
Republicans on Wednesday officially selected Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) to serve as the new chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Cole, a member of the panel’s defense subcommittee, succeeds Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who announced her plans in March to step down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “I am proud to announce that I was ratified by the House Republican Conference this morning as the new Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. I would like to thank…