{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cole.house.gov/pauls-valley-daily-democrat-big-issues-take-center-stage", "Pauls Valley Daily Democrat: Big Issues Take Center Stage", "2014-10-14", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Tom Cole", "C001053", "cole.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Pauls Valley Daily Democrat - Barry Porterfield\nA serious discussion on some issues of national interest took center stage during a U.S. congressman\u2019s visit to Pauls Valley recently.\nComments from Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, were direct but still provided a lighter, more non-partisan flavor during the town hall update Thursday afternoon.\nMeeting at the offices of the local chamber of commerce, Cole addressed a variety of issues with the handful of residents coming to the informal gathering.\n\u201cIn Washington, D.C., it\u2019s been somewhat of a better year than many people may believe,\u201d Cole said.\n\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been this attitude that we\u2019re in the final days and it\u2019s all going to hell in a hand basket and it\u2019s the other guy\u2019s fault,\u201d he said.\n\u201cBut I\u2019ll be the first to tell you we\u2019re at a challenging point.\u201d\nFrom immigration to Russians \u201crewriting the Cold War\u201d to the newest Middle Eastern terrorist threat to the budget deficit, Cole said there are some challenging times ahead but stressed not all is bad.\n\u201cHere in Oklahoma we\u2019re pretty good overall,\u201d Cole said about the economy. \u201cBy and large if you want to get a job in Oklahoma you can get one.\u201d\nAs for the staggering national budget deficit, the congressman believes there are a couple of areas that must be addressed for it turn around \u2014 cuts in entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with some changes to the tax system.\n\u201cThat\u2019s where most of the debt is,\u201d he said, referring to the entitlements.\n\u201cIf we do these things and make some adjustments in entitlements, we can move in the right direction with the budget.\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just cut, you\u2019ve got to grow your way out of debt.\u201d\nWhen it comes to today\u2019s better economic times, Cole says it was the \u201cresiliency of the economy\u201d and not Congress or the president that has gotten things moving in the right direction.\nNot all has been a downer for Congress, he said, as there was some legislation enacted during the past year, like the Farm Bill, that Cole describes as positive.\nCole himself was one of the sponsors for a bill that included shifting money, normally paying for the national political conventions, and using it to pay for pediatric research.\n\u201cThat\u2019s $130 million that won\u2019t be wasted on political parties and instead we\u2019ll spend it on sick kids. I think we can all agree that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d\nThere\u2019s also been an overhaul of the military veterans\u2019 system, including an accountability for many at the top, he said.\nHe also believes immigration reform and more secure southern U.S. borders will continue to be a \u201cflashpoint\u201d issue.\n\u201cThere will be plenty of problems when the new Congress gets here,\u201d he said about next year\u2019s term.\n\u201cBut we\u2019ve had about a year of reasonably good work.\u201d\nCole added he will be paying close attention to the political jockeying that typically comes during a president\u2019s last term in office. President Obama is entering his final two years in office.\n\u201cThe real question is can both sides sit down and work together,\u201d Cole said.\n\u201cIt would be a mistake and bad for the country to have gridlock and a divided government.\u201d\nOnline: Pauls Valley Daily Democrat", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://cole.house.gov/pauls-valley-daily-democrat-big-issues-take-center-stage"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9741107933223248, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}