Cole Urges Support to Keep the Government Open, Working for American People
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) spoke before the House Committee on Rules in support of H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025.
Watch Chairman Cole's remarks here.
Chairman Cole delivered the following remarks. Read them here and below:
"Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member McGovern, and esteemed members of the Rules Committee. I thank you for your warm welcome and your kind invitation to testify today. I appear before you today on the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025.
"Today’s measure presents a stark choice for the members of this body. Before us are two roads: one that leads to a government shutdown, and another, better road, that keeps the government open and operating. As we move toward a vote on the House floor on this bill, members must ask themselves which road they wish to take. Do they want to vote to keep the government open and operating for their constituents, or do they want to affirmatively vote to shut the government down? This is the choice which faces us today.
"Over the past year, the Appropriations Committee has worked diligently to complete our work on Fiscal Year 2025. We initially had a late start due to prior constraints, but that didn’t stop us from taking quick action. Our markup process successfully delivered all twelve regular appropriations bills out of committee. And before the end of the summer, this chamber passed five bills across the floor, representing nearly seventy-one percent of overall discretionary spending.
"Since our last funding extension, we have worked diligently to reach a bipartisan and bicameral deal on full-year spending bills for FY25. Unfortunately, although we were close on numbers, the minority has made additional demands on the legitimate exercise of executive authority in the appropriations process. These are demands that the minority would never accept for a Democrat president, nor are they provisions that President Trump would or should sign into law. This brings us to today. Despite our best efforts, and despite the fact that Republicans never walked away from the negotiating table, we are now out of time. The House must move forward with a year-long continuing resolution.
"This outcome is not one I wanted. However, painful as it is, it is better than the alternative, which is a government shutdown. Congress has an obligation to our constituents and to the nation to keep the government open and operating. With today’s measure, we will achieve just that. Today’s bill will fund the government through September 30, the end of FY25. It maintains the status quo, providing flat funding for the government, and including only legitimate anomalies. We’ve accomplished these goals while also increasing money for the Department of Defense, fully funding the single largest pay raise for junior enlisted personnel in over forty years.
"Importantly, today’s bill also does not contain a single poison pill rider. It is a clean CR, fully funding our government. This includes our military and defense needs, support for our veterans, and critical services for our constituents like roads, parks, child care, water projects, infrastructure improvements, scientific research, job training, and countless others. Despite the fearmongering, there are no changes to the important trifecta of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Quite the opposite, in fact, since this bill prevents a government shutdown.
"Let me make that point more clear. There are no substantive changes in policy between this bill and the CR we passed in December. Both are clean CRs that accomplish the overriding goal of keeping the government open, nothing more. For those who supported the December CR, you should have no concerns with today’s measure. Both December’s bill and today’s bill maintain the status quo, and both ensure the government stays open. Voting for today’s bill is no different from voting for the CR in December. I believe that those who voted for the CR in December and will now vote against today’s bill are succumbing to the temptation of a political temper tantrum.
"The outcome of the FY 2025 appropriations process is not the one I wanted, but at the end of the day, today’s bill achieves what is most important: keeping the government open and operating to the end of the fiscal year. I thank each of you for time, and look forward to your questions today."
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