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The Oklahoman - Chris Casteel
Returning after a lengthy summer break, lawmakers are set to wage partisan battles this month over Planned Parenthood and the proposed nuclear deal with Iran, with a break to host the Pope.
"We're going to have a very busy fall," said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa.
Busy and contentious.
With just three weeks until the new fiscal year begins, Congress has not approved spending bills for the military, homeland security and every other department that requires annual appropriations.
Over the last several weeks in Oklahoma, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to my constituents and learn about what issues concern them the most. I’ve had a very full schedule traveling across the district for meetings with local chambers of commerce, visits with community leaders and officials, tours of local businesses, interviews with local media and some firsthand updates on severe weather damage. Each week, I also hosted town hall meetings, where I invited my constituents to join me for a legislative update and participate in a forum to ask questions and talk with me directly.
Lawton Constitution - Kim McConnell
The federal budget will be among the largest problems looming for Congress as members return from their summer recess, Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Cole said last week.
The Oklahoma Republican was speaking to the editorial board of The Lawton Constitution, following on the heels of a three-hour town hall he led at Great Plains Technology Center, one of a series of meetings he has held with constituents during the summer recess.
Lawton Constitution - Kim McConnell
Military benefits, health care, immigration top concerns at town hall
Residents asked questions about veteran and other health care benefits and national security during a town hall meeting Thursday sponsored by U.S. Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole.
Throughout the month of August, I’ve had a full schedule traveling across the Fourth District, which has given me the opportunity to engage with my constituents in a variety of settings. Whether brought together by a town hall meeting, chamber of commerce gathering or scheduled visit to a local business, it comes as no surprise that an issue of common concern is the future prosperity of Main Street. Due to an increasingly burdensome regulatory environment, many who work for or own a small business fear for its survival.
The Oklahoman - Editorial Board
Under Republican control of Congress, lawmakers have advanced modest but sensible proposals that were previously stymied under Democratic control. Yet many conservative activists decry this as a do-nothing Congress.
The Oklahoman - Chris Casteel
The annual budget deficit will be the lowest since 2007, but the federal government's spending and accumulated debt are still heading to dangerous levels, the Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday.
With about five weeks remaining in the federal fiscal year, the CBO is estimating a deficit of $426 billion. That would be $59 billion below the 2014 shortfall.