Skip to main content
Representative Tom Cole logo

A Measure of Success

December 24, 2007
Weekly Columns

Last week Congress finally finished its work for the year and recessed for the Christmas holidays. And while the 2007 congressional scorecard was marked by extreme partisanship, legislative gridlock and political stalemate, I am proud of several accomplishments we were able to achieve in the waning days of the session. Chief among them were heading off a massive middle class tax increase, extending health insurance to the poorest children in America and making sure the brave men and women of our armed forces have the resources necessary to fight and win the war on terror.

In the 11th hour, Congress passed legislation that blocked a tax increase that would have hit middle class taxpayers. The Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, was established in 1970 to compel 155 high income families who had been eligible for so many tax benefits that they owed little or no income tax under the tax code. But since that law was never indexed for inflation, the definition of "high income" has gradually included an increasing number of middle income taxpayers. While I believe the AMT needs to be permanently abolished, I am pleased that we were able to hold off a massive tax increase on the middle class for one more year.

We were also able to extend a very important program to provide health care to the poorest children in America. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was established in 1997 and allocated about $20 billion over ten years to help states insure targeted low-income children. While I have been a strong supporter of this program throughout my tenure in Congress, I was forced to vote against its extension earlier this year when Speaker Pelosi proposed that it be expanded to include adults, illegal immigrants and children of those earning over $80,000 per year. I am pleased that we were finally able to extend the program for those who truly need and deserve the help - the poorest children in America.

Finally, I was very happy to see Congress provide the men and women of our armed forces with the resources they need to continue the fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Throughout the year, some members of Congress grandstanded and wasted valuable time calling for immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Their attempts to stall funding, a move that stands in stark contrast to the recommendations of Commanding General David Petraeus, were rightfully rejected. Instead, the end of the year funding measures passed with strong bipartisan support and will ensure our men and women on the frontlines have the necessary supplies to continue their mission.

Overall, the performance of Congress in 2007 has to be viewed as less than stellar. Useless bickering, petty partisanship and endless gridlock were the hallmarks of the 110th Congress. But at the end of the year, we were able to finally put aside our differences and work together in a bipartisan fashion to do good work for the American people. It is my fervent hope that when Congress reconvenes in 2008 that we will continue this bipartisan cooperation and move forward to tackle the important challenges facing America.