News Stories

The Wire - Russell Berman

The House will only vote on a formal resolution authorizing the use of military force against the Islamic State if President Obama makes a direct request for congressional action.

That's the message the new majority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), has been delivering privately to lawmakers in recent days, according to aides familiar with his thinking.

Tulsa World - Randy Krehbiel

President Barack Obama should ask Congress for authority to expand U.S. intervention in Iraq, and Congress should give it to him, 4th District Congressman Tom Cole said Friday in Tulsa.

“The president can claim, and a lot of people will want him to do this, that he can act under the 2002 authorization,” said Cole. “There’s a legal argument for that, but I don’t think there’s a good political argument for it.”

The Hill - Rebecca Shabad

Just a few days after its nine-month reauthorization, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on Monday defended the Export-Import Bank, saying it benefits small businesses, including those in his district.

“While the existence of Ex-Im is sometimes questioned, I believe the current benefits felt by businesses across the country, in Oklahoma and the Fourth Congressional District argues strongly for its reauthorization,” he wrote in a column released by his office.

Greater Tulsa Reporter - Joanne Whitney

Editor’s Note: This is the first part in a series about a family’s educational venture to Washington, D.C. and the historical places found in between.

My daughter’s disappointment with her children’s American History curriculum inspired a road trip of a lifetime. For one month in May of the 2013-2014 school year, an RV was our home and classroom as we traveled 4,000 miles in five states to explore the country’s beginnings.

The Oklahoman - By Rick Green

Dangers have increased around the globe at a time when U.S. military forces are smaller and less capable of dealing with trouble overseas, Rep. Tom Cole told The Oklahoman’s editorial board.

“In my time in Congress, and I’ve sat on the Armed Services Committee or Defense Appropriations almost every year I’ve been there, I have never seen a more complex and dangerous international environment than we have today,” he said Thursday.

NewsOK - Chris Casteel

Members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation said Monday they don’t want Fort Sill, the U.S. Army artillery post near Lawton, used to house unaccompanied alien children past the October deadline.

The delegation’s comments came after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a request from the Health and Human Services Department to house up to 5,000 more minors on military bases. Hagel had previously approved housing for up to 3,600 children. Hagel also approved a request that bases be used until the end of January.

Roll Call - Emma Dumain

The Oklahoma congressional delegation is proud of its Fort Sill Army Base, but that doesn’t mean it wants to play host to thousands more unaccompanied child migrants awaiting deportation proceedings.

The Oklahoman - Chris Casteel

A Senate committee on Thursday approved funding for all of the AWACS planes currently at Tinker Air Force Base, virtually assuring that the current complement of command-and-control aircraft will survive another year.

Now, both the House and Senate spending bills for the Department of Defense protect all 27 planes stationed at Tinker and used by active duty and reserve units. The Defense Department had proposed saving money by retiring seven of the planes and eliminating the reserve unit’s role.