The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress briefly reached a bipartisan agreement on a continuing budget resolution this week, which would have averted a federal government shutdown and, at the same time, pushed a full budget deal to January, after President Donald Trump has been sworn into office.
That plan, however, was derailed after Trump announced his opposition to it.
Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said the committee released H.R. 10445, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025.
Cole initially said he hoped the bill could be heard this week. However, late Wednesday evening, Trump came out against the plan, effectively scrapping it. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told CNN that the plan would require a new agreement.
On Friday, House leaders said they had developed a compromise that include three separate pieces of legislation. The U.S. House was scheduled to vote on a stopgap funding bill between 4 and 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
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Cole’s plan followed a very public demonstration by several members of the GOP’s right wing, who opposed the bill and directed their anger at House Speaker Mike Johnson. Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burlison told ABC News that the speaker’s funding plan — the House resolution — was a “total dumpster fire.”“I think it’s garbage,” Burlison said. He said he shared those frustrations with Johnson.
Cole countered that the GOP will “soon have the opportunity to chart a fiscally responsible path forward and advance our American First agenda.”
In a news release announcing the measure, Cole said: “While a continuing resolution is not ideal, this strategy ensures President Trump has a voice in shaping the final FY25 bills. Importantly, it averts a costly government shutdown that would only serve to handcuff the start of his new administration.”
Cole’s original measure, about 1,500 pages long, included a one-year extension on the federal farm bill, about $100 billion in disaster relief and another $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers.
Still, while the new measures currently being developed by House Leadership will keep the government funded for a while, eventually Congress will have to turn its attention to a full budget and issues such as agriculture, which will have a major impact in Oklahoma.
“On the ag bill, Congressman Frank Lucas will have a huge influence,” Cole said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “In fact, he is back on the ag committee because the current chairman wanted him on there to help figure out how to pass the bill.”
Cole said the ag bill had to be bipartisan and that Lucas “was the master of that.”
“He’s going to have a huge impact for our (ag) producers,” Cole said. He said Lucas will also play a key role in passing funding measures for disaster relief. “It will be billions of dollars,” he said.
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Tom Cole also focused on Oklahoma’s federal funding
Still, while Cole said his role as chairman of the appropriations committee requires him to look at the budget with a national perspective, he said he is also in a position to make sure his home state receives its share of federal funding.
As an example, Cole said he would push to make sure Oklahoma’s military installations — Tinker Air Force Base, Fort Sill, Vance Air Force Base and even the McAlester Ammunition facility — were properly funded.
“We’ve tried to do that over the years, but we’re uniquely positioned now to do it,” he said.
He said he has the opportunity to focus on other areas in Oklahoma, not just military, where the state “has the chance to do nationally significant work.”
Cole said the best way to ensure funding for the programs was to learn about the program and understand how it benefits the state and the country. “The way it works is to know the programs that are there, to understand the assets you have in your state and to bring those things together,” he said.
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Cole isn’t the only member of the state’s congressional delegation who supports increased military spending. On Wednesday, the state’s senior Senator, Republican James Lankford, issued a media statement announcing his support for the FY 25 National Defense Authorization Act. That bill, Lankford said, supports Oklahoma’s military installations, prioritizes our national defense and strengthens our partnerships with allies abroad.
“Today, I voted to put America’s servicemen and women first by supporting the National Defense Authorization Act,” Lankford’s statement said. “I worked to include key provisions in this bill that will not only support our service members in Oklahoma but also military families across the nation. Members of the armed forces put their lives on the line to defend our nation. I will continue to stand strong to make sure they have the funding, support, and equipment they need to succeed.”
Cole said one of his goals was to ensure the state’s military programs “don’t go away when I go away.”
“You’re building it on a legacy. Oklahoma is a very federal-heavy state and no place more than this district,” Cole said, speaking about his Congressional District, CD 4, which includes the military installation and the University of Oklahoma.
He predicted the next legislative session would be highlighted by tax policy but added that legislation coming out of the appropriations committee would have to be bipartisan.
“We have to build a bipartisan coalition to pass the bills that fund the government in a very partisan era and a highly polarized era,” he said. “Part of your base won’t vote for any spending bills at all as if the government could run without the big ask.”
To pass a budget, he said, Republicans have to get 60 votes in the Senate and when those bills come back, Cole said he expected to lose votes for the measure — because it now includes changes made by Democratic senators — from his Republican base.
“I can pass a partisan bill, but they have to change in the Senate and when they come back I’ll lose part of my right wing that doesn’t like the changes,” he said. “And I’ve got to be able to work with Democrats to replace those votes.”
As of press time, the lawmakers had not released a new budget proposal.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, GOP continue negotiating budget