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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

** FILE ** Tea party supporter William Temple of Brunswick, Ga., protests President Obama's health care law outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Thursday, June 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Looking for budget cuts? GOP suggests checking out Obamacare

Republican lawmakers say the costs of implementing President Obama's health care law represent a ripe target for money-saving cuts, as Congress fights over the best way to avert an automatic and indiscriminate budget ax set to come down Friday.

February 27, 2013
President Obama speaks at the unveiling of a statue of Rosa Parks on Feb. 27, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press)

Obama, Hill leaders unveil Rosa Parks statue

President Obama and leaders of Congress dedicated a statue of civil-rights hero Rosa Parks on Wednesday in a moving ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, marking the first time a black woman has been honored with a place in National Statuary Hall.

February 27, 2013
Attorneys General Tim Fox (left) of Montana, Patrick Morrisey (center) of West Virginia and John W. Suthers of Colorado said Tuesday that the Obama administration has undermined their authority by failing to lead on issues that require states to cede to federal supremacy. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times)

Republican attorneys general see Obama misuse of power

Top Republican legal officials say the Obama administration is reneging on key duties such as border security while overstepping its role through health care mandates and tight regulation of the energy industry, a trend that has led states to heighten their defenses against federal intrusion.

February 26, 2013
** FILE ** In this Jan. 7, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with Defense Secretary-nominee, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais. File)

Richard Shelby’s switch has Chuck Hagel on verge of confirmation

Republican Sen. Richard C. Shelby said Thursday he will support Chuck Hagel's bid to become secretary of defense, nudging the contentious pick to the verge of confirmation even as 15 Republicans senators were urging President Obama to abandon his pick to run the Pentagon.

February 21, 2013
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (Associated Press)

Fla. Gov. Scott will expand Fla. Medicaid program

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday became the latest Republican to green-light the expansion of Medicaid under the President Obama's health-care law, a move that follows in the footsteps of other state leaders who opposed the president's reforms and then accepted federal dollars to insure more low-income residents.

February 20, 2013
**FILE** Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican (Associated Press)

GOP lawmakers join legal fight against Obama contraception mandate

Eleven Republican members of Congress are challenging the contraception insurance mandate in President Obama's health care law by formally backing Hobby Lobby, the Oklahoma-based chain of crafts stores whose owners say they must choose between their Christian beliefs and insuring women's birth control and other preventative services.

February 20, 2013

Nonprofits take contraception issue to court

Religious nonprofits have begun to respond in court to the plan the Obama administration offered this month to shelter them from a mandate requiring certain employers to insure contraception — and it's probably not what the White House wanted to hear.

February 19, 2013
Thomas Monaghan founded Ave Maria University near Naples, Fla., which has been granted flexibility from the Obama administration in regards to contraceptive insurance coverage. (Associated Press)

Obamacare and birth control: Religious ties split coverage

Religious employers battling the Obama administration in court over a mandate in the president's health care law requiring them to offer contraceptive and birth control insurance to their employees could summarize their arguments neatly by pointing to the founder of Domino's Pizza.

February 18, 2013
** FILE ** Former Sen. Chuck Hagel stumbled through his Senate confirmation hearing last week, but Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said “the political knives were out for” him. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Republicans vow to hold out for data before vote on Hagel

Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with Chuck Hagel's nomination to be secretary of defense, scheduling a showdown vote for Friday even as top Republicans signaled that they need more information before confirming him for the Pentagon's top civilian post.

February 13, 2013
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, waits Feb. 12, 2013, on Capitol Hill to make a statement in opposition to President Obama's choice to run the Pentagon as the Senate Senate Armed Services Committee considers the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska to be secretary of defense. (Associated Press)

Party-line vote sends Pentagon pick Hagel to Senate floor

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Tuesday along party lines to recommend the nomination of Chuck Hagel as the next secretary of defense, setting up a showdown in the full chamber as outspoken Republicans threatened to thwart the former Nebraska senator's nomination.

February 12, 2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York speaks at a news conference after being elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during the conference's annual fall meeting Tuesday in Baltimore. It marked the first time since the 1960s that the sitting vice president was not elected.

Concession on birth control not sufficient, bishops say

America's Catholic bishops on Thursday rejected President Obama's latest contraception mandate upon religiously affiliated hospitals, schools and charities, saying the rules still don't ensure that people won't be forced to pay for contraceptives to which they morally object.

February 7, 2013
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York said that President Obama has not responded to a letter he wrote about the Catholic Church's concerns. (Associated Press)

Catholics bishops: Obama contraception compromise not enough

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Thursday that President Obama's recent attempt to mollify religious objections to covering contraception as part of his signature health law has fallen short of addressing their concerns.

February 7, 2013
"Each state has its own unique needs. We have different budgets and revenue streams," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. (Associated Press)

GOP governors warily OK expanding Medicaid

Republican governors are warming to the expansion of Medicaid under President Obama's health care law, but their cooperation comes with a common plea to the administration — keep your promises and give us a little flexibility in our backyards, or else the deal is off.

February 7, 2013
Rep. Charles W. Dent, Pennsylvania Republican (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Centrist Republicans push long-term budget fix

Centrist House Republicans say they still want Congress to fix the nation's financial problems through a long-term grand bargain, warning its "ping-pong ball" method of propping up the economy from month to month will end in a crisis that will force even more unpleasant decisions on them.

February 5, 2013
"My challenge to all of you today, and actually my plea to all of you … is help us speed up the rate of change," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. (Associated Press)

Sebelius: ‘Help us speed up’ health care rollout

President Obama's health care law is "here to stay," but cannot fulfill its promise if states do not expand Medicaid and the uninsured do not take advantage of the benefits designed to put coverage within reach of millions more Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday.

February 4, 2013