Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
GOP divided over Obama’s Medicaid money offer
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer shocked many observers this month by opting to expand the Medicaid program in her state as part of President Obama's health care law, saying it was a good economic deal, even as her Republican counterparts in states like Georgia flatly rejected the option. Published January 23, 2013
Small change in license plate on limo speaks volumes to D.C.
President Obama's second inauguration was marked by pomp and grandeur, lofty rhetoric and large reviewing stands for VIPs, but many in the nation's capital were fixated on three words about 1 inch tall. Published January 21, 2013
Obama act gives healthy business to tax preparers
Critics have long derided President Obama's signature health care law as a job killer. Published January 21, 2013
‘Obamacare’ contraception mandate hits legal hurdles
President Obama's mandate that most private companies provide health insurance plans that cover the costs of contraceptives has met with considerable headwinds in the legal system, where nine of the 14 federal courts to rule so far have sided with employers who say the mandate violates their beliefs and infringes on their religious liberties. Published January 17, 2013
Obama to use D.C. ‘taxation’ plates on his limo
President Obama has agreed to place license plates on his presidential limousine that call attention to the District’s lack of voting rights in Congress, White House officials said Tuesday. Published January 15, 2013
States struggling over Obama’s health care law
Like many Republican elected leaders, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is not exactly thrilled about Obamacare's march toward full implementation in 2014. Published January 15, 2013
Panel OKs plebiscite on budget autonomy
The D.C. Board of Elections on Tuesday rejected arguments from the city's top lawyer and will let voters decide this spring if they want to divorce the city's local budget from the spending process on Capitol Hill — a long-sought goal known as "budget autonomy." Published January 8, 2013
D.C. elections board approves budget autonomy referendum
The D.C. Board of Elections on Tuesday rejected arguments from the city's top lawyer and will let voters decide this spring if they want to divorce the city's local budget from the spending process on Capitol Hill — a long-sought goal known as "budget autonomy." Published January 8, 2013
D.C. AG says budget autonomy referendum is wrong approach
D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan asked city election officials on Monday to reject a ballot question designed to free the city's local budget from the grip of Congress, citing the maneuver's shaky legal ground and potential backlash from powerful politicians on Capitol Hill. Published January 7, 2013
States surrender to health care law, set up exchanges
President Obama's signature health care reforms are accelerating into the new year, with a growing number of state-run insurance markets getting the green light from the federal government, even as critics decry the law as a dagger to small businesses and a tea party icon attempts to repeal it for the 34th time. Published January 6, 2013
GOP eyes shutdown as ‘fiscal sanity’ jolt
The appetite for a government shutdown is growing among Republicans, who shied away from one during the debt and spending fights in the last Congress but now say one may be needed. Published January 4, 2013
Senate welcomes new members
After two years marked with partisan gridlock, the Senate kicked off the new Congress on Thursday with 13 new members and welcomed back Sen. Mark Kirk, who made an emotional return to the Capitol after suffering a stroke almost a year ago. Published January 3, 2013
Religious diversity in Congress expands list of holy texts
The Bible and Torah, for years the standard religious texts used to swear in members of Congress, have been joined by the Constitution, the Koran — and, Thursday, for the first time ever, the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita. Published January 3, 2013
Boehner sets votes on Sandy relief after taking bipartisan criticism
After withering criticism from New Jersey and New York lawmakers, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Wednesday that his chamber will rush immediate Superstorm Sandy relief money through Congress on Friday, and take up a bigger bill by the middle of the month. Published January 2, 2013
Bill leaves out national memorial to WWI veterans
Congress approved a bill on Monday that makes sure the 100-year anniversary of World War I is recognized in the coming years, but a long-sought memorial to Americans who fought and died in the Great War is not part of the deal. Published December 31, 2012
New year rings in new laws for gays, Web privacy, bears
Employers and college officials in several states no longer can ask people to pony up their Facebook passwords. Drivers in Florida earn the right to warn fellow motorists of cops lurking around the bend. And folks in California cannot let their dogs chase bears or bobcats "at any time," even for hunting. Published December 31, 2012
First marijuana growers in D.C. clear regulatory hurdles
Fifteen years after voters gave the green-light to a medical marijuana program in the nation’s capital, a pair of locations approved to grow or sell the drug have cleared regulatory hurdles and will set up shop a few months into the new year, according to city officials. Published December 25, 2012
Metro adds hour to get Redskins fans home after game
Metro will keep its trains running for an extra hour Sunday night when the Washington Redskins take on the rival Dallas Cowboys at home in their drive for a playoff spot. Published December 24, 2012
Mayor Gray says D.C. should ‘double down’ on gun restrictions
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said his city should "double down" on gun laws that are among the most stringent in the country, as leaders in the nation's capital and other cities view the sudden debate over guns as a pressing issue that afflicts youth both inside and outside of school walls. Published December 21, 2012
Census: D.C. growing faster than most states
New census data show the nation's capital is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, adding more than 30,000 residents since early 2010 and recently eclipsing Vermont in overall population. Published December 20, 2012
