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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.

Surrounded by soldiers, a government health agent uses larvicide to kill Aedes aegypti mosquitos that spreads the Zika virus in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. The Aedes aegypti mosquito lives largely inside homes and can lay eggs in even a bottle-cap's worth of stagnant water. The dishes beneath potted plants are a favorite spot, as are abandoned tires, bird feeders and even the little puddles of rainwater that collect in the folds of plastic tarps. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

House GOP to Obama: Use leftover Ebola funds to fight Zika

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 best way to mount a swift response to the new epidemic and that Congress could replace the money later on, if needed. Published February 18, 2016

This is a Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, file photo of aedes aegypti mosquitoes in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia. The World Health Organization says it may be necessary to use controversial methods like genetically modified mosquitoes to wipe out the insects that are spreading the Zika virus across the Americas. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

World Bank extends $150 million for Zika fight

The World Bank Group announced Thursday it will extend $150 million in financing to Latin American and Caribbean nations affected by the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that's been linked to a serious birth defect and is estimated to have only a "moderate" economic impact in the short term. Published February 18, 2016

In this April 30, 2015, photo, people gather in front of the Puerto Rico's Capitol building to protest against Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla's budget proposal for the next fiscal year in San Juan. Authorities announced on Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, that Puerto Rico's worsening economic crisis has forced it to revise a fiscal reform plan to reflect a jump in the island's projected deficit and a steep drop in anticipated revenue. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)

Puerto Rico’s health system requires changes, HHS says

The Obama administration urged Congress Thursday to expand Medicaid's reach in Puerto Rico, saying the investment would be an integral part of a broader bid to rescue the island from its debt crisis. Published February 18, 2016

Scientists capture Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae in an attempt to contain the Zika virus in Puerto Rico and elsewhere. (Associated Press)

Zika virus threatens Puerto Rico blood supplies

Puerto Rico, already reeling from a man-made financial crisis, could have "tens of thousands" of infections from the Zika virus, which has been linked to a serious birth defect, imposing an economic toll and forcing the island to import blood supplies from mainland donors, the Obama administration's top scientists said Wednesday. Published February 17, 2016

In this July 30, 2015, file photo, a sign supporting Medicare is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington as registered nurses and other community leaders celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Government, private insurers find common ground on quality health care

The Obama administration on Tuesday trumpeted an "historic" effort to standardize how private insurers and government programs like Medicare determine if a patient is getting quality care, saying doctors had been overwhelmed by a dizzying array of yardsticks. Published February 16, 2016

This is a Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, file photo of aedes aegypti mosquitoes in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia. The World Health Organization says it may be necessary to use controversial methods like genetically modified mosquitoes to wipe out the insects that are spreading the Zika virus across the Americas. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)

WHO looks for new ways to wipe out mosquitoes, Zika

The World Health Organization on Tuesday encouraged countries hit by the Zika virus to think outside the box and consider new techniques to wipe out the pesky mosquito populations that are carrying the disease across Latin America. Published February 16, 2016

One of the dozens of cases awaiting decisions by the Supreme Court in the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia's death involves a Christian college that could be forced to provide contraceptive health care coverage to its employees. (Associated Press/File)

Antonin Scalia’s death shifts Obamacare contraception mandate cases

A Christian college in Pennsylvania could be forced to provide contraceptive health care coverage to its employees or else pay massive fines, but a school in Iowa would be shielded from Obamacare's contraceptive mandate if the Supreme Court deadlocks, 4-4, in one of the major cases pending this term. Published February 15, 2016

In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Milwaukee wins Obamacare signup contest, visit from president

President Obama will visit Milwaukee in the coming weeks to celebrate its winning effort in a tourney to see which city could drive its uninsured population into the Obamacare marketplace, the White House said Friday. Published February 12, 2016

CDC Director Thomas Frieden testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on emerging health threats and Zika virus supplemental request. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

CDC chief: Link between Zika, birth defect ‘increasingly certain’

Evidence that the Zika virus causes serious birth defects is growing stronger by the day, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday as he lobbied Congress to approve President Obama's $1.8 billion request to the fight the rapidly spreading disease at home and abroad. Published February 11, 2016

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the fiscal 2017 HHS budget. Burwell has ashes on her forehead, Wednesday being Ash Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

HHS: Look at uninsured rate, not Obamacare signups

President Obama's top health official told Congress Wednesday that Obamacare is making "historic" strides, even if 2016 enrollment on its web-based exchanges amounted to little more than half of what budget scorekeepers initially projected. Published February 10, 2016

House Speaker Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 4, 2016, as he announces the formation of six committee-led task forces charged with developing agendas on national security, tax reform, jobs, health care reform, elimination of poverty, and more. Ryan also pledged that House Republicans will schedule time this year to vote on legislation reforming the criminal justice system. (Associated Press) **FILE**

GOP eyes Obamacare replacement by summer

Speaker Paul D. Ryan has instructed his health care task force to "go big and go bold" in its push to replace Obamacare with a clear GOP alternative for voters this year -- preferably before Congress breaks this summer for the 2016 party conventions, a powerful House Republican said Wednesday. Published February 10, 2016

Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican (Associated Press) **FILE**

Tax forms pose new wrinkle in Congress’s ‘Obamacare exemption’

Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff are receiving tax-reporting forms that describe Congress as a large employer subject to Obamacare's "employer mandate," even as the administration describes the massive law-making body as a small business in other paperwork. Published February 10, 2016