Cole Statement on Support of Fiscal Responsibility Act

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“President Biden and Democrats’ needless delays to negotiate a responsible deal to raise the debt limit certainly put our country in a dangerous position,” said Cole. “Indeed, failing to responsibly raise the debt ceiling at all would be disastrous and would devastate the American economy. The Fiscal Responsibility Act is a product of compromise and reflects the realities of divided government, all the while accomplishing real reductions in spending. By passing this bill, House Republicans are keeping the promise to the American people of cutting spending year over year while giving an appropriate increase to defense spending and without cutting money for veterans.

“In addition, this legislation would claw back $28 billion in unspent COVID-19 pandemic relief money that is no longer needed, which is the largest rescission in history. Finally, it includes major reforms to work requirements for SNAP and TANF to incentivize able-bodied adults without dependents to rejoin the workforce and contribute to their communities, blocks the president’s demand for $5 trillion in new taxes and includes real permitting reform that will speed up the approval process for infrastructure and energy projects. At the end of the day, the American people expect lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to work together for the good of the country, and that is exactly what this bill achieves.”