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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

FILE - In this Oct. 23, 2015 file photo, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. walks from his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. The honeymoon might be over before it even begins for House Speaker-in-waiting Paul Ryan when he is elevated to the top job this week. The Wisconsin Republican, on track to prevail in secret-ballot GOP elections Wednesday and in a full House vote Thursday, would take over the speaker’s chair at a moment of chaos notable even for a Congress where crisis has become routine. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Paul Ryan nominated for speaker by Republicans

House Republicans nominated Rep. Paul Ryan Wednesday to be their next speaker, surfacing from a turbulent month of party soul-searching to rally behind the rising star from Wisconsin and place him second in line to the presidency.

October 28, 2015
"It's a solid agreement, and I told my colleagues there isn't any reason why any member should vote against this," House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said after making a plea — likely his last as speaker — for support for another controversial measure. (Associated Press)

Budget deal: Social Security fixes give Republicans small victory

The budget deal that Republican and Democratic leaders reached this week makes the biggest changes to Social Security in decades, giving Republicans a small victory as they try to sell the agreement to skeptical advocacy groups in Washington and voters back home.

October 27, 2015
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Ex-Im Bank reauthorized by House

The House voted Tuesday to revive the federal Export-Import Bank, capping an unusual end-run around GOP leaders and vexing conservatives who say the lapsed credit agency corrupted the free market and should fade away.

October 27, 2015
In this photo taken Oct. 6, 2015, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. The Obama administration says it’s strengthening privacy protections for consumers on the government’s health insurance website ahead of a new sign-up season starting Nov. 1. In a blog Friday, HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan says the web page will have a new ‘privacy manager’ that lets consumers opt out of embedded connections to third-party advertising, analytics and social media sites. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Obamacare premiums to increase 7.5 percent on midrange plans

Consumers seeking 2016 coverage on the federal Obamacare exchange will see an average premium increase of 7.5 percent on vital mid-tier plans, the administration said Monday in an enrollment-season preview that shows a bigger bump in prices than last year, as insurers get a feel for the new marketplace.

October 26, 2015
President Barack Obama shares a humorous moment with a group of doctors from around the country in the Oval Office, Oct. 5, 2009, prior to a health insurance reform event at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Another Obamacare suit wends its way to Supreme Court

Obamacare opponents are asking the Supreme Court, once again, to invalidate the massive health overhaul, pushing an appeal that says Congress violated the Constitution's "origination clause" requiring the House to kickstart revenue-raising bills.

October 26, 2015
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Republican hard-liners circumvent GOP leadership on Ex-Im bank

Many of the same centrist Republicans who complained about conservatives stabbing the GOP in the back on congressional procedures are behind the effort to circumvent their own leaders and force a vote on the divisive Export-Import Bank.

October 25, 2015
The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington on Oct. 6, 2015. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

HHS unveils HealthCare.gov 3.0

The administration on Friday said consumers will find a sleeker, easier-to-use HealthCare.gov when Obamacare's third round of sign-ups begins Nov. 1.

October 23, 2015
In this Oct. 7, 2015, photo, outgoing House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio listens at right as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., speaks during a new conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Boehner wants out. He really does. But the Ohio House Republican is staying put, for now _ and that could improve the chances for a debt limit increase by early next month to avoid a market-shattering government default and possibly a bipartisan budget deal to head off a government shutdown in December. Conservative hardliners have already forced Boehner to announce he’s leaving and then caused further chaos by blocking the ascension of McCarthy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

House votes to gut Obamacare through budget process

The House voted Friday to scrap Obamacare's most unpopular mandates and taxes, putting in motion a plan to dismantle the law through the budget process despite Democratic derision and conservative-driven complaints the bill doesn't go far enough.

October 23, 2015