News Stories

Tulsa World - The Associated Press

Congress has passed legislation that may help boost the water supply in Lake Thunderbird.

The legislation was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Cole and was carried in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. The resolution allows the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District to tap into the Atoka line that runs near Lake Thunderbird. The Norman Transcript reports that this raw water source can be used to help raise water levels in Lake Thunderbird during drought conditions.

The Hill - Kevin Bogardus

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Sunday that House Republicans should agree to extending tax cuts for the majority of U.S. taxpayers.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Cole continued to champion his case that the GOP caucus should take the deal that President Obama is offering: keeping tax rates in place for those making less than $250,000 a year, while allowing rates to increase on the wealthy.

Cole said no one wants to see higher taxes, but noted that unless Congress acts, everyone’s tax rates will go up.

Weekly Standard - John McCormack

Speaking Friday afternoon with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Oklahoma congressmanTom Cole, a Republican who has emerged this week as an advocate of compromising on taxes, panned President Obama's proposal to avert the fiscal cliff.

"I think honestly the president’s initial proposal is just laughable," Cole told me. "There’s no spending restraints. There’s very little entitlement reform. He’s asking to essentially double the revenue that he’s asked for in the past."

Politico - Tom Cole: John Boehner will make ‘tough’ fiscal cliff deal

Republican Rep. Tom Cole, the Oklahoma congressman who has called for a quick extension of middle class tax cuts, offered praise on Thursday for House Speaker John Boehner.

“I think the Speaker’s doing a great job,” Cole said on CNN’s “Starting Point.” “I think at the end of the day, he’ll negotiate a tough deal. Every time he’s done that, I’ve been there and voted for that and tried to persuade others. I haven’t seen the deal yet, but I suspect I’ll be there again.”

Tulsa World - Randy Krehbiel

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., thinks he was only stating the obvious when he told a roomful of Republican members of Congress they should go along with Democrats in making temporary tax-rate reductions permanent for 98 percent of Americans.

Bloomberg - Kathleen Hunter & Roxana Tiron

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein is among the executives scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama today. The president is seeking business support for his campaign to extend tax cuts for middle-income Americans while letting rates rise for top earners.

National Journal - Michael Catalini

Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra on Wednesday said lawmakers should consider every option to solve the fiscal cliff only to backtrack moments later by arguing against reforming Social Security or Medicare.

"Everything should be on the table. Period," said Becerra, the vice chairman of the Democratic caucus.

He then quickly contradicted himself by arguing that Social Security shouldn't be targeted because it doesn't contribute to the deficit and the Affordable Care Act has already adequately reformed Medicare.

Washington Post - Aaron Blake

Much of the news coverage of the so-called “fiscal cliff” in recent days has focused on whether Republicans are willing to violate their Grover Norquist-sponsored pledge not to vote to raise taxes.

But what if the the Norquist pledge doesn’t even apply to the current situation?

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) doesn’t think it does. And Norquist and his group — Americans for Tax Reform — aren’t saying that Cole is wrong.