Tom Cole
- Previous profession
- College professor of history and politics; President, Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates (political consulting firm)
- First public office
- 1988Member, Oklahoma State Senate, 1988 to 1991
- Years in public office
- 30
Confirmed from the official recordSource: Congressional Directory for the 119th Congress (2025-2026), February 20, 2026. We saved our copy on October 8, 2026.
What these lines mean
These lines come from this official’s entry in the Congressional Directory, which Congress publishes. Each member’s office supplies or approves its entry. We save our own copy and sort each part of the entry by fixed rules. No AI is used.
Previous profession lists the work the entry names outside public office, in the Directory’s own words. Public office here means an elected or appointed position, staff work for an elected official or a legislature, and party or campaign work.
Lifelong politician means: Congress’s biography lists no occupation outside public office. It also means the entry lists no military service. A person on our side confirms these words before they appear.
Years in public office counts elected and appointed positions only. Staff work and party work are left out. Each year counts once.
Since the current Congress began on January 3, 2025, Cole has a recorded vote on 60 laws that passed, and 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law.
The tally counts votes on passage. 1 vote on a resolution that passed a law is listed apart.
This record covers laws that passed. Votes on bills that did not become law are not included yet.
The record in plain language
Of the 118 laws passed since January 3, 2025, 60 came to a recorded vote on passage in the House while Cole is a member. On 1 more, the recorded House vote is on a resolution. Cole votes Yes on H.Res. 590, the resolution that passed the Rescissions Act of 2025 in the House. The rest passed the House by voice vote or without objection, which records no individual votes.
Cole votes Yes on the Laken Riley Act on immigration detention; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax and spending law; the HALT Fentanyl Act; the GENIUS Act on stablecoins (digital tokens pegged to the dollar); the Epstein Files Transparency Act; the defense policy law for fiscal year 2026; the Secure America Act, a 2026 budget law; the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act; and the Russia and Iran sanctions law.
On funding the government, Cole votes Yes on the March 2025 full-year funding law; the November 2025 law that ended the 43-day shutdown; the January 2026 funding law for science, energy, Interior and the EPA; the February 2026 funding law for a further group of agencies; and the September 2026 funding extension.
Congress cancelled 24 federal rules by recorded vote in the House in that time. Cole votes to cancel 24 and against cancelling 0. The rules Cole votes to cancel come from: Interior: Bureau of Land Management (7), Environmental Protection Agency (6), Energy (4), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2), District of Columbia government (1), Treasury: Comptroller of the Currency (1), Interior: National Park Service (1), Treasury: Internal Revenue Service (1) and Interior: Ocean Energy Management (1).
Cole votes the same way as most House Republicans on all 60 of these Yes and No votes.
Votes on laws that passed
Most recent
Authorizes and expands sanctions and tariffs on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.
Requires the federal prison system to act on sexual harassment and assault of its staff by incarcerated people.
Adds College Station, Texas, and El Centro, California, to the places where federal court can sit.
Keeps the federal government funded at about last year's levels through December 11, 2026.
Votes on a resolution that passed a law
Cancels about $9 billion that Congress had already approved: roughly $8 billion in foreign aid and about $1 billion for public broadcasting.
What this member says about laws and orders
This section has two lists: statements in the official record, and excerpts from this member’s own press releases. Together they name 5 laws and 2 executive orders.
From the official record
Statements from the official record: Not checked yet. A statement appears here after a person reviews our account of the law or order it is about.
From this member’s press releases
From a secondary sourceThese are excerpts from press releases on this member’s official website that name a law or an executive order. We save a copy of each one.
8 excerpts
- Public Law 119-114September 15, 2026
“Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after S. 550, the Senate companion legislation to his bill, H.R. 2827, passed the United States House of Representatives and now heads to the President’s desk for final signature. This legislation, originally introduced by then-Senator Markwayne Mullin, passed the Senate at the end of 2025.”
- Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027September 1, 2026
Cole Votes to Avert a Partisan October Shutdown
“Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Senate Amendments to H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2027:”
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Cole Statement on Ending the Democrat-Led Department of Homeland Security Shutdown
“Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 7147, which will now head to President Trump’s desk to end the Democrat-led Department of Homeland Security shutdown:”
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026February 3, 2026
Cole Re-Votes in Favor of Five Full-Year Funding Bills to Restore Government Stability
“Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) voted in favor of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. This bill, which enacts five full-year Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills previously passed by the House, is now on its way to President Trump’s desk for a signature.”
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“Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) voted in favor of H.R. 7149, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which includes funding for Defense; Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education; and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026. After voting in favor of the bills, Congressman Cole released the”
- Tribal Colleges and UniversitiesJanuary 8, 2026
“$20 million for the Tribal Colleges and Universities STEM program.”
Show all 8
- Tribal Colleges and UniversitiesJanuary 8, 2026
“$20 million for the Tribal Colleges and Universities STEM program.”
- One Big Beautiful Bill ActJuly 7, 2025
Cole Votes in Favor of Final Passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act
“By passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act through both the House and Senate, we will secure our border and finally complete our border wall, unleash our domestic energy potential, and make generational investments in our national security. This legislation makes the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts permanent, providing lasting relief to families, workers, and small businesses and protecting the average”
Member-requested spending
Congress printed 16 spending items this member requested, $121,326,000 in all, in the lists read for 4 laws.
Laws read: Public Law 119-37, Public Law 119-74, Public Law 119-75, Public Law 119-86.
