Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cole is taking over as chairman of a powerful appropriations subcommittee in the U.S. House.
The seven-term congressman from Moore was named Thursday as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
The subcommittee has broad jurisdiction and oversees funding for several major agencies, including the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Labor. This includes oversight of related agencies that deal with Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
Cole replaces Republican Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia as chairman of the subcommittee. Kingston stepped down to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia.
Cole said in a statement that the decisions that need to be made by the committee can be complex and sometimes controversial.
