Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Steny Hoyer: Hillary Clinton will be ‘tougher, smarter’ foe for GOP combatants
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that businessman Donald Trump or whoever wins the GOP presidential nomination will run into a much tougher opponent in former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner. Published March 1, 2016
Obama says Senate opioid bill falls short on funding
The White House said Tuesday a bipartisan Senate bill to address the nation's prescription opioid and heroin epidemic doesn't provide enough funding to implement its own policies. Published March 1, 2016
Senate drug epidemic bill snared in funding debate
The Senate voted Monday to take up legislation to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic that is ravaging communities across the nation, though the bipartisan bill could turn into an election-year football. Published February 29, 2016
Only 15 percent say Obamacare has helped them directly; a quarter see harm: poll
Only 15 percent of U.S. adults say Obamacare has helped them directly, according to a new poll that finds a quarter think it did them harm. Published February 29, 2016
GOP to U.N.: Don’t use Zika outbreak to loosen abortion laws
The Zika virus isn't transmitting within the U.S., but pregnant women who contracted the virus elsewhere had abortions or miscarriages upon their return, scientists reported Friday, signaling the virus is striking close to home even as congressional Republicans warned the United Nations not to let "opportunistic" advocates roll back abortion laws abroad. Published February 26, 2016
Puerto Rico fiscal crisis requires a two-step solution, Treasury Dept. says
Congress should let Puerto Rico restructure its crippling debt but should impose strict new federal oversight to make sure the island territory doesn't backslide on its budget cuts, the Obama administration said Thursday, trying to figure a way out of a thorny political impasse. Published February 25, 2016
David Vitter holds OPM nominee as part of Obamacare probe
Sen. David Vitter followed through Thursday on his threat to hold up President Obama's pick to lead the government's personnel office, saying he still doesn't understand why Congress was granted small-business status that "exempted" it from Obamacare, even though it employs thousands. Published February 25, 2016
No Ebola funds to fight Zika, Obama’s health officials tell Congress
President Obama's top public health officials told Congress on Wednesday that there isn't enough leftover Ebola funding to fight the Zika virus and said Republicans will need to find another $2 billion to combat the mosquito-borne illness. Published February 24, 2016
HHS: We’re cracking down on offseason Obamacare signups
The Obama administration said Wednesday it is taking steps to prevent misuse and abuse of special enrollment periods that allow Obamacare customers in 38 states to get covered on HealthCare.gov outside of the traditional signup period. Published February 24, 2016
Senators lobby for proactive stance against global health scares
The Ebola outbreak's aftermath and the creeping threat of Zika virus underscore the need to fund basic research and gird for epidemics before they hit, members of Congress said Wednesday, signaling they are weary of emergency funding requests to deal with global health scares. Published February 24, 2016
Senate confirms Robert Califf, Obama’s pick to lead FDA, despite opioid outcry
The Senate approved President Obama's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, easily overcoming loud protests from lawmakers who used the nomination to criticize the agency's response to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic that is ravaging the U.S. Published February 24, 2016
Mitch McConnell: No hearings on Obama’s Supreme Court pick
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday there is no way that Republicans will take up President Obama's pick to fill the Supreme Court, citing an election that's already underway and Vice President Joseph Biden's decades-old protest against campaign season nominees. Published February 23, 2016
TurboTax: 7 out of 10 uninsured customers claim exemption from Obamacare mandate
Turbotax says seven out of every 10 uninsured filers who've used their tax-filing website this season have been able to claim an exemption from the "individual mandate" requiring Americans to hold insurance or pay a tax under Obamacare. Published February 23, 2016
Chris Coons: Supreme Court pick is chance to heal Senate
Sen. Chris Coons said Tuesday the battle over replacing late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a chance to reverse the steady creep of partisan acrimony in the august chamber, one day after Republicans made the man he replaced -- Vice President Joseph P. Biden -- an unwitting guide for how the Senate should approach nominations in a pivotal election year. Published February 23, 2016
Joe Biden’s 1992 opposition to lame-duck Supreme Court pick could doom Obama nomination
It may be Vice President Joseph R. Biden who dooms President Obama's hopes of reshaping the Supreme Court and picking a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia after Republicans unearthed a 1992 speech in which then-Sen. Biden said it was "not fair" to let a lame-duck president make such an important decision. Published February 22, 2016
Robert Califf, Obama nominee for FDA chief, advanced by Senate
President Obama's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration inched closer to confirmation late Monday, despite loud protests from Senate Democrats who said the agency needs a crusader who will rein in and regulate prescription painkillers that are feeding the nation's heroin epidemic. Published February 22, 2016
Zika virus: White House demands new resources
The White House budget chief told Congress Monday that President Obama would like to free up some, but not all, of the leftover money from the Ebola fight to combat the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in Latin America. Published February 22, 2016
Senate Democrats protest Obama’s pick to lead FDA
President Obama's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration cannot be trusted to rein in and regulate prescription painkillers at the heart of a deadly U.S. epidemic, a pair of Senate Democrats said Monday, leveraging a floor vote on the nominee to elevate their fight against opioid and heroin abuse. Published February 22, 2016
Zika virus funds should be diverted from Ebola response moneys: GOP
Powerful House Republicans told the Obama administration Thursday to use leftover funds from the Ebola fight to address the spread of Zika virus, saying it is the fastest way to respond to the latest global health scare and that Congress can replace the money later on, if needed. Published February 18, 2016
U.S. ends Ebola screening at major airports
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday it will no longer screen travelers for Ebola, now that West Africa is considered to be free of the virus. Published February 18, 2016
