Editor's Notebook

Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole only touched on the matter during his remarks to the Heart of Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday at Sonny’s Cafe, but later in an interview with The Purcell Register he expounded upon the importance of passing the “CR” by September 30.

A CR in Washington DC language is a Continuing Resolution, a temporary measure used by Congress to fund the federal government when it hasn’t passed all the necessary appropriations bills by the start of the new fiscal year (October 1).

It essentially provides stopgap funding to avoid a government shutdown while lawmakers continue negotiating.

Cole, who is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was in Purcell July 30 in conjunction with the chamber’s July coffee.

Attended by 30-40 people, the coffee had some attendees that were not members of the chamber.

When one of them asked about the Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on rural hospitals Cole said, “It’s too early to know exactly what the consequences may look like.”

But he had to speak over the person who was shouting at him as he tried to answer the question, reminiscent of how Pike Off citizens spoke at recent ODOT meetings about the proposed new turnpike on the east side of Norman running to just north of Purcell.

There was a  McClain County Democratic Party group of 15-18 people demonstrating in opposition to the Trump Administration and Cole on the curb in front of Walmart that same day.

That group held signs and attempted to get the attention of passing motorists.

The majority of the audience at Sonny’s was receptive to Cole’s remarks but a few voiced concerns about immigration agents wearing masks during encounters and over NPR and PBS losing federal funding.

The opposition also brought up the “genocide in Gaza.”

In a brief interview after the coffee, Cole said passing the CR is going to take the two parties working together.

“That’s going to be a big job,” the congressman confirmed.