Washington Post: Where’s the love in Oklahoma City for Uncle Sam?
The Post has a story this morning posing the supposed dichotomy that people in the Oklahoma City hate the federal government while benefiting greatly, perhaps even disproportionately, from its largesse.
The story is not exactly overflowing with nuance. Do a lot of Oklahomans complain about military spending? And did you know that Oklahoma was a donor state _ meaning motorists paid more in fuel taxes than the state received back from the Highway Trust Fund — for almost the entire history of the interstate system?…
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Boren: Rumors of a Deal
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, just said he has heard that Congress will pass a resolution tonight that keeps government funded through Tuesday, and that lawmakers will come back Tuesday to vote on legislation that will keep the government funded through the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
“That’s all rumor,” he said.…
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Lankford and Inhofe: We Have to Fund the Military Now
With a government shutdown looming within six hours, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, and Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, said this afternoon that Congress has to take action to prevent any kind of disruption in pay to the military.
Inhofe is sponsoring legislation that would ensure the military gets paid through any shutdown, and he urged senators to clear that bill quickly. Lankford said House Republicans want the Senate to take up their bill that would keep the government running for a week and keep the military running for the rest of the fiscal year.…
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Rep. Tom Cole Announces Town Hall Meetings
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, will hold town hall meetings during Congress’ upcoming spring break. A list is below.
“This is a crucial time for the nation, and the decisions Congress makes now will determine whether we will put America back on the path to prosperity or whether our children and grandchildren will inherit an economic disaster,” said Cole. “I look forward to talking with Oklahomans about their concerns and hearing their ideas.”
For more information about the town hall meetings, contact Cole’s office in Norman at (405) 329-6500.…
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Federal Employees: Where Do They Work?
As Congress and the White House move closer to a shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are waiting to hear whether they will be furloughed.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 1.9 million federal employees, not counting the U.S. Postal Service workers and those who work for spy agencies such as the CIA and National Security Agency.
About half of the civilian workforce is with the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs Department.
Here are some numbers, from November 2008:
- Defense Department: 652,000
- Veterans Affairs Department: 280,000
- Homeland Security Department: 171,000
- Justice Department: 108,000
- Treasury Department: 88,000
- Agriculture Department: 82,000
- Interior Department: 67,000
- Health and Human Services Department: 64,000
- Transportation Department: 55,000
- Commerce Department: 39,000
- Labor Department: 16,000
- Energy Department: 15,000
- State Department: 15,000
- Housing and Urban Development Department: 9,000
- Education Department: 4,000
_ Congress: 30,000
_ Judicial Branch: 33,000
- Environmental Protection Agency: 18,000
- Social Security Administration: 64,000
- NASA : 18,000…
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Congressman Frank Lucas Schedules Town Hall Meetings
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, has scheduled town hall meetings for April 18-10 in Creek, Lincoln, Osage, and Pawnee counties.
Here’s a list:
APRIL 18
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
CHANDLER TOWN HALL MEETING
Chandler Library Community Room
1021 Manvel Avenue
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
STROUD TOWN HALL MEETING
Heritage Hall, Old Elementary Bldg
111 West 7th Avenue
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
BRISTOW TOWN HALL MEETING
Bristow Public Library
111 West 7th Avenue
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SAPULPA TOWN HALL MEETING
Salpulpa City Hall, Council Chambers
425 East Dewey
APRIL 19
11:00 a.m.…
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Cole Wants Administration Records on Libya Intervention
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, wants State and Defense Department records that show what steps the Obama administration took to consult with Congress before committing U.S. forces to help rebels in Libya. Cole, wh introduced legislation seeking the documents, said lawmakers need to determine whether the president complied with the Constitution and the War Powers Act.
Cole, whose district includes Tinker Air Force Base and Fort Sill, serves on the Defense and the Foreign Operations subcomittees of the Appropriations Committee.
He said, “Serious questions remain about the nature of the mission in Libya and whether the Obama administration’s decision to intervene is constitutional.…
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Former Istook Chief of Staff Avoids Jail
Here is an Associated Press story about the Thursday sentencing of John Albaugh, long the top aide to former Oklahoma Congressman Ernest Istook.
Istook, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for governor in Oklahoma in 2006, issued a statement after this story ran. That statement is below the story.
Judge denies request to put ex-House aide in jail
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Thu Apr 7, 1:54 pm ET
WASHINGTON – A judge on Thursday spared from prison time a former congressional aide involved in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and questioned why lawmakers were able to avoid prosecution while their staffers are paying the price for influence-peddling schemes.…
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Change in Washington: Coburn Beats the Appropriators
Lost amid the increasing talk _ and anxiety _ about a government shutdown was the symbolic victory Sen. Tom Coburn won Wednesday night against his long-time nemesis: the appropriators, those lawmakers who serve on the committees that decide how the money is spent.
By a vote of 64-36, Coburn, R-Muskogee, won approval of an amendment to force $5 billion in savings by requiring the White House budget office and federal agencies to end duplication in numerous programs.
Coburn earlier this year got a Government Accountability Office report showing overlap in everything from food safety inspections to job training.…
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Oklahoma City Ward 2 — votes by precincts
Our database editor put together a couple of quick maps showing the difference in votes by precincts in the two latest Oklahoma City Council Ward 2 elections. Shadid won the Oklahoma City Council Ward 2 seat by collecting 62 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff.
In the maps below, for the March 1 primary and Tuesday’s runoff, the dark shaded areas are those won by Shadid. The lighter orange are areas won by Swinton. The yellow areas were either ties or no votes.…
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