Tulsa World: Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole in pivotal position

Tulsa World - Randy Krehbeil

Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole likes to tell the story of how, in his second term almost two decades ago, he was "asked" by then-Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois if he wanted to join the Rules Committee.

"Not really," said Cole.

"Tom, that's not the appropriate answer," replied Hastert.

That inauspicious fork in the road 18 years ago has brought Cole to an important position in this, the 118th Congress, as Rules chairman.

Historically, Rules has been unofficially known as the Speaker's Committee. Speakers, regardless of the party in power, have stocked it with like-minded loyalists in order to advance majority leadership's priorities.

The narrow Republican majority in the 118th Congress, though, gave a small number of fiscal hawks not entirely in tune with caucus Leader Kevin McCarthy the leverage to wheedle three spots on Rules in exchange for letting McCarthy become speaker.

The placement of those three on the committee that decides the conditions, or rules, by which bills are considered on the House floor has caused a great deal of hand-wringing inside the Washington Beltway. Combined with the Democratic minority, the three could theoretically keep legislation bottled up.

But Cole doesn't think it will happen.

"I actually don't think it will be much different," he said in a telephone interview with the Tulsa World last week. "A lot of people thought that somehow these three would work to control the agenda. But … they're not going to vote down Republican bills that are coming out of committee and that have been approved by an overwhelming majority of Republicans on that committee."

Rules has only 13 members, and unlike other committees it is not divided proportionately. So, while Republicans have only a 222-213 overall House majority, they have a 9-4 advantage when it comes to deciding how bills will be heard on the floor.

This includes determining which amendments, if any, will be considered and whether there will be debate and for how long.

"It puts the majority party in an extremely powerful position," said Cole.

Still, it is up to Cole to balance the demands of the nine Republican members enough that three of them don't join with the four Democrats to effectively block majority legislation.

"Occasionally, you'll get a few people who try … to leverage their position, and that can be a problem," Cole said. "I've seen the Democrats have to pull bills from the floor because they couldn't pass the rule, but that is a rare occurrence.

"The only danger you'd have is that some (Republicans) vote against the rule because they thought either the bill or the rule was not conservative enough, and the Democrats vote against it because it's too conservative," Cole said. "Theoretically, that sort of alliance could shape up, but it almost never does. I've never see it happen in Rules. … Every (majority member) will vote for the rule, even if they're going to vote against the underlying legislation."

In a recent interview, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the three "contrarians" appointed to the committee, seemed in accord with Cole's assessment.

"I'm ready and fully prepared to vote for rules on bills that I'll be a ‘hell no' on the bill when it gets to the floor," Massie told The Hill.

One of the demands of the Republican holdouts, which included new 2nd District Congressman Josh Brecheen, was for a more open rule policy, meaning more amendments.

In the first week of business, the House considered a bill under an "open" rule for the first time in seven years. That meant any and all amendments could be brought forward — and almost 150 were.

To what degree that will continue remains to be seen, but Cole said he favors a more open process because it allows for a more careful examination of legislation.

Unusually, Cole is actually wielding two gavels this Congress. He is also one of the "12 Cardinals" — chairman of an appropriations subcommittee. This term he's switched to Transportation, Housing and Urban Development after terming out as the top Republican on the panel overseeing research and human services.

That is one of the reasons Cole, an historian by training, says Oklahoma's House delegation may be in its strongest position since the late Carl Albert was speaker in the 1970s and Oklahoma had six instead of five members. He points out Oklahoma has two full committee chairs while Florida, with 20 members, has none.

Besides Cole, 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas is chairing the Science committee and is back on Agriculture, which he formerly chaired, just in time to help write a new Farm Bill. Lucas is also on Financial Services, where he is involved in writing new crypto-currency regulations.

First District Congressman Kevin Hern is on Ways and Means, which writes tax policy, and is chairman of the influential Republican Study Committee.

Fifth District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, in her second term, has just joined Cole on Appropriations, giving Oklahoma two seats on that top-tier committee for the first time since the 1990s.

Bice will also chair a small House Administration subcommittee.

Brecheen, as first-term member, hasn't much seniority but did exert some influence during his first week in office by joining the small group withholding speaker votes in exchange for concessions on rules.

On Rules, though, Cole said a member "can impact almost any piece of legislation by adding a little something to it."

"You probably know more about what's happening in Congress, across the board, from this committee than from any other committee."

Online: Tulsa World