Tom Howell Jr.

Government shutdown effects mount as shuttered agencies exhaust workarounds, funding

Although the Trump administration has taken extraordinary steps to try to blunt the effects of the partial shutdown, agencies say they are running out of workarounds and the effects are piling up.

January 24, 2019

OPM to federal agencies: Make shutdown less painful; Consider telecommutes, flexible hours

The federal personnel office told agencies Wednesday they should, wherever possible, make the shutdown as painless as possible for "essential" employees forced to work without pay, from allowing them to work remotely to giving them a more flexible start or end to their workday.

January 23, 2019

Federal workers protest at Senate offices, decry ‘temper tantrum’

Federal workers protested the government shutdown on Capitol Hill Wednesday with cheeky signs and 33 minutes of silence to mark each day they've been furloughed or forced to work without pay.

January 23, 2019

Muriel Bowser, D.C. mayor, offers zero-interest loans to workers affected by shutdown

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday the District will offer zero-interest loans of up to $5,000 to people who might not be able to pay their mortgage this month because of the partial federal government shutdown.

January 23, 2019

More than half of Americans support government-run health care: poll

More than half of the public supports a Bernie Sanders-style plan that replaces private coverage with a sweeping, "Medicare for all" style program that imposes a nationwide plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

January 23, 2019

Democrats work to show federal workers’ pain during government shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in Washington overseeing the drama on the partial government shutdown, but his constituents back home are about to get a taste as billboards pop up this week imploring him to bring the episode to a conclusion.

January 22, 2019

Mark Warner to Trump agencies: Explain piecemeal recall of workers

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia asked the Trump administration Tuesday to justify its piecemeal recall of federal workers amid the partial government shutdown, saying he fears the White House is picking "winners and losers" for political expediency.

January 22, 2019

Congo struggles to contain Ebola outbreak

Ebola infections have slowed inside the initial center of the Democratic Republic of Congo's outbreak, but the disease is marching south toward major cites, opening a critical new stage in the epidemic that's already the second worst on record.

January 21, 2019

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants unemployment pay for federal workers

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its refusal to make unemployment insurance available to federal workers who are still on the job amid the shutdown, yet missed their last paycheck and could miss another.

January 20, 2019

Trump admin. approves Arizona’s request to condition Medicaid on work

The Trump administration approved Arizona's request to attach work requirements to Medicaid coverage, making it the eighth state to condition benefits on seeking a job, going to school or otherwise engaging in the community.

January 18, 2019

DC mayor, California governor blast Labor Department’s shutdown guidance

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the Trump administration to reconsider its refusal to make unemployment insurance available to federal workers who are still on the job amid the shutdown, yet missed their last paycheck and could miss another.

January 18, 2019

More government employees being put back to work during shutdown

The State Department said Thursday it has found enough cash to recall most of its employees and to pay them at least one check during the partial government shutdown, adding a new dimension to President Trump's piecemeal plan to blunt the pain.

January 17, 2019

Court postpones lawsuit over shutdown — because of the shutdown

A federal judge froze proceedings Wednesday in a lawsuit that seeks back pay and damages for essential employees forced to work without paychecks during the government shutdown.

January 16, 2019

Treasury union blasts IRS labor recall amid shutdown

A Treasury employee union says the "mass call back" of tens of thousands of workers for the tax-filing season is exactly why it's suing to prevent the administration from forcing members to work "in exchange for only an IOU."

January 16, 2019

IRS recalls major swath of workforce for filing season

Facing tax-filing season, the IRS will recall tens of thousands of employees to work without pay amid the government shutdown, according to a contingency plan released Tuesday.

January 15, 2019

Judge declines to grant immediate pay, other relief to workers in throes of gov’t shutdown

A judge on Tuesday refused to order the Trump administration to pay federal employees kept on the job during the partial shutdown, as the IRS said it was bringing back tens of thousands of employees to process tax returns.

January 15, 2019

Federal judge blocks Trump’s birth control rules nationwide

A federal judge Monday temporarily blocked President Trump's push to exempt a range of companies and religious nonprofits from an Obama-era mandate to insure birth control or submit their objections in writing.

January 14, 2019

House investigators launch probe of soaring drug prices

House Democrats launched a broad probe Monday into high prescription drug costs, saying the rapid rise in prices is "unsustainable" and soaking taxpayers and patients alike.

January 14, 2019

Seven in 10 say health care system is in ‘crisis’ or has ‘major problems’: Poll

Seven in 10 Americans say the U.S. health care system is "in a state of crisis" or has "major problems," according to a Gallup poll that also finds partisanship has colored people's views of the system over the past decade.

January 14, 2019

Trump rules letting employers opt out of birth control coverage blocked

Judge blocks Trump administration rules letting more employers opt out of birth control coverage.

January 13, 2019