Sullivan Writes Letter to Obama
Rep. John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, sent this letter today to President Barack Obama:
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the
The White House
Dear President Obama:
John Sullivan
Member of Congress
Digital TV Delay
Only Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, voted today to delay the transition to digital TV until June. Currently, over-the-air broadcasts are scheduled to cease in about three weeks.
Though a majority in the House voted for the delay, the bill fell short of the necessary two-thirds approval, since it was brought up under an expedited process.
Reps. Tom Cole, R-Moore; Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City; Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne; and John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, voted against delaying the switch to digital.
House Stimulus Vote Today
The House is expected to vote today on the $825 billion stimulus package. You can read it here.
Regarding the five Oklahoma members of the House: Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in the delegation, predicted that he might be the sole “yes” vote among the Oklahomans. And even he has some problems with it.
Inhofe on Remaining Bail-Out Money
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, opposed the $700 billion bail-out last year for the financial industry, and he has been trying since December to freeze the $350 billion that still hasn’t been spent.
On Monday, after the Bush administration announced that it would request the remaining $350 billion from Congress, Inhofe went to the Senate floor to criticize the decision.
Coburn: “I Will Delay Everything”
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, said today that he would delay all legislation in the Senate if he’s not given an opportunity to offer amendments.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Coburn said, “I won’t delay anything if I get an opportunity to amend it. But if I don’t get an opportunity to amend it, I will delay everything.”
Coburn’s comment was a direct challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who has been battling with Coburn for more than a year over advancing bills without amendments or official votes.
The Senate is currently in the midst of “considering” a package of about 160 public lands bills that Reid assembled as the first real order of business for the new Congress.
In order to advance the bills through one of the procedural hurdles forced by Coburn’s objections, Reid made senators come in on Sunday to vote.
That hurdle was cleared, but more are in line before senators can vote for the bill itself later this week.
Coburn said he could filibuster the bill, which would require him to stay on the Senate floor for hours and perhaps days on end.
“Having delivered 4,000 babies, I know how to stay up all night,” the Muskogee physician said.
At this point, though, he doesn’t plan to do that on the public lands bill.
But Coburn sharply criticized Senate Democratic leaders, questioning whether they had the courage to put the national interest above parochial ones
He said President-elect Barack Obama had that courage and called Obama “a very dear friend of mine.”
Fallin Gets New Post
Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, will be the communications chair of the Republican Study Group, a group of about 100 conservative Republican members of the U.S. House.
Fallin said her first task will be pitching the group’s own proposal for stimulating the economy.
“Conservatives and the American people understand that we cannot borrow and spend our way to prosperity,” Fallin said today. “That’s why RSC members are promoting tax cuts and credits that will shore up the American economy by putting money into the hands of working families and encouraging investment.”
Cole Gets Subcommittees
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, who was appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee last week, learned Monday that he’ll be on three subcommittees.
One oversees Interior spending — that’s a biggie for Oklahoma since it includes Indian tribes, but also because it’s a forum for policy fights over oil and gas drilling.
He’ll also be on the one that decides spending for the Labor and Health and Human Services departments. This is typically the most controversial spending bill of the 13 Congress is supposed to write every year since it winds up being where lots of social policy is debated.
Cole’s third subcommittee is Legislative Branch, which is where lawmakers decide how much money they can spend on themselves.
Boren Comments on New Job Numbers
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, released a statement today about the new unemployment figures:
“Today’s report of 524,000 jobs lost last month is another clear example that Congress must take decisive and comprehensive action to stimulate our nation’s economy. Since this recession began in early 2007, the economy has shed 3.6 million jobs. The tragedy is that those numbers represent millions of families who are struggling every day to make ends meet. The severity of this recession is made even clearer by today’s overall unemployment rate of 7.2% which is the highest in 15 years. I hope the new Congress and Administration will work in a bipartisan fashion to pass a large-scale, but focused economic stimulus package, to get America’s economy moving and the unemployed back to work. I pledge to make certain that the constituents of the Second Congressional District have a strong voice in the discussions over the best course of action for our nation’s economy.”
Lucas Praises Obama’s Ag Pick
Oklahoma’s agriculture expert in Congress, Rep. Frank Lucas, praised President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to head the USDA. Lucas, who will be the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee next year, said today:
“Hailing from one of the largest agriculture producing states in the nation, he understands the challenges facing American farmers and ranchers and has been a strong voice for conservation. I look forward to working with him in the future both as the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee and to ensure that he gives consideration to the needs of wheat and cotton farmers, as well as farmers and ranchers in his home state of
“American farmers and ranchers are facing a tough road ahead due to the recent economic woes. We must continue to work with American farmers and ranchers to keep our food prices affordable and our food stocks safe.”
Inhofe Gets Help on Bail-Out Freeze
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, whose proposal to freeze the rest of the bail-out money and require Congress to vote on using any more of it (there’s about $400 billion left) garnered a lot of attention last week — and also some co-sponsors. Most of the people signing on are Republicans, but Inhofe also got the support of Sen. Bernard Sanders, an Independent from Vermont who mostly votes with the Democrats and is a self-described “democratic socialist.”
Sanders was one of the most vocal opponents against the bail-out package. An earlier blog item included his comments.
Clearly, the bill is highly unlikely to be considered in the next few weeks before this Congress adjourns. Lawmakers may not return before January. And all pending bills will expire when this Congress officially ends, so Inhofe would have to reintroduce his legislation when the next Congress begins.
