defunding a GOP hurdle
Republican leaders scrapped a fight over Planned Parenthood in last week's spending bill, fearing it would sink the legislation and insisting it made more sense as part of Obamacare's repeal. Published May 7, 2017
House passes GOP’s Obamacare replacement bill
Republicans took the first major step toward repealing Obamacare on Thursday as the House approved a bill that would replace the 2010 health care overhaul with a more market-friendly system that cancels intrusive government mandates, spurring millions of people to forgo health insurance. Published May 4, 2017
Kevin McCarthy: House health care vote set for Thursday
House Republicans say they will vote on a long-awaited vote to repeal and replace Obamacare on Thursday, after a pivotal 24 hours in which the White House and GOP leaders agreed to changes that won over two prominent holdouts and paved the way for action before lawmakers take a weeklong vacation. Published May 3, 2017
Key GOP holdouts flip to ‘yes’ on health care
A prominent Republican reversed course Wednesday and said he will back the GOP plan to replace Obamacare, breathing new life into the repeal effort as President Trump and House leaders try to win over holdouts with extra money for consumers who might struggle to afford coverage under their plan. Published May 3, 2017
House GOP says their bill bests Obamacare on pre-existing conditions
House GOP leaders on Tuesday said their health care bill would replace Obamacare's wobbly market with one that drives down costs for people with pre-existing medical conditions, as they scramble to pull in votes from hesitant centrists who say the measure erodes critical protections for Americans who are already sick. Published May 2, 2017
Republicans optimistic of Obamacare repeal
Republicans are increasingly optimistic they will schedule — and win — a vote in the House this week to repeal Obamacare. Published May 1, 2017
American Heart Association, top patient groups slam GOP health bill
Ten patient-advocacy groups on Monday panned the latest version of the House GOP health care bill, saying it would still lead to coverage losses and that "high-risk pools" are not an adequate alternative to Obamacare's rules on insurers. Published May 1, 2017