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation-Aided Instruction Building: Design | Public Law 119-37 | Automation-Aided Instruction Building: DesignArmy | None printed | $9,300,000 |
| Cleveland County Sheriff's Office | Public Law 119-74 | Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Rapid DNA SystemDOJ · OJP--Byrn e | None printed | $970,000 |
| on STAG--Drinking Water S Revolving Fund | Public Law 119-74 | tate OK Moore Public W for Water Tra ConstructionEnvironmentAgency · al Protecti | None printed | $5,000,000 |
| Cleveland County Sheriff's Office | Public Law 119-74 | Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Rapid DNA SystemDOJ · OJP--Byrne | None printed | $970,000 |
| University of Oklahoma | Public Law 119-75 | University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport Improvements (OUN)Department of Transportation · Grants-in-Aid for Airports | OK | $17,065,000 |
| City of Ada | Public Law 119-75 | Ada Regional Airport Improvements (ADH)Department of Transportation · Grants-in-Aid for Airports | OK | $15,000,000 |
| City of Duncan | Public Law 119-75 | Duncan Municipal Airport, Halliburton Field Improvements (DUC)Department of Transportation · Grants-in-Aid for Airports | OK | $7,000,000 |
| City of Ardmore | Public Law 119-75 | Ardmore Storm Water and Street ImprovementsDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $7,500,000 |
| City of Newcastle | Public Law 119-75 | Newcastle Wastewater Treatment FacilityDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $12,000,000 |
| City of Pauls Valley | Public Law 119-75 | Pauls Valley Lake Emergency Overflow Spillway ProjectDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $6,286,000 |
Show all 16
| Recipient | Law | Purpose | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator | Public Law 119-75 | Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator's Science and Technology Convergence InstituteDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $11,500,000 |
| City of Lindsay | Public Law 119-75 | City of Lindsay's New Electrical SubstationDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $3,957,000 |
| Walters Public Works Authority | Public Law 119-75 | Walters Substation Rebuild and Capacity Enhancement ProjectDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $4,340,000 |
| Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma | Public Law 119-75 | Chickasaw Nation Water Quality and Hazardous Substance Testing CenterDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $8,438,000 |
| Town of Goldsby | Public Law 119-75 | Goldsby Municipal Water ImprovementsDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $7,000,000 |
| City of Lawton | Public Law 119-75 | Lawton Alternate Water SupplyDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · Community Development Fund | OK | $5,000,000 |
1 row here has the same law, recipient, purpose and amount as another row. The Congressional Record may print one item more than once. The count and the total include each row.
Read from the lists Congress printed for 4 laws. An item requested by several members appears under each of them, so sums across members count such an item more than once. A list the Congressional Record printed on two days is counted once, from the later printing. A requester is tied to a member only when exactly one member serving in that chamber on that day has the printed name.
Campaign promises
Promises kept: Not checked yet
Not checked yetA person has not reviewed this member’s campaign promises yet. This is what we hold so far.
- Campaign website: www.tomcoleforcongress.com. The Federal Election Commission’s record of COLE FOR CONGRESS gives this address.Confirmed from the official record
- Pages of www.tomcoleforcongress.com: Not checked yet.Not checked yet
Online ads
From a secondary sourceThese are records from public ad libraries, for advertisers tied to this member. We show an ad only after we save our own copy of it.
COLE FOR CONGRESS Google Ads Transparency Center
Evidence for the tie: The library lists FEC committee number C00379735 for this advertiser, and the FEC committee file names this member as that committee’s candidate.
The library lists 1 ad by this advertiser since January 3, 2025.
We have not saved our own copy of this ad yet, so this page does not show it. Cause: Google’s data file carries no words, picture or video of the ad.
Read from Google Ads Transparency Center, its data file of October 6, 2026. Meta Ad Library: Not started. An ad counts when the library last shows it on or after January 3, 2025.
Campaign money
For the 2026 election cycle, Cole's campaign reports receiving $3,827,891.36 and reports spending $3,008,431.84, as of June 30, 2026.
Confirmed from the official record| What the filing reports | 2026 cycleFEC number H2OK04055as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H2OK04055as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Money raised (total receipts) | $3,827,891.36 | $5,588,752.02 |
| Money spent (total disbursements) | $3,008,431.84 | $5,023,393.52 |
| Cash on hand (at the end of the period) | $2,599,732.95 | $1,780,273.43 |
| Debts (owed by the committee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Where it comes from
| Reported as received from | 2026 cycleFEC number H2OK04055as of June 30, 2026 | 2024 cycleFEC number H2OK04055as of December 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals, itemized | $1,952,940.67 | $2,753,247.66 |
| Individuals, unitemized | $109,108.70 | $227,840.32 |
| Other political committees | $1,568,079.00 | $2,496,759.51 |
| Party committees | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| The candidate, contributions | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| The candidate, loans | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Committees
- COLE COMBINED COMMITTEE Joint fundraising committee · 2024 and 2026 · FEC committee C00438481
- COLE FOR CONGRESS Principal campaign committee · 2024 and 2026 · FEC committee C00379735
- CONSERVATIVE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP AND ENTERPRISE PAC Leadership PAC · 2024 and 2026 · FEC committee C00404392
Every figure is copied from the Federal Election Commission. The campaign's committee reports each one.
See contributions by size and by state, and the saved FEC files
Where this comes from
We saved our own copy of each official House vote file listed here before writing this page. A code beside a file is its fingerprint, a short code that changes if the file's contents change.
