Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
House Democrats dig in for final defense of Obamacare
House Democrats on Wednesday kicked off their last-ditch defense of Obamacare by demanding a new budget analysis of the GOP's plan to repeal and replace the 2010 overhaul, saying it it impossible to know how last-minute changes will affect the people they represent. Published March 22, 2017
Paul Ryan calls Obamacare vote ‘rendezvous with destiny’ for conservatives
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday that Republicans have finally struck the sweet spot of getting a conservative Obamacare repeal bill that can actually get through the Senate, and predicted passage. Published March 21, 2017
Donald Trump to urge House Republicans to back Obamacare replacement legislation
President Trump on Tuesday will personally urge House Republicans to rally behind legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, as GOP leaders dig in for a three-day push that could make or break the White House's agenda moving forward. Published March 20, 2017
Joe Biden to rally with Dems in support of Obamacare
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden will rally with House Democrats in defense of Obamacare on Wednesday, just one day before the seventh anniversary of its passage and a planned vote to gut the law. Published March 20, 2017
Obamacare ‘death spiral’ argument rebutted by CBO report
Obamacare in a death spiral? It's been a mantra of Republicans, who say the law is collapsing and they are riding to the rescue. Published March 19, 2017
Democrats eager for James B. Comey to debunk President Donald Trump’s wiretap allegations
President Trump's unproven claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower last year is eroding diplomatic relations abroad and needs to be put to rest, top Democrats said Sunday. Published March 19, 2017
Democrats: Trump’s wiretap claims are hurting diplomatic relations
President Trump's unproven claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower last year is "alarming," top Democrats said Sunday. Published March 19, 2017
Ted Cruz, Texas Republican senator: GOP’s three-phase health plan ‘ain’t gonna happen’
Ted Cruz said a House plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is fatally flawed because it relies on a three-pronged plan for totally gutting the 2010 law instead of killing it outright. Published March 19, 2017
Nancy Pelosi, House minority leader: Trump ‘doesn’t know or doesn’t care’ what his health bill does
President Trump "either doesn't know or doesn't care" what his health care bill will do to his most ardent supporters, Nancy Pelosi said Sunday. Published March 19, 2017
Health Secretary Tom Price says he knows nothing about reported stock-trade probe
Health Secretary Tom Price said he doesn't know anything about a report that a federal prosecutor fired by President Trump had been looking into controversial stock trades he made while in Congress. Published March 19, 2017
House Speaker Paul Ryan: Health care bill is on track for passage this week
Paul D. Ryan said Sunday he feels "very good" about his Obamacare replacement's prospects for passage this week. Published March 19, 2017
Donald Trump says he’s changing minds on health care bill
President Trump said Friday that he's winning over Republican lawmakers who were opposed to the administration-backed health care bill to replace and repeal Obamacare, and he predicted the measure will now pass the House. Published March 17, 2017
Raul Labrador: GOP health care bill ‘has no natural constituency’
Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho said Thursday the House GOP health plan must be flawed, because people keep calling his office and attacking it. Published March 16, 2017
House budget panel narrowly advances GOP Obamacare replacement
Republicans cleared a path Thursday for their Obamacare replacement to reach the House floor, narrowly approving a package in the Budget Committee that can overcome Democratic opposition later on, though the vote exposed a GOP rift that could sink the effort from within President Trump's own party. Published March 16, 2017
Paul Ryan open to ‘fine-tuning’ of Republican health plan
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan signaled Wednesday that he is open to "fine-tuning" the Republican health care bill as he and President Trump try to win back conservatives — and risk alienating even more moderates in the Senate who say the legislation is already kicking people out of coverage. Published March 15, 2017
Conservatives ‘optimistic’ it can move health plan to the right
House conservatives emerged Wednesday from a Capitol Hill meeting with Vice President Mike Pence saying they are "optimistic" they can bend the Obamacare replacement to their liking before a final vote. Published March 15, 2017
HHS: 2017 Obamacare signups fall short of enrollment targets, last year’s effort
Obamacare suffered its first year-over-year drop in signups and fell short of enrollment targets in 2017, the Trump administration said Wednesday, as it races to repeal and replace the law with a House GOP plan. Published March 15, 2017
Republican health care plan breaks all of Donald Trump’s campaign vows
President Trump vowed to have health care coverage for everybody, to cut costs and to leave Medicaid alone during his historic romp to the White House, but the Republican health care plan he has endorsed would flout each of those promises. Published March 14, 2017
Chuck Schumer: GOP is attacking ‘the referee’ as they lose the health reform game
Leading Democrats on Tuesday accused Republicans of attacking congressional bean-counters simply because their health care plan fell short of their own promises to the American people. Published March 14, 2017
CBO: Republican health plan will lead to 24M fewer insured by 2026, save more than $300B
Republicans' plan to repeal and replace Obamacare would cut spending by more than $300 billion over the next decade but would result in 24 million fewer people holding health insurance, Congress' official scorekeeper said Monday, creating another political hurdle for President Trump and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. Published March 13, 2017
