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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

** FILE ** Rep. Michael T. McCaul, Texas Republican (Associated Press)

Lawmakers hopeful about Syrian deal, but skepticism abounds

Lawmakers from both parties on Sunday showed guarded optimism for a deal struck by U.S. and Russian officials to put chemical weapons inspectors in Syria by November, with destruction of the Assad regime's stockpiles set for next year.

September 15, 2013
** FILE ** Richard L. Trumka, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations(Associated Press)

Treasury to unions: No Obamacare carve-outs for you

Despite pressure from top labor leaders, the Obama administration said late Friday it cannot extend government subsidies tied to the new health care law to union members with multi-employer health plans.

September 14, 2013
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (left) signs a hat reading "New Jersey stronger than the storm" worn by Linda Batcho, of Seaside Park, N.J., on Sept. 13, 2013, as the governor visited the are where a day earlier a massive fire burned a large portion of the Seaside Park boardwalk in Seaside Park, N.J. The fire, which apparently started in an ice cream shop and spread several blocks, hit the recently repaired boardwalk, which was damaged last year by Superstorm Sandy. (Associated Press)

N.J. Gov. Christie thanks neighboring governors for support after boardwalk fire

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday thanked the governors of New York and Connecticut for offering assistance to the help the Garden State rebuild, once more, a section of seaside boardwalk that was destroyed by fire late Thursday — less than a year after it had been torn apart by Superstorm Sandy.

September 13, 2013
**FILE** Eric Cantor (Associated Press)

Cantor: Clear calendars for spending deal push

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said lawmakers should be ready to work on a short-term spending plan during the last week of September — a week they were supposed to be off — setting up yet another 11th-hour showdown over federal spending in Washington to avert a government shutdown.

September 12, 2013
**FILE** American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) President Richard Trumka addresses members during the group's quadrennial convention at Los Angeles Convention Center on Sept. 9, 2013. (Associated Press)

Top unions push for Obamacare ‘fix’

The nation's top labor organization passed a resolution on Wednesday backing President Obama's new health care law but demanding changes in how it treats union members' multi-employer health insurance plans.

September 12, 2013
**FILE** Speaker of the House John Boehner, Ohio Republican, and GOP leaders talk to reporters following a Republican strategy session at the Capitol on Sept. 10, 2013. (Associated Press)

GOP critics point to Benghazi amid Sept. 11 ceremonies

While federal lawmakers from both parties remember the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Republicans also point to lingering questions from the attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya one year ago.

September 11, 2013
**FILE** President Obama, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, announces the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control on Feb. 10, 2012, at the White House. (Associated Press)

Republicans see security, readiness problems with health care data hub

President Obama's health care law continues to drop in the polls and faces ever more pressure on Capitol Hill, where Republicans on Wednesday said they doubted the data hub at the center of Obamacare either will be ready on time or be secure enough to protect Americans' privacy.

September 11, 2013
**FILE** Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican (Associated Press)

Sen. John McCain: Syrian rebels will feel abandoned

Republican Sen. John McCain said Wednesday President Obama struck an emotional chord with the American public late Tuesday, but he was "very disappointed" that he did not lay out a plan to arm vetted rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 11, 2013

Senate pressed on Obamacare

Top House Republicans on Tuesday challenged Senate Democrats to hold a vote on legislation to defund President Obama's health care law as part of any spending deal this month — but they were facing a potential rebellion within their own ranks because the move wouldn't force an all-or-nothing showdown.

September 10, 2013
Shamu in "Believe," SeaWorld Orlando Florida

Obamacare casualty: SeaWorld’s Shamu

The SeaWorld chain of amusement parks is cutting hours for thousands of its part-time workers from 32 hours per week to 28 hours as of November, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

September 10, 2013
** FILE ** Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican (Associated Press)

GOP rallies support to end Congress’s Obamacare exemption

Rep. Phil Gingrey, Georgia Republican, introduced a bill Tuesday that would reverse the Obama administration's decision to let members of Congress and their staffs retain an employer subsidy that will pay for the lion's share of their health premiums even as they enter new health exchanges tied to Obamacare.

September 10, 2013