Press Releases
Lankford Letter - August 3
CLICK HERE for the August 3, 2018 Lankford Letter.… Continue Reading
08.01.18
Senator Lankford Introduces Bill for Churches, Charities, and Non-Profits to Protect Tax Exempt Status
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced a bill to protect churches, charities, and other non-profit organizations from a provision in the new tax law that would tax some employee benefits for the first time. The Lessening Impediments from Taxes (LIFT) for Charities Act, would repeal a section in the tax code that would require some tax-exempt organizations to pay federal taxes on employee benefits, like parking, meals, or transportation benefits for the first time. "Tax… Continue Reading
08.01.18
Senators Urge the Administration to Provide More Information on Family Reunification Process
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) today led a letter from 14 bipartisan Senators to the Attorney General and Secretaries of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting more information about migrant family reunification at the border. On June 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order to end the separation of families who cross the border illegally. The Senators are requesting more information on the reunific… Continue Reading
08.01.18
Senator Lankford, Inhofe Applaud Presidential Appointment of Oklahoman
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today applauded the President's nomination of University of Oklahoma Vice President Kelvin Droegemeier to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. "Dr. Droegemeier is an incredibly capable researcher and a highly qualified scientist," said Lankford. "He has served Oklahoma well at the University of Oklahoma and I am confident that he will serve our nation well as the new Director of the Office of Science a… Continue Reading
07.31.18
Senator Lankford Touts Benefits of Financial Services Appropriations Bill to Oklahoma
CLICK HERE to view the video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered a speech on the floor of the Senate about the appropriations process and specifically the funding bill from the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, and the its' impact on Oklahoma. In April, Lankford was named chairman of the subcommittee. Excerpts: On returning to a regular order appropriations process: (0:03-1:26) Over the past week, the Senate has been discussing … Continue Reading
07.26.18
Lankford Subcommittee Examines the Administration’s Proposed Government Reorganization Plan
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, under the chairmanship of Senator James Lankford (R-OK), today held a hearing on the challenges and opportunities of the proposed government reorganization plan involving the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration (GSA). On June 21, the Trump Administration announced a government-wide reorganization plan, "Delivering Government Solu… Continue Reading
07.26.18
Senator Lankford Questions US Trade Representative Lighthizer on Trade
CLICK HERE to view the video WASHINGTON, DC -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on the goal to resolve the trade negotiations with our current trade partners and the continued work to open new trade markets. Yesterday, Lankford met with President Trump at the White House to discuss the current trade negotiations and to urge him and his staff to… Continue Reading
07.25.18
Senator Lankford Meets with President Trump on Trade
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the following statement after meeting with President Trump at the White House to discuss the current trade negotiations: "The President's announcement today to wrap up trade disputes is an important and significant step forward and I continue to encourage the President and his staff to finalize his agreement with the EU and other trade partners around the world as quickly as possible," said Lankford. "In Oklahoma, our agriculture c… Continue Reading
07.25.18
Senators Lankford, Shaheen, and Tillis Issue Joint Statement on Andrew Brunson Being Moved to House Arrest
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) today issued the following joint statement after a Turkish court in Izmir ordered American citizen Andrew Brunson to be moved from prison to house arrest: "Today's decision by the Turkish Court system to move Pastor Andrew Brunson from prison to house arrest is a step in the right direction and will help alleviate some of the unacceptable hardship and anguish Pastor Brunson and his family have endure… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Senators Lankford, Shaheen, Tillis Meet with Pastor Brunson’s Daughter
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) today met with Jacqueline Furnari, the daughter of Dr. Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who has been unjustly imprisoned by the Turkish government since October 2016. In April 2018, Brunson's trial began and last week Turkish judges once again delayed his trial to October 2018, sending him back to languish in prison. "I'm grateful to Jacqueline and her husband for making the trip to DC to provide … Continue Reading
07.23.18
Senator Lankford Applauds Senate Confirmation of Robert Wilkie as Secretary of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today made the following statement on Senate confirmation of Robert L. Wilkie to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs: "I'm pleased that Robert Wilkie has been confirmed to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. There are important issues facing our veterans, especially with health care and medical facilities. Tremendous progress has been made in the past several years for veterans, but there are still many major issues to resolve. Our veterans have served… Continue Reading
