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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2015 file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. The government's insurance website is faster and easier to use, but as a third sign-up season gets underway, President Barack Obama's health care law is approaching limits. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

White House touts Obamacare in year-end push

The administration on Monday told the uninsured to log onto HealthCare.gov and select a plan within 24 hours so they are covered by Jan. 1 and avoid a tax penalty under Obamacare.

December 14, 2015
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) ** FILE **

7 in 10 Kentuckians want to keep Medicaid expansion

More than 70 percent of Kentuckians don't want Gov.-elect Matt Bevin to scale back the state's Medicaid program, according to a survey released Friday that paints a complex portrait of Obamacare politics as the Republican takes charge.

December 11, 2015

Congress rushes to pass spending extension to avert shutdown

The White House practically dared congressional Republicans Thursday to shut down the government over "ideologically motivated" proposals they want to attach to a must-pass government spending bill, even as President Obama's Democratic allies roiled the delicate talks by demanding an end to a ban on federal research into the causes of gun violence.

December 10, 2015
At a news conference following a closed-door GOP caucus meeting, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dismisses Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments on Muslims, saying such views are "not what this party stands for and more importantly it's not what this country stands for," at the Republican National Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Paul Ryan downplays hiccups in funding talks

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted Thursday that an ever-slipping deadline to fund the government and avert a Christmastime shutdown is the byproduct of attempts to "get it right" before a looming holiday break.

December 10, 2015
Sen. Ben Sasse, Nebraska Republican (Associated Press)

Obamacare co-op in Maine to suspend 2016 enrollment

An Obamacare co-op that offered one of the program's few success stories said Wednesday it will suspend enrollment for 2016, marking another black eye for nonprofit plans that were supposed to give consumers a leg up in the marketplace.

December 9, 2015
"Some questioned whether Washington could ever agree on a replacement for No Child Left Behind. They needn't question any longer," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican. (Associated Press)

Senate passes rewrite of No Child Left Behind law

Congress approved a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education law Wednesday as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle linked arms to retreat from expansive national tests and return to states the decisions on how students, teachers and schools will be judged.

December 9, 2015
In this Dec. 1, 2015 photo, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., departs a news conference following a GOP strategy session at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. From left are Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., chair of the Republican Conference, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Speaker Ryan, and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. After months where tea party lawmakers provoked crisis and unrest in Congress, even driving out a speaker, GOP leaders have turned to the business of governing, pushing forward a series of bills destined to get a presidential signature. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Paul Ryan says Congress may miss Friday funding deadline

House Speaker Paul Ryan warned Monday that Congress might not meet a Friday deadline to fund the government and approve a series of tax breaks for firms and individuals, meaning its lengthy to-do list could nudge up against Capitol Hill's holiday break.

December 7, 2015
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2015 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., joined by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Talks on a massive, government-wide spending bill hit a snag Wednesday as Republicans pressed demands to block new power plant rules, weaken financial services regulations and make it more difficult for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Republican repeal of Obamacare heads to president’s desk

Senate Republicans brushed aside five years of frustration Thursday and fast-tracked an Obamacare repeal bill to President Obama's desk, fulfilling their pledge to hold Democrats and the White House accountable for a 2010 law they still view as fiscally ruinous and politically misguided.

December 4, 2015