Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation includes funding for programs within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and other related agencies.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that her bipartisan bill to improve the lives of Native children was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) helped introduce the bill in the Senate, where it unanimously passed less than two weeks ago.

Washington, DC – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2685, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2016. The funding legislation seeks to maintain the nation’s readiness. It includes a 2.3 percent pay raise for military service members.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2577, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2016. The legislation fulfills funding for the nation’s transportation and infrastructure and prioritizes housing projects with the greatest need or participation nationwide.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) listed the University of Oklahoma in Norman as an award recipient of NASA’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to help further the agency’s mission.

Washington, DC – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2578, the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2016. The legislation addresses federal programs and areas of government related to law enforcement, national security, scientific research and space exploration.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) congratulated this year’s Fourth District winner of the Congressional Art Competition. Ryan Neal is the son of Sandy Travis and Charles Neal, art student of Melissa Mayo and a 2015 graduate of Duncan High School. His winning artwork, Detailed Metal, is a detailed drawing created with Prisma colors and inspired by the latest Transformers movie. It will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel to the U.S. Capitol for a year.

Washington, DC – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) introduced legislation this week that would help families rebuilding their homes after disasters. Currently, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provides homeowners, renters and personal-property owners with low-interest loans to help recover from a disaster. The Tornado Family Safety Act of 2015, introduced by Cole, clarifies that SBA disaster loans can be used by homeowners for construction of safe room shelters within rebuilt homes.