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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.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat (AP Photo)

Feinstein: Obama maybe ‘too cautious’ on Islamic State, but plans are underway

The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday that President Obama is notably cautious — "maybe, in this instance, too cautious" — but insisted the U.S. and its allies will coalesce behind a plan to beat back the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria before their well-funded sources take Baghdad. Published August 31, 2014

FILE - In this July 17, 2014, file photo,. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., gestures as she speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Menendez threatened Thursday, July 24, to block U.S. arms sales to Iraq if Congress doesn't get an assessment of Iraqi forces and assurances the weapons won't fall into the hands of extremist militants.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Robert Menendez: Russia has launched a direct attack on Ukraine

Sen. Robert Menendez said Sunday that eastern Ukraine is under direct attack by Russia and that Western allies should seriously consider military assistance, although not troops on the ground, to repel President Vladimir Putin's designs in the region. Published August 31, 2014

** FILE ** Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican. (Associated Press)

Rep. Mike Rogers: Obama’s foreign policy is in “free fall”

President Obama's foreign policy is in "absolute free-fall" amid the rise of the Islamic State, and Western allies no longer view the U.S. as a leader in confronting religious extremism in the Middle East, the House intelligence chairman said Sunday. Published August 31, 2014

Sen. Tom Coburn says federal seasonal and temporary workers were included on rosters — thereby sidestepping Obamacare penalties. (Associated Press)

Coburn: Feds may have broken law on employer mandate

Sen. Tom Coburn wants to know whether the Obama administration violated the law by making it easier for seasonal and temporary workers in the federal government to get health coverage — perhaps so the feds would not be penalized under Obamacare's "employer mandate." Published August 28, 2014

**FILE** Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican (Associated Press)

Coburn: Did feds illegally skirt Obamacare employer mandate?

Sen. Tom Coburn wants to know if the Obama administration violated the law by making it easier for seasonal and temporary workers in the federal government to get health coverage — perhaps so the feds would not be penalized under Obamacare's "employer mandate." Published August 28, 2014

FILE - In this Dec 10, 2013 file photo, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, center, talks about problems with Maryland’s health care exchange in Baltimore. Joshua Sharfstein, Maryland’s health secretary, is standing to the right, and Carolyn Quattrocki, the interim director of the exchange, is standing to the left. With the open enrollment deadline approaching, some states running their own health insurance exchanges are focused less on getting robust sign-ups than on avoiding total disaster. Nevada, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland and Oregon are among the states facing severe technical and administrative problems, which have led to firings of top officials and contract cancellations for key software companies. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

Harris: Subpoenas sent in Maryland health exchange probe

A Maryland congressman announced Tuesday the Health and Human Services Department's inspector general has issued subpoenas to get to the bottom of what went wrong with his state's Obamacare exchange. Published August 26, 2014

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press)

Obamacare contracts soar past estimates, audit finds

At least a third of the contracts the administration inked to help implement Obamacare are over budget, an inspector general's audit reported Tuesday, highlighting the health program's potential to inflate costs. Published August 26, 2014

We're making it needlessly difficult for Americans to save and invest. That hurts job growth and depresses wages. (Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Obamacare tax forms may pose challenge for enrollees, exchanges

Obamacare customers won't be able to file their tax returns next year until the government sends them a form detailing their coverage and tax credits, and if those forms are late some taxpayers could face a delay in seeking their refunds. Published August 20, 2014

** FILE ** In this file photo taken June 14, 2014, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor rides the the Pink Tomato Festival parade as he campaigns in Warren, Ark. Pryor is being challenged by Republican Congressman Tom Cotton in a campaign that began about one year ago. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Sen. Mark Pryor releases a rare pro-Obamacare ad

Sen. Mark Pryor's re-election campaign released an ad Wednesday that touts a part of Obamacare — a rarity among Democrats hoping to stave off attacks derived from the law's negative headlines and poor polling numbers. Published August 20, 2014

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign is hitting Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes for renting a bus acquired by her father's company for less than what other similar services would charge. (Associated Press)

Grimes takes heat over family discount on bus

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign is hitting Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes for renting a bus acquired by her father's company for less than what other similar services would charge — a discrepancy legal experts say could be considered an illegal in-kind contribution. Published August 19, 2014

** FILE ** Michael Wilson, left, a certified Cover California insurance agent, explains a health insurance plan to Jose Gomez and his wife, Laura, at a registration site hosted by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, Monday, March 31, 2014, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Obamacare suffers bad news on cost, tax fronts

The Obamacare program got a double dose of bad news Tuesday as a federal watchdog reported its tax on medical devices is bringing in less money than expected, while a Federal Reserve study warned that many private companies expect to see their health costs soar because of the president's signature health law. Published August 19, 2014

While Democratic Sen. Mark L. Pryor voted for the Affordable Care Act, his campaign ads in Arkansas focus on attacking Republican opponent Tom Cotton's position on Medicare. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

Democrats ignore gains in coverage under Obamacare

Arkansas and Kentucky have been Southern pioneers in rolling out Obamacare and getting their residents covered this year, but Democratic Senate candidates in those states aren't boasting about it in their campaign ads. Published August 18, 2014

FILE - In this April 1, 2014, file photo, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama scored a rare win in his 5-year-old campaign to close the federal prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a Senate panel approved giving him the authority to transfer terror suspects to the United States if Congress signs off on a comprehensive plan to shutter the facility. Levin hailed the defense bill provision as a significant change in the long standoff between the Obama administration and bipartisan congressional opponents over the post-Sept. 11 prison for terror suspects. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

Top Dem vows review of police access to military equipment

The top Senate Democrat overseeing the military said Friday that Congress will reexamine the programs that allow state and local authorities to buy or borrow military equipment, as the backlash against heavily armed and armored police grows. Published August 15, 2014