Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
House set to repeal Obamacare tax on medical devices
The GOP-led House is set to repeal Obamacare's medical device tax this week, forcing Democrats either to stand by President Obama's signature law at all costs or side with industry groups who say the tax on pacemakers, artificial joints and other products is a job killer that stifles innovation. Published June 15, 2015
Democrat trade deal votes elude Obama as House Republicans plan rescue
The administration and House Republican leaders scrambled Monday to rescue President Obama's crucial trade deal in Congress, but White House aides acknowledged that a legislative solution was still eluding them. Published June 15, 2015
Kevin McCarthy: Trade deal will happen, despite ‘civil war’ among Democrats
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday he was "disturbed," "disappointed" and "confused" by Democrats who decided to buck President Obama last week and spoil the White House's bid for fast-track trade negotiating powers. Published June 15, 2015
Supreme Court’s Obama subsidies ruling final health law showdown, Democrats say
President Obama and his top aides are increasingly portraying this month's Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare subsidies as the final showdown for the health care law, saying that if the justices rule in their favor it should be the signal for Republicans to give up their attacks and move on to other fights. Published June 14, 2015
GOP takes aim at funding for Basic Health Program
House Republicans suing President Obama on claims he funded an Obamacare program without their permission now say the administration is sending millions out the door for a second, optional state program without asking Congress for the money first. Published June 14, 2015
Ebola instant test: HHS signs $1.8M contract with Pennsylvania company
The Obama administration said Friday it's inked a $1.8-million contract with a Pennsylvania company to develop a quick-and-easy test for Ebola that could deliver results in a doctor's office, hospital or field setting within 20 minutes. Published June 12, 2015
Lindsey Graham files bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham unveiled a bill Thursday to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, shouldering a key piece of the pro-life agenda that's already passed the House but faces a steeper climb in the upper chamber. Published June 11, 2015
Sylvia Mathews Burwell: ‘Time to move on’ if admin wins Obamacare case
Before a receptive audience, President Obama's top health official said Thursday she looks forward to a debate "on the substance, not the politics," of health reform if the Supreme Court sides with the administration this month in a ruling that could make or break Obamacare in dozens of states. Published June 11, 2015
Sylvia Mathews Burwell refuses to outline prez’s demands if Obamacare subsidies are struck down
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell told unreceptive House Republicans Wednesday it will be up to Capitol Hill and the states to determine a path forward if the Supreme Court strikes down Obamacare's subsidies in more than 30 states later this month. Published June 10, 2015
IRS can’t verify qualifications of every Obamacare subsidy recipient, watchdog says
The IRS can't weed out bogus Obamacare exchange customers and didn't have critical information on others more than halfway through the tax filing season this year, making it impossible to figure out whether Americans were claiming too much money from the government, the tax agency's auditor said Tuesday. Published June 9, 2015
Obamacare now ‘reality’ as Supreme Court decision looms, president says
Weeks before a major Supreme Court ruling that could kneecap his signature achievement, President Obama defended his health overhaul Tuesday as an historic achievement that will lift up millions for years to come, dismissing its steady stream of political and legal headwinds as stubborn attempts to "ignore reality." Published June 9, 2015
Obamacare subsidy court ruling shakes Pennsylvania, Delaware, not other states
More than 30 of states face the loss of federal health care subsidies should the Supreme Court rule against the Obama administration this month, but only two -- Pennsylvania and Delaware -- have signaled that they are considering further embracing Obamacare in a bid to head off the effects of the ruling. Published June 8, 2015
Obamacare still unpopular, but still wanted: poll
A majority of people say the Supreme Court shouldn't gut Obamacare this month by striking down subsidies in more than 30 states that use the federal Healthcare.gov website, according to a new poll that nonetheless finds support for the law itself waning. Published June 8, 2015
Obamacare repeal deadline set by GOP
Top GOP lawmakers in Congress have given themselves seven weeks to turn a powerful, if limited and unwieldy, budget tool into a long-sought bill to repeal Obamacare. Published June 7, 2015
Senate formally begins process to repeal Obamacare
The Senate Budget Committee sent formal instructions Friday to committees tasked with leveraging a fast-track budget tool to chalk up a major, if symbolic, GOP victory: the repeal of Obamacare. Published June 5, 2015
Ted Cruz: Empty witness table shows contempt for Americans
Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the Obama administration Thursday for refusing to let Treasury officials testify on how they interpreted the subsidy portion of Obamacare, a topic at the heart of a major Supreme Court decision due this month. Published June 4, 2015
GOP offers another Obamacare alternative
House conservatives unveiled another alternative to Obamacare Thursday, insisting market-oriented changes are better than the 2010 law's mandates and subsidies as Republicans try to coalesce around a permanent replacement. Published June 4, 2015
Marijuana votes signal growing support in Congress for legalized pot protections
Congress' openness toward marijuana use continues to grow, with the House voting Wednesday to prevent the Justice Department from meddling in states that allow medicinal use of the drug and signaling growing support for even broader protections of legalized pot. Published June 3, 2015
House votes to shield medical marijuana users from feds
The House voted Wednesday to ban federal drug agents from pursuing people who use medicinal marijuana where its legal, although a parallel and unprecedented effort to shield all state pot laws fell short by just 16 votes. Published June 3, 2015
Insurers seek hefty rate hikes ahead of Obamacare’s third year
Insurers are planning double-digit rate hikes ahead of Obamacare's third year, eliciting a told-you-so outcry from the law's opponents who said the health law is to blame for boosting the price of care and forcing those costs onto consumers. Published June 2, 2015
