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The Oklahoman - Chris Casteel
The Republican-controlled U.S. House voted 241-175 on Wednesday to require the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Nebraska. The vote was symbolic since the U.S. Senate, controlled by Democrats, is not likely going to consider the House bill. The U.S. State Department is currently analyzing TransCanada’s proposal to build the pipeline, and it’s not known when a decision will be announced.
Washington Times - David Sherfinski
Rep. Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said Wednesday that he was confident Oklahoma will get the help it needs in the wake of the deadly tornado that swept through the state, adding that “these are awfully tough people, and we’ve done this before, sadly, so we’re pretty good at dealing with it.”
Mr. Cole, who for some time served as a groundskeeper at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which was destroyed by the disaster, said his family and neighbors were “very lucky.”
USA Today - Gary Strauss, Rick Jervis, Donna Leinwand Leger and Doyle Rice
Viewers glued to TV following Monday's tornado that hit here with the destructive force of an atomic bomb very likely expected to wake up Tuesday to a death and injury toll in the thousands.
How could anyone have survived the apocalyptic destruction of a worst-of-the-worst EF5 category storm? Miraculously, most did, despite an official warning coming just 16 minutes before the twister cut a 17-mile war-zone-like path through this city of 56,000.
The Hill - Jonathan Easley
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Wednesday he had no interest in another funding fight in Congress over federal aid to the city of Moore, Okla., and other areas affected by the tornado that devastated the small town.
Speaking on CBS’s "This Morning," Cole said he was certain there would be a federal “component” to disaster relief efforts, but that it was better to first “wait and see the extent of the damage” to determine if congressional legislation of the kind passed after Hurricane Sandy was necessary.
Politics 365 - Chad Pergam
There may yet be a fight in Congress over emergency federal spending to cover the cost of the devastating tornado that impaled Moore, OK this week.
But there’s no fight yet. And there might not be one in the end.
Business World - Jason Lange and David Lawder
The chances of a deal between Democratic and Republican lawmakers that would overhaul the US tax system, trim government spending and reform safety net spending programs appear to be fading.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement following Monday’s horrific tornado that destroyed neighborhoods, injured residents and left others missing or dead in his hometown of Moore, Oklahoma. The Congressman is a longtime resident of Moore, which is included in the Fourth District of Oklahoma.
Associated Press - Andrew Taylor
Top lawmakers and officials said Tuesday that the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma.
The government has more than $11 billion in its main disaster relief fund. Recovery costs in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore are expected to be a relatively small fraction of that amount. The devastating 2011 tornado that wiped out much of Joplin, Mo., for instance, required about $750 million in federal disaster aid.
BBC News
At least 24 people are confirmed dead, including seven children, and many are missing after a tornado tore through Oklahoma City, US officials say.
Worst hit was Moore, south of the city, where neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).
About 120 people are being treated in hospitals. Earlier reports said more than 90 people had died.
President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.