Press Releases
Senator Lankford Announces Community Conversation for Thursday
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The Office of Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced that he will host a public, town-hall style Community Conversation on Thursday, February 20, 2020. WHAT: Senator Lankford Holds Community Conversation WHEN: Thursday, February 20, 2:30 p.m. CT WHERE: Standing Bear Museum, 601 Standing Bear Parkway, Ponca City, OK 74601 Members of the press who plan to attend, please RSVP to Aly Beley or Kelly Ferguson by email Aly_Bele… Continue Reading
02.17.20
Lankford Touts FCC’s Commitment to Reduce Contraband Cell Phones in State Prisons
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the inclusion of language in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) budget proposal for the fiscal year 2021 that would help prevent the use of contraband cellphones in state prisons. The FCC listed strategic goals it "commits to accomplish" which included supporting "the ability of first responders, including law enforcement, by developing and implementing policies and procedures to strengthen public safety," and taking "ste… Continue Reading
02.13.20
Senator Lankford Celebrates Black History Month by Honoring Oklahomans
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's speech. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today celebrated Black History Month by honoring several remarkable black Oklahomans who have significantly contributed to the state and nation. Lankford highlighted past and present Oklahomans who will be renowned going forward for their many contributions to areas of civil rights advocacy, faith-based mentorship, community organization, publishing and broadcasting, music and the arts, and many other areas im… Continue Reading
02.13.20
Senator Lankford Opposes War Powers Resolution
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed a Senate Resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would limit the President's ability to direct the US military to carry out strategic attacks on Iranian terrorists regardless of whether an "imminent threat" to American lives is present. "No one should want a war with the people of Iran. The Iranian people are not our enemy. The vote in the Senate today was not about declaring war or preventing a war with Iran, it was ab… Continue Reading
02.13.20
Lankford Discusses Rx Pricing, Rural Hospital Access & Vaping Nicotine Standards with top Health Official
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex M. Azar II on a series of issues including his work to reduce the cost of prescription drug pricing by addressing the issues with tiering, access to rural hospitals and his bill with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to update Medicare's Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation; his bill to protect healthcare providers from disc… Continue Reading
02.12.20
Lankford Talks Booming Economy, President’s 2020 Budget with Treasury Secretary
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the President's 2020 budget request for the Department of the Treasury. Lankford addressed the booming US economy and its impact on our nation's ability to invest in our growth and the US tax receipts into the Treasury. Lankford also discussed the processes of government shutdowns and debt ceiling hikes and the cos… Continue Reading
02.12.20
Lankford, Tillis, Burr, Jones, Cornyn, Cruz, Rounds Announce Plan to Expedite Disaster Recovery Projects
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard Burr (R-NC), Doug Jones (D-AL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced bipartisan legislation that would expedite the start of certain hazard mitigation projects after natural disasters, while grant applicants await federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) hazard mitigation grant program. Under current law local stakeholders applying for federal … Continue Reading
02.11.20
Senator Lankford Seeks Update on Election Security ahead of November 2020
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned national security witnesses at a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) hearing entitled "What States, Locals and the Business Community Should Know and Do: A Roadmap for Effective Cybersecurity." Lankford questioned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs for an update o… Continue Reading
02.10.20
Lankford Issues Statement on President Trump’s Budget Proposal to Congress
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement on the released of President Trump's Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal: "The biggest issue we face as a nation is our growing national debt and skyrocketing deficits. Nearly three-quarters of our unchecked spending is on auto-pilot and continues to dramatically rise each year. Now is the time to lay out a bold plan to manage our nation's out-of-control spending, and actually lower the national debt by eliminating the wastefulnes… Continue Reading
02.10.20
Lankford, Inhofe, Mullin, Hern, Stitt React to President Trump’s Proposal to Build VA Hospital in Tulsa
WASHINGTON, DC - This afternoon, President Trump released his 2021 Presidential Budget Request, which identifies his goals and funding priorities for next year. The request includes funding to build a new hospital in Tulsa and is complemented with plans for a major investment in the Muskogee health facility to support a transformative specialty care facility. These new investments-along with ongoing commitment to the VA Call Center and Regional Benefits Administration in Muskogee-will improve c… Continue Reading
02.07.20
Senator Lankford, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Prohibit Teleabortions
