Press Releases
Lankford Joins Second-Annual Bipartisan Reading on Senate Floor of Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's segment of the reading. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), John Kennedy (R-LA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), with a special introduction from Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) in a reading on the Senate floor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. In April 1963 Dr. King penned the letter from his cell at the Birmingham Jail, where he and other protes… Continue Reading
06.16.20
Lankford, Senate Committee Push on Lack of Response from Cell Phone Carriers on Contraband Cell Phones in Prisons
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in a Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) fiscal year 2021 funding hearing. Lankford asked Chairman Pai about the ongoing expansions in telehealth medicine, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the redrawing of broadband maps to better represent coverage in parts of the … Continue Reading
06.12.20
Lankford Joins Bipartisan Letter Urging the Administration to Provide Paperwork Relief for Oklahoma Small Businesses who Utilized the COVID-19 Relief Program
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) along with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today led a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza urging the administration to ease paperwork requirements for small businesses seeking loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The letter, signed by 44 senators, specifically requests that the loan forgiveness application for loans under $250,000 to be no … Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford Praises Annual Work to Highlight and Eliminate International Religious Persecution
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today praised the release of the 2019 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious freedom Sam Brownback today announced the annual report's release and highlighted several examples of positive steps taken internationally to ensure religious freedom for all people of faith around the world. The State Department submits the reports in accordance with the International… Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford Explains Why the Great American Outdoors Act May Be Less Than Great
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's speech. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Senate's consideration this week of the Great American Outdoors Act, which seeks to address the purchase and maintenance issues with federal lands. But Lankford told his fellow senators today that the bill lacks critical provisions that would help prevent significant amounts of debt and deficit spending. As Lankford reminded the Senate today, this is not a new issue. … Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford, Cruz, Cotton Introduce Reforms to NEPA to Roll Back Burdensome Regulations, Cut Red Tape
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) to introduce two pieces of legislation aimed at reforming the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in order to streamline infrastructure projects. The first bill, the Federal Permitting Modernization Act of 2020, establishes a series of deadlines for agency action under the FAST Act (Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act), which gives project proponents more control over the timetabl… Continue Reading
06.09.20
Lankford Continues to Push for Charitable Giving in Testimony in Front of Joint Economic Committee
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's opening remarks. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today provided testimony before the Joint Economic Committee during a hearing entitled "Supporting Charitable Giving during the COVID-19 Crisis." In 2017, Lankford introduced the Universal Charitable Giving Act, which creates a universal charitable deduction in addition to the standard deduction for individuals and married couples that do not itemize. Lankford offered an amendment to the Coronavirus A… Continue Reading
06.09.20
Lankford Questions Officials on Lessons Learned from COVID-19 on Preparedness and Supply Chain
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing entitled, "Evaluating the Federal Government's Procurement and Distribution Strategies." Lankford's Q&A for the panel including procurement and distribution leaders from the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Health and Human Services focused on federal procurement processes, procedures, and obstacles during t… Continue Reading
06.08.20
Lankford Encourages Americans to Constructively Work toward Racial Reconciliation
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks on the Senate floor. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about the racial unrest in our nation and how we can work toward practical federal, state, and local changes to address areas of disparity for underserved communities and neighborhoods within government. Lankford sent out a special edition of his e-newsletter on his thoughts on the death of George Floyd and ways he thinks our families can heal our nation and… Continue Reading
06.04.20
Lankford Issues Statement in Support of Confirmation of Nominee to Head US Agency on Global Media
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement on his support of Michael Pack to lead the US Agency on Global Media (USAGM), the federal agency comprised of five media organizations tasked with promoting American values and advancing access to information for people in closed societies. "We often take our country's First Amendment rights to a free press for granted, but millions around the world live in closed countries where they only have state-run media and they have… Continue Reading
06.04.20
Lankford, Portman, Cardin, Booker Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure PPP Access for Small Business Owners Who Earned Second Chance
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act, which will allow small business owners with criminal records to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Currently, PPP, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses that keep their employees on payroll during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, includes several questions that ma… Continue Reading
06.03.20
Lankford Joins Colleagues to Introduce Legislation to Create Transparency for Law Enforcement-Related Shootings
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in reintroducing the Walter Scott Notification Act. This critical legislation requires states receiving federal law enforcement funding to report a number of details surrounding officer-related shootings."Our nation is hurting and crying out to fix underlying systemic injustices that have existed for far too long," said Lankford. "While no one b… Continue Reading
06.03.20
Lankford Calls on State Department To Process 1.6 Million Backlog of American’s Passport Applications
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), David Perdue (R-GA), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary Mike Pompeo to seek answers to why Americans' passport applications have not been completed since March 19, 2020. The lack of processing has resulted in a backlog of 1.6 million applications. The State Department has continued to receive applicants payments for … Continue Reading
06.03.20
Judicial and Postal Nominees Testify in Front of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
WASHINGTON, DC -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today chaired a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) hearing to consider five nominations; three to be an Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and two to be United States Postal Service Governors. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, Lankford was asked to chair today's full committee hearing as his subcommittee has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia … Continue Reading
06.02.20
Lankford Works to Fill OMB Director, OPM Inspector General Vacancies to Protect Taxpayers, Federal Employees
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today encouraged timely Senate confirmation of two important Executive Branch nominees following the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's (HSGAC) nomination hearing for Russell Vought to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Craig Leen to serve as the Inspector General (IG) for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM IG position has been vacant for years, being served by deputies and others. … Continue Reading
06.02.20
Lankford Issues Statement in Support of Executive Order to Advance International Religious Freedom
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement of support following President Donald J. Trump signing an Executive Order to advance International Religious Freedom: "Many people across the world are still persecuted for daring to exercise what we as Americans know is a fundamental human right of all people-the right to choose, practice, or change their faith. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Fallin, Dafa, Bahá'í, Ughur, Yezidi, Hindu, Cao Dai, and secular… Continue Reading
06.02.20
Senators Lankford, Cruz, Blackburn, Cornyn, Cotton, Inhofe, and Lee Submit Amicus Brief to Supreme Court in Voting Rights Act Case
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), James Inhofe (R-OK), and Mike Lee (R-UT) submitted a joint amicus brief asking the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the case of DNC v. Hobbs, because the lower court's decision would jeopardize scores of neutral voting laws that are designed to prevent and deter election fraud. The case involves challenges to two Arizona election laws, including a law crimi… Continue Reading
05.29.20
Lankford, Sinema Call for Oversight of Federal Coronavirus Response to Improve Preparedness for Future Emergencies
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak in the US and provide recommendations to improve America's preparedness for a future pandemic or public health emergency. "One of Congres… Continue Reading
05.29.20
Senator Lankford Wants Pressure Put on Ortega Regime in Nicaragua for Human Rights Violations
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), David Perdue (R-GA), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), in a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin encouraging the administration to hold members of the Ortega regime in Nicaragua accountable for human rights violations. "We write in support of additional action… Continue Reading
05.22.20
Lankford Joins Colleagues to Request Full SBA Investigation of Improper Planned Parenthood PPP Loans
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 33 of his Senate colleagues, and 94 Members of the House of Representatives in requesting that Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), conduct a full investigation into how 37 Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for and improperly received a total of $80 million in loans from the Paycheck Protectio… Continue Reading
