WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, issued the following weekly column on Jan. 24, 2024: * * * Last week, both chambers of Congress passed, and the president signed into law, another continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government and avoid a partial government shutdown. While this is not where I hoped lawmakers would be at this point in the appropriations process, Congress's annual process to fund government functions and agencies, it has unfortunately been significantl more PR