112th Congress
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) hosts his monthly program "Cole on Congress" and visits with Rep. Steve Womack (AR-03) to provide an analysis on the issues facing our nation. (December 2011)
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) hosts his monthly program "Cole on Congress" and visits with Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) to provide an analysis on the issues facing our nation. (December 2011)
It's official: This Congress is the least popular in history. The 17 percent average yearly approval rating for the 112th Congress is the lowest recorded in the 30 years Gallup has been tracking congressional ratings.
The appropriations process of the first session of the 112th Congress ended on a surprisingly positive note with passage of a 2012 funding bill that cut government spending for the second year in a row. National Journal reporter Major Garrett described this year's spending cuts as "the deepest and most unsettling" that "official Washington" has ever seen, but most conservatives would just call the $95 billion in cuts a good start. Much more progress is needed to undo the damage of decades of reckless spending and put the nation on sound fiscal footing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to work with the Senate to extend the payroll tax holiday for one full year. On December 13, the House passed the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act, which would extend the payroll tax holiday for one year, reform and extend unemployment benefits, protect access to doctors for Medicare beneficiaries, and accelerate a decision on the Keystone pipeline. The Senate payroll tax plan would only extend the tax cut for two months.
As with most things in Washington, this year's appropriations process was slow and frustrating, but the end result is a major victory for fiscal sanity.
On December 16, Congress finalized a fiscal 2012 government appropriations bill that cuts spending for the second consecutive year -- the first time since World War II that government spending has been reduced in back-to-back years. These are real spending cuts that reduce spending by $95 billion compared to fiscal year 2010 and brings non-defense discretionary spending down to 2008 levels.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the Senate approved a temporary extension of the payroll tax holiday:
This bill spends less --$70 billion less-- than the president requested and $6 billion less than we spent last year, the second year in a row we have actually cut discretionary funding.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the House of Representatives approved an appropriations bill to fund government operations for fiscal year 2012:
"For the second year in a row, Congress has actually decreased spending. This bill represents a turning point from the years when Washington spending increased automatically, year after year.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 3630 - the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act. The bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives Tuesday, extends the payroll tax holiday for one year, reforms and extends unemployment benefits, protects access to doctors for Medicare beneficiaries, and accelerates a decision on the Keystone pipeline.