112th Congress
Good economic news is hard to come by this month. The national unemployment rate remains above 9 percent. The stock market is increasingly volatile -- jeopardizing countless retirement funds with regular plunges. And, of course, August kicked off with the announcement that one of the three major ratings agencies has downgraded U.S. creditworthiness.
The decision by Standard and Poor's to downgrade the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+ is no real shock to those of us who have been warning that government debt levels are unsustainable. It has been clear for quite some time that the country is heading for bankruptcy unless federal spending is reined in and our massive entitlement programs are reformed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) announced the following schedule of town hall meetings for the month of August:
Telephone town hall - August 9 @ 7:00 pm
Call 405-329-6500 for call-in information
Ardmore - August 10 @ 5:30 pm
Ardmore Convention Center - Conference Room 1 & 2
2401 N. Rockford Road
Ardmore, OK 73401
Norman - August 11 @ 5:30 pm
National Weather Center, Room NWC 1313
120 David L. Boren Boulevard
Norman, OK 73072
NORMAN – Rep. Tom Cole toured three women-owned businesses in Norman Thursday. Cole met with business owners and employees at OMS Technologies, Fancy Cakes, and Pink Elephant Cafe to learn more about the challenges facing women-owned small businesses.
The debt agreement that passed both houses of Congress last week may have ended the immediate threat of default, but it is only the beginning of the process to address the growing debt crisis. While the legislation doesn't have everything House Republicans would have liked, there is no question that it adheres to the conservative principles we have maintained throughout the debt ceiling debate.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Oklahoma delegation, including U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and U.S. Reps. John Sullivan (R-OK-1), Dan Boren (D-OK-2), Frank Lucas (R-OK-3), Tom Cole (R-OK-4), and James Lankford (R-OK-5) along with members of their staff, today sent care packages to servicemembers of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) currently deployed in Afghanistan and Kuwait.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the voting in favor of the Budget Control Act:
"While this agreement doesn't have everything we would have liked, there is no question that it adheres to the conservative principles we have maintained throughout this debate. We promised the American people that we would not allow a debt ceiling increase without corresponding spending cuts, that we would not allow tax hikes, and that we would advance a Balanced Budget Amendment. We have achieved all of these objectives.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) made the following remarks on the House floor in support of the Budget Control Act:
"There's no question this isn't a perfect bill.
After a summer of debt discussions, the contrasts between House Republicans and Senate Democrats remain as clear as ever. House Republicans are committed to solving the long-term debt crisis. Senate Democrats just want to raise the debt limit long enough to make it through the next election, and then go back to business as usual. In their case, that means more spending.
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) hosts his monthly program "Cole on Congress" and visits with Rep. Cory Gardner (CO-04) to provide an analysis on the issues facing our nation. (July 2011)