Tom Howell Jr.

Obamacare still unpopular, but still wanted: poll

A majority of people say the Supreme Court shouldn't gut Obamacare this month by striking down subsidies in more than 30 states that use the federal Healthcare.gov website, according to a new poll that nonetheless finds support for the law itself waning.

June 8, 2015

Obamacare repeal deadline set by GOP

Top GOP lawmakers in Congress have given themselves seven weeks to turn a powerful, if limited and unwieldy, budget tool into a long-sought bill to repeal Obamacare.

June 7, 2015

Senate formally begins process to repeal Obamacare

The Senate Budget Committee sent formal instructions Friday to committees tasked with leveraging a fast-track budget tool to chalk up a major, if symbolic, GOP victory: the repeal of Obamacare.

June 5, 2015

Ted Cruz: Empty witness table shows contempt for Americans

Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the Obama administration Thursday for refusing to let Treasury officials testify on how they interpreted the subsidy portion of Obamacare, a topic at the heart of a major Supreme Court decision due this month.

June 4, 2015

GOP offers another Obamacare alternative

House conservatives unveiled another alternative to Obamacare Thursday, insisting market-oriented changes are better than the 2010 law's mandates and subsidies as Republicans try to coalesce around a permanent replacement.

June 4, 2015

Marijuana votes signal growing support in Congress for legalized pot protections

Congress' openness toward marijuana use continues to grow, with the House voting Wednesday to prevent the Justice Department from meddling in states that allow medicinal use of the drug and signaling growing support for even broader protections of legalized pot.

June 3, 2015

House votes to shield medical marijuana users from feds

The House voted Wednesday to ban federal drug agents from pursuing people who use medicinal marijuana where its legal, although a parallel and unprecedented effort to shield all state pot laws fell short by just 16 votes.

June 3, 2015

Insurers seek hefty rate hikes ahead of Obamacare’s third year

Insurers are planning double-digit rate hikes ahead of Obamacare's third year, eliciting a told-you-so outcry from the law's opponents who said the health law is to blame for boosting the price of care and forcing those costs onto consumers.

June 2, 2015

HHS: 10 million have paid Obamacare premiums

About 6.4 million people could lose their Obamacare subsidies if the Supreme Court rules against the administration later this month, according to an official update Tuesday that said more than 10 million Americans had effectuated their coverage by paying their premiums through the end of March.

June 2, 2015

House panel votes to repeal Obamacare’s medical device tax

A powerful House committee approved a bill Tuesday to repeal Obamacare's medical device tax, a provision that's been criticized by members of both parties as a misguided way to pay for the health overhaul.

June 2, 2015

Kevin McCarthy resists push to remove Dennis Hastert portrait from Capitol: ‘Premature’

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday addressed criminal charges against former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who was indicted by a grand jury this week on charges of hiding currency and lying to FBI officials about it.

June 1, 2015

Kevin McCarthy to Senate: Just send our Patriot Act rewrite to Obama

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told the Senate Monday to swiftly take up and pass a bipartisan rewrite of the Patriot Act that extends major snooping powers while curtailing its controversial record-collection provision, saying he has a "real concern for the safety of the U.S." after persistent roadblocks in the upper chamber allowed key anti-terror tools to expire.

June 1, 2015

Supreme Court sides with Muslim teen over Abercrombie in headscarf case

The Supreme Court sided Monday with a Muslim teenager who couldn't get a job at Abercrombie and Fitch because her headscarf conflicted with the chain's dress policy, saying it is up to employers to accommodate religious practices even if candidates don't point out their needs.

June 1, 2015

Federal judge skeptical of White House bid to toss John Boehner’s suit over Obamacare

A federal judge struggled Thursday with the administration's claim the House GOP is pushing an "abstract" lawsuit against Obamacare that should be tossed, signaling she'll take a hard look at Speaker John A. Boehner's controversial bid to highlight the separation of powers between Congress and the presidency -- and the judiciary's right to referee their disputes.

May 28, 2015

Obamacare foes seek end to losing streak at Supreme Court

Obamacare opponents have been on a losing streak in federal courts over the past year, suffering setbacks as judges have ruled against them on challenges to the health care law's constitutionality and efforts to carve out protections from its birth control rules on faith-based employers.

May 27, 2015

U.S. Capitol being evacuated

The U.S. Capitol was reopened Tuesday afternoon after having been evacuated for an hour in an apparent false fire alarm that sent hundreds of workers streaming from the seat of government.

May 26, 2015

Florida Gov. Rick Scott decries Obama strong-arm tactics on health care funding

Florida lawmakers say they're closer to averting a government shutdown this summer after the Obama administration moved to defuse a health-funding standoff with Republican Gov. Rick Scott that has featured a lawsuit, comparisons to a TV mob family and personal pleas to Congress.

May 24, 2015

Adam Schiff: Senate should fix its ‘catastrophe’ with House-backed security bill

Rep. Adam Schiff of California urged the Senate on Sunday to quickly resolve its standoff over the government's snooping powers by passing a bill that has sailed through the House in a bipartisan vote.

May 24, 2015

Ohio Gov. John Kasich edges closer to 2016 run

Ohio Gov. John Kasich hinted Sunday that he is ready to jump into the GOP race for president, saying he's "very optimistic about where we're headed."

May 24, 2015

Ohio Gov. John Kasich praises peaceful protests in Cleveland following cop acquittal

Ohio Gov. John Kasich praised Cleveland for its peaceful protests after a judge acquitted a white police offer of manslaughter in the shooting deaths of two unarmed black motorists.

May 24, 2015