Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
House votes to repeal medical device tax
The House voted Thursday to repeal Obamacare's tax on medical devices, setting the stage for a legislative tweak to the contentious health law that could actually make it through Congress. Published June 18, 2015
House Republicans craft Obamacare subsidies alternative ahead of Supreme Court ruling
House Republicans settled on the outlines of a plan Wednesday to wean the country off of Obamacare's subsidies in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling this month that could throw the massive health program into chaos. Published June 17, 2015
House GOP offers plan to deal with Obamacare ruling
House Republicans pushed a plan Wednesday to extend Obamacare's subsidies for the rest of the year if the Supreme Court this month says dozens of states are no longer eligible for the tax credits that have helped millions afford insurance under the law. Published June 17, 2015
NIH teams with Liberia for study of Ebola survivors
The U.S. government is teaming up with Liberia to find out what happens to Ebola survivors in the long run, studying whether previously infected persons can transmit the deadly virus through close or sexual contact and if they've built enough immunity to thwart future infection. Published June 17, 2015
Obama’s Guantanamo transfer power for detainees rejected by House Republicans
House Republicans beat back an effort Tuesday to remove parts of an intelligence bill that would prohibit the use of funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and make it harder for the administration to house the suspected terrorists on U.S. soil. Published June 16, 2015
Loss of Obamacare subsidies would hit the South hardest
Obamacare supporters got personal Tuesday, targeting congressional Republicans whose districts would stand to lose the most if the Supreme Court rules later this month that the administration has been breaking the law in paying part of residents' health insurance costs. Published June 16, 2015
Patent-reform bill hit from both sides of the aisle
A reform bill aimed at cracking down on so-called "patent trolls" is being rushed through the House without adequate debate on what it could do to smaller inventors, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said Tuesday. Published June 16, 2015
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