Tom Cole: Getting back to the work of the 119th Congress

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Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), standing on far right, is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, representing Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. Photo: Tom Cole

Back To D.C.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

By Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma)

cole.house.gov

Today is the day that lawmakers are heading back to Washington, D.C. after spending the past five weeks in their respective districts and states.

Personally, these past five weeks of District Work Period have been very beneficial to me, as I had the opportunity to travel throughout the entire Fourth District of Oklahoma. I visited with our selfless first responders at fire departments and police stations, as well as our military heroes at Oklahoma’s military bases.

I conversed with small businesses owners throughout the district, including B&H Construction in Goldsby, Ten Arrows Roofing and Contracting in Newcastle, the Grissom Landscape Nursery in Noble, and more. On top of that, I spoke with many groups throughout the district like the Midwest City Rotary Club, which includes so many great veterans, business owners, and community members, the Heart of Oklahoma Chamber, the Oklahoma Indian Legal Clinic at ECU, which was celebrating their fifth anniversary, the Norman Chamber, a group of ALS advocates, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

Additionally, I was lucky enough to visit both the Davis Public Library in Southern Oklahoma and the Noble Public Library, both of which are so important to our communities. I was also able to stop by some local media stations to sit for interviews and fill Fourth District Oklahomans in about the latest in Congress.

These critical conversations, tours, and visits are what I take back with me to Washington, D.C., as I know that my duty as a member of Congress is to the People and the August District Work Period is critical to ensuring that I am accurately representing them.

Now, as congressional leaders head back to Washington for a busy Fall, we have ample work to do. In fact, we have a deadline looming. By the end of the month, September 30th, we must fund the government – a constitutional obligation of Congress that will guarantee the federal government remains open and working for the American people.

So, to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, let’s get to work!

Tom Cole, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, is serving his eleventh term in the U.S. Congress as the elected representative of Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District. He is recognized as an advocate for taxpayers and small business, a proponent for a strong national defense and a leader in promoting biomedical research. He is considered the foremost expert in the U.S. House of Representatives on issues dealing with Native Americans and tribal governments. He is the Chairman, the top Republican leadership position on the committee, of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which he has served on since 2009. He also previously served as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee. Cole and his wife, Ellen, have one son, Mason, and reside in Moore, Oklahoma.