WASHINGTON, DC -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) this week introduced legislation to protect the sanctity of human life by prohibiting chemical abortions from being performed without the supervision of a healthcare provider. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Kennedy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Kevin Cramer (S-ND) are also cosponsors of the bill. The Teleabortion Prevention Act would make it a federal offense for healthcare p… Continue Reading
02.06.20
Senators Lankford, Hassan Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency, Address Waste Passes House
WASHINGTON, DC - This week, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the bipartisan Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act, introduced by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), that would require the federal government to publicize the details, costs, and performance metrics of government programs. This bipartisan legislation, which would increase transparency and curb wasteful spending, passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last year. "I applau… Continue Reading
02.06.20
Senator Lankford Joins President Trump, Members of Congress at National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today attended the 68th-annual bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. The National Prayer Breakfast is an opportunity each year for people from around the country and the world to come together to pray for peace, pray for our nation, pray for their nations, and pray for those who lead around the world. In 2019 Lankford and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) served as honorary co-chairs of the National Prayer Breakfast. This year's honorary … Continue Reading
02.05.20
75 Years after the Liberation of Auschwitz, Senators Lankford, Rosen Speak at US Holocaust Museum ahead of National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, as a part of National Prayer Breakfast week, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV)) spoke at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, discussing the need to combat anti-Semitic hate and highlighting the work of their Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism. Lankford was an honorary co-chair of the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast. "The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, is a somber but powerful testament to the millions of lives lost in the Holoc… Continue Reading
02.04.20
Senator Lankford Addresses Final Vote on Impeachment
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's floor speech. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate Floor regarding his conclusion that he will not vote to remove the President tomorrow afternoon in the final vote on the two articles of impeachment. Throughout the entire trial, Lankford has provided Facebook Live updates following each day of the impeachment proceedings in the Senate. Excerpt Lankford: Our country is deeply divided on multiple issues right now. The impeachm… Continue Reading
01.30.20
Lankford: America Has a Debt Issue
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Budget and Economic Outlook for fiscal years 2020 through 2030 report showing US debt and deficits are projected to continue rising dramatically: "The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's latest report on our nation's skyrocketing debt and deficits continues to paint a picture of what my team and I have been trying to address for years--our nation's debt. Deficit is not… Continue Reading
01.28.20
Senators Lankford and Rosen Applaud Signature into Law of Bipartisan Bill to Increase Security for Houses of Worship
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism and members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement applauding the signing by the President of the Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019, companion legislation to a bipartisan bill they both cosponsored. "It is critical that Congress take action to assist ho… Continue Reading
01.27.20
Lankford, Johnson, Colleagues Send Letter on Misuse of Electric Vehicle Tax Credit
WASHINGTON, DC -Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Barrasso (R-WY) and 12 of their colleagues sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig Monday requesting information to better understand how the IRS enforces the electric vehicle tax credit in light of a Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) audit report that detailed what appear to be systemic problems with the tax credit program. "On September 30, 2019, the Treasury Ins… Continue Reading
01.25.20
Senator Lankford Statement on Extradition of Baltazar Sanchez-Garcia to the US
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after the announcement that accused murderer Baltazar Sanchez-Garcia was extradited to Stephens County, OK, to stand trial for the alleged murder of Linda Salazar, the mother of the couple's child: "After four years of waiting by the victim's family, today Mexico finally did what was right and extradited Baltazar Sanchez-Garcia to the United States to get his long-awaited day in court. I join the Salazar family in con… Continue Reading
01.23.20
Lankford Applauds No WOTUS No More
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford issued the following statement to applaud the Trump Administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Navigable Waters Protection Rule. This rule replaces the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which removes burdensome regulation from America's farmers, ranchers, and landowners: "Oklahomans want clean, safe water in our rivers, lakes, and streams. Unfortunately, previous administrations used an extreme interpretation of the Waters of the Uni… Continue Reading
