Rep. Tom Cole took the gavel of the House Appropriations Committee last week with a sense of urgency, desperate to avoid the kinds of delays that nearly derailed the fiscal 2024 spending bills.
The Oklahoma Republican — whom House leaders last week promoted from chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee — is already anticipating thorny debates over toplines and policy riders, including around the energy and environment bills.
“Look, it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult, and every day we get closer to the election, the more reluctant Congress is to do anything,” Cole said Monday.
“I told my cardinals and the whole committee, ‘I’m gonna work you guys really hard because you’re gonna have to be worked hard, and you’re gonna work your staff really hard, because we gotta get these things [done],’” he said.
