Tom Howell Jr.

Capitol Hill spending clashes revive shutdown fears

Congress returned from its July 4 recess Tuesday fumbling for a way to avert a second government shutdown in three years, as GOP majorities forged ahead with spending bills that President Obama has threatened to veto, saying they're insufficient to meet the nation's needs and are beholden to misguided spending caps.

July 7, 2015

Steny Hoyer pleads with GOP to drop sequester to avoid shutdown

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said Tuesday it is time for the GOP to relent and jettison the so-called sequester caps on spending as the parties march toward a possible government shutdown this fall.

July 7, 2015

Obamacare premium hikes, exhange woes persist as hurdles despite Supreme Court win

President Obama says it's time to move on, but challenges abound for Obamacare, even if it's on a firmer legal ground.

July 6, 2015

Voter ID laws’ impact on election turnout unclear as Democrats allege disenfranchisement

Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Democratic allies are shining a bright light on voter ID laws and other perceived roadblocks to the ballot box, yet drawing a straight line from laws designed to crack down on fraud to low turnout in a single contest is notably difficult, analysts say, and data on the most recent elections tend to lag behind the fast-moving debate.

July 5, 2015

Religious nonprofits not losing faith after latest failed Obamacare birth control mandate appeal

Religious nonprofits hoping to force yet another Obamacare showdown before the Supreme Court haven't chalked up the appellate win they need to put the issue on a glide path to the justices, but they aren't losing faith, saying it's only a matter of time before their legal campaign pays off.

July 2, 2015

Obama takes health care victory lap in Tenn., urges partisans to expand, improve law

President Obama urged his critics Wednesday to abandon their Obamacare repeal agenda and work to strengthen the law, saying its latest victory before the Supreme Court sent a clear signal that it's time to move on.

July 1, 2015

Ex-Im Bank’s website: Sorry, no new business

Visitors to the federal Export-Import Bank's website were greeted by a stark message Wednesday that announced its sudden inability to do new business.

July 1, 2015

House Democrats blast GOP leadership on Ex-Im expiration

House Democrats blasted GOP leaders Tuesday for allowing the Export-Import Bank to expire at the stroke of midnight, saying a measure to reauthorize the agency would easily pass both chambers and preserve thousands of jobs.

June 30, 2015

New Ebola case reported in Liberia, weeks after nation declared virus-free

Officials in Liberia say they've confirmed a new Ebola case, marking its first brush with the deadly virus since the outbreak was declared over in the West African nation more than a month ago.

June 30, 2015

Supreme Court upholds use of independent boards to draw congressional districts

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can use independent commissions to redraw their congressional districts, turning away a challenge by Arizona lawmakers who said the Constitution clearly vested that power in state legislatures alone.

June 29, 2015

Obamacare, gay marriage Supreme Court rulings force states to change laws

Pivotal Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage and Obamacare are reverberating in the states, where some officials are slow-walking overnight changes to their marriage laws and others want to retool their approaches to health care reform now that federal subsidies are on firm footing in all the states.

June 28, 2015

Paul Ryan, Ways and Means chairman, hits Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare subsidies

Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan chided Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on the court's decision to uphold Obamacare's subsidies in all the states.

June 28, 2015

Bobby Jindal, Louisiana governor, says state will comply with Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said his state will comply, with the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

June 28, 2015

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina senator, calls for Confederate flag’s removal from Statehouse

Lindsey Graham says the Confederate flag has become a "roadblock to the future of my state."

June 28, 2015

Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate, notes his appeal among minorities, common-sense gun rights

Bernie Sanders says he will garner support from minority voters during the Democratic presidential primary cycle.

June 28, 2015

Mike Huckabee, GOP presidential candidate, hits Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling

Mike Huckabee says the Supreme Court's decision to affirm same-sex marriage couples' will put Christian pastors and business owners in a bind.

June 28, 2015

Michael McCaul, House Homeland Security chairman, warns of terror threats for Fourth of July

Attacks abroad and "chatter" about potential U.S. attacks must prompt vigilance during the Fourth of July, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman says.

June 28, 2015

Donald Trump, GOP presidential candidate, gives in-depth CNN interview

Donald Trump is trying to have it both ways amid a range of social, economic and political issues as he chalks up better-than-expected poll numbers ahead of the GOP's 2016 presidential primary contests.

June 28, 2015

Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision ripples through the states

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold Obamacare's subsidies on the federal exchange is reverberating in states that had been retooling their approach to the health care law, or at least girding for a more dramatic outcome to the closely watched case.

June 26, 2015

Boehner: Undecided on whether to repeal Obamacare with budget tool

House Speaker John A. Boehner refused to say Thursday whether the GOP will use a fast-track budget tool to target Obamacare, moments after the Supreme Court upheld the law's subsidies in dozens of states.

June 25, 2015