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Boehner vows to support Cole’s appropriations bid next year |
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By Jackie Kucinich
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Posted: 02/14/08 05:56 PM [ET] |
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has assured Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) that he will support the House campaign committee chairman’s bid for a seat on the Appropriations Committee next year.
In a statement issued after Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) was selected to replace ex-Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on the spending panel, Cole said he withdrew his name “shortly before the [House Republican] Steering Committee meeting.”
“I consider myself a team player,” Cole said. “The minority leader asked me to step aside while I focus on my duties as a member of Republican leadership. I believe this was the best decision at the appropriate time for the entire Conference."
"Tom Cole has once again demonstrated he’s willing to let his own interests take a back seat to those of his Republican colleagues when it will help our team," Boehner said in the same release. "This quality of selflessness is the mark of a true leader. I'm grateful for Tom’s willingness to make sacrifices for our Conference. I’m proud and honored to serve with him, and I've pledged to support him for an appropriations seat next January, when I expect we will mark the first month of a new Republican majority in the House."
"The minority leader's commitment to support my bid for a seat on the Appropriations Committee in the 111th Congress made this an easy decision," Cole said.
Seven GOP spots are expected to open next year on the appropriations panel, though that number could change depending on the 2008 election results.
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