A Conservative Republican's Rise Is The Latest Sign Of Indigenous Political Power

It took Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) only about a minute to say all he had to say about becoming the most politically powerful Native American currently in elected office, and possibly the most powerful one since the 1920s.

“I care a lot about Native American history. I’m from a state that has a huge tribal presence,” Cole told reporters Monday morning, after officially taking the reins of the powerful House appropriations committee from Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas).

The committee, in conjunction with its counterpart in the Senate, divides up the annual pie of federal funding that goes to keep most federal agencies and programs outside of Social Security and Medicare running. For this year, that totaled about $1.6 trillion.

Appropriators are the guardians of Congress’ purse strings, and are sometimes regarded as almost an invisible third party on Capitol Hill. Spending bills must be passed by Sept. 30 each year to keep the government open, and making sure those bills get passed makes appropriators often more moderate than their colleagues.

In Cole’s case, as he worked his way up the ladder, he said he’s tried to look out for Native issues, such as housing. Cole, 74, has historically also been known as an advocate for higher Indian Health Service funding.

“Clearly, that’s something I know a lot about and care a lot about. Some of my colleagues, they come from districts that don’t have much Native presence. I understand why it’s not front and center to them, but it is to me,” he said Monday.

Cole, a political consultant before he was elected to Congress in 2002, is a conservative, but one of the few in his party who commands respect from more moderate members as well as hard-liners. His name was mentioned in October as a