Tom Cole: “I will begin by thanking the President of the United States. He supported each and every one of these tranches of bills…”

“I will begin by thanking the President of the United States. He supported each and every one of these tranches of bills that have been brought to the floor during this critical month where we completed the appropriations process. We would not be here today without him. We would probably not be voting on this bill without him. He has been working today tirelessly to make sure we followed our own procedures and brought this bill to the floor. I personally thank President Trump for his contribution to funding the government. People forget around here that he has to sign the bills. If he doesn't sign them, believe me, he can sustain any veto he cares to cast. He has used his influence and his power constructively to bring us together across partisan lines and to pass what are bipartisan, bicameral bills. I am eternally grateful for that. Mr. Speaker, I thank my own leadership. I don't know where Speaker Johnson got his patience from, but it must be God-given, because his support throughout this process working with us, never giving up, trying to restore regular order, has been incredible and I think unparalleled in the history of the speakership, in my view.”