Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Romney on Iraq: ‘Bad things happen as a result of inaction’
Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Sunday joined the chorus of people criticizing President Obama for his inaction as Iraq dissolves into chaos. Published June 15, 2014
Rogers: Decisive U.S. action needed in Iraq
Rep. Mike Rogers said Sunday the United States needs to act quickly and decisively with its Arab partners to quell the wave of extremists who are taking control of key Iraqi cities, before it's too late. Published June 15, 2014
GOP congressmen say McCarthy is frontrunner to succeed Cantor
A pair of congressional Republicans indicated Sunday that House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy has the tools to win next week's vote to succeed Rep. Eric Cantor as majority leader. Published June 15, 2014
Cantor: ‘No regrets’ after stunning primary defeat
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Sunday he has "no regrets" about the build-up to his stunning Republican primary loss that toppled him from the No. 2 spot in the chamber. Published June 15, 2014
Eric Cantor loss puts Obamacare alternative in jeopardy
One major casualty of Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss this week could be the final chance for House Republicans to pass a substitute to Obamacare this year — likely dooming the second half of the party's "repeal and replace" campaign mantra. Published June 12, 2014
GOP lawmakers take aim at Obamacare ‘bailout’ once again
Congressional Republicans called on new Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to reveal whether her agency plans to make an "unlawful" payments under an Obamacare program that protects against insurer losses — a provision the GOP has derided as a "bailout." Published June 11, 2014
Social Security chief spars with GOP over funding, discipline for judges who grant most claims
House Republicans told Social Security's acting chief Wednesday to find a way to discipline and fire a number of "outlier" judges who approve nearly all the federal disability claims that rise to their level of review. Published June 11, 2014
Medicaid expansion spurs partisan battles in state capitals
Obamacare has taken center stage in the nationwide battle to win control of the Senate. But when it comes to a key pillar of the law — expanding Medicaid — the trail of political drama still leads to state capitals, not Washington. Published June 10, 2014
18 states want to delay key part of Obamacare’s small-business marketplace
Eighteen states have decided not to move forward in 2015 with an aspect of Obamacare that provides more choice for employees using small-business health exchanges, a "transitional policy" that Republican lawmakers will point to as yet another delay to the controversial overhaul. Published June 10, 2014
Reps. clash with Social Security judges: ‘You may be a judge but you’re not God’
Social Security chief Carolyn W. Colvin is set to tell Congress on Wednesday that if lawmakers want to cut down on judges approving bogus disability claims, they will have to pony up more money. Published June 10, 2014
Delay for Obamacare website for small businesses forces states to rethink options
President Obama hailed the effects of his health care law this spring when 8 million Americans signed up on the individual market, but the Obamacare marketplace for small businesses remains a work in progress. Published June 8, 2014
Obamacare ‘tax’ to collect $3 billion less than projected
Two million fewer people will pay an Obamacare penalty for lacking insurance in 2016, a $3 billion drop in revenue that government auditors Thursday attributed to the Obama administration's multiple new exemptions and to changes in the nation's economic outlook. Published June 5, 2014
Senate confirms Burwell as HHS secretary, new face of Obamacare
Government auditors said Thursday that 2 million fewer people will pay an Obamacare penalty for lacking insurance in 2016 than previously thought, marking yet another shift in the law's landscape as the government's top health agency welcomes a new leader. Published June 5, 2014
McConnell uses Burwell vote to bash Obamacare
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said Sylvia Mathews Burwell's willingness to implement Obamacare "calls her policy judgment into question" and is enough for him to oppose her nomination as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. Published June 5, 2014
HHS nominee Sylvia Mathews Burwell passes test vote in Senate
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Obama's pick to see Obamacare into its second season, easily cleared a key Senate hurdle Wednesday, putting her on track to be confirmed as the next Health and Human Services secretary in a final vote Thursday. Published June 4, 2014
Republicans’ attempts at Obamacare replacement stall
The GOP push to replace Obamacare is stuck in neutral, with Republicans deeply fractured over what to do and fearful of giving President Obama and his Democratic allies an easy target ahead of November's elections. Published June 3, 2014
Rep. Sam Graves: Where are the Obamacare numbers from small businesses?
President Obama hailed his health care law's 8 million customers this spring, but a member of Congress wants to know why he can't get a tally for the law's small-business exchange. Published June 3, 2014
Russia gears up for World Cup, despite protests from U.S. senators
Russia national soccer team coach Fabio Cappello on Monday named the 23 players he will take to the World Cup — a team that, if two U.S. senators had their way, would not be heading to Brazil in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's questionable role in the deadly unrest that's roiling Ukraine. Published June 2, 2014
Ky. Gov. Beshear knocks McConnell over his position on Obamacare exchange
Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear is criticizing Sen. Mitch McConnell for suggesting the survival of the state's health exchange — kynect — is unconnected to the fate of Obamacare itself. Published May 30, 2014
McConnell leads Grimes by 7 points in new poll
With the Kentucky party primaries for U.S. Senate in the books, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell now holds a 7-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, according to a new poll. Published May 30, 2014