07.20.18
Senators Lankford, Peters, & Paul Introduce Bill to Save Taxpayer Dollars on Equipment Acquisition
WASHINGTON, DC -Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced bipartisan legislation to help save taxpayer dollars on equipment used for activities including mining, agricultural production, construction, highway maintenance, and medical research. The Federal Acquisition Savings Act of 2018 would require federal agencies to consider leases or short-term rentals for heavy equipment when those options are more cost-effective than purchasing the equipment outri… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Senator Lankford Co-Introduces Bipartisan Bill Demanding Turkey End Unjust Detention of US Citizens
WASHINGTON-DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced bipartisan legislation with Senators Bob Corker (R-TN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Bill Nelson (D-FL) to restrict loans from international financial institutions to Turkey until the Turkish government ends the unjust detention of US citizens. In 2016, Turkey imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson and indicted him on unsubstantiated charges earlier this year. A Turkish court ruled yesterday… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Senators Urge President to Work With Faith Community to Keep Families Together at Border
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Chris Coons (D-DE) today sent a letter to President Trump, signed by a bipartisan group of more than two dozen senators, stating that the default position of the United States should be to keep families together at the border, and urging the administration to work with the faith community on its efforts to reunify families. The letter says, "Throughout our history, faith-based organizations have p… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Senator Lankford Meets with Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh
CLICK HERE for photos of Senator Lankford and Kavanaugh WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today met with President Trump's Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. On July 9, Kavanaugh was nominated to serve as an Associate Justice to the United States Supreme Court to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. "It was a pleasure to meet with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in my office today. He is an impressive and qualified nominee to be considered for the Supreme Court. … Continue Reading
07.18.18
Senator Lankford Gives Floor Speech on Importance of Securing US Elections
CLICK HERE to view the video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) delivered a speech on the Senate floor today about Russia's ongoing targeting of US elections, and the need for Congress to pass election security legislation. During the address, Lankford also summarized how Oklahoma dealt with Russia's interference attempts on their voting system. Excerpts: (1:31-3:15) In Oklahoma, in the 2016 cycle, the FBI and others began to discover that there were issues with the elections in s… Continue Reading
07.18.18
Senator Lankford Questions OMB Deputy Director on the Administration’s Federal Government Reorganization Plan
WASHINGTON, DC -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Deputy Director for Management Margaret Weichert of the Office of Management and Budget on the Administration's proposal to reorganize the federal government during a hearing for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). Lankford and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of HSGAC, introduced a bill in June that would expand the executive branch's authority to reorganize federal agencies. This hearing gave Membe… Continue Reading
07.16.18
Senator Lankford Statement on Trump-Putin Press Conference
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement on the President's press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I trust the assessments from Dan Coats and Gina Haspel and their Intelligence teams more than I trust a former KGB agent, Vladimir Putin. It is a fact that Russian entities hacked US presidential campaign accounts, launched cyber-attacks against at least 21 states, attacked US voting system software companies, and engaged in social medi… Continue Reading
07.13.18
Senator Lankford Statement on Justice Department Russian Indictments
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement on the Justice Department's indictments of 12 Russian nationals as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The indictments accuse the Russians, all members of the Russian Federation intelligence agency, of engaging in a "sustained effort" to hack Democrats' emails and computer networks. "With each passing month, our Russia investigations continue to c… Continue Reading
07.11.18
Senator Lankford Continues to Push for Real Immigration Reform
CLICK HERE to view the video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to discuss the need for Congress to actually fix the issues with immigration, child migrant reunification numbers from the Department of Homeland Security, and why we need the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In June, Lankford gave a speech on the Senate floor about the administration's policy of separating families at the border, the need for real immigration r… Continue Reading
