Press Releases
Senators Lankford & Tillis Joint Statement on White House Meeting on DACA, Immigration
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-authors of the SUCCEED Act, issued the following joint statement on their meeting today with President Trump and Senate Republicans on solutions for DACA and border security: "Today's meeting between the President and Senate Republicans was productive, and we are all on the same page when it comes to securing our borders once and for all and providing long-term certainty for DACA youth. Over the course of the last sever… Continue Reading
01.02.18
Senator Lankford Applauds FEMA For Including Houses of Worship in Disaster Assistance
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) decision to allow houses of worship to apply for aid relating to disasters declared after Aug. 23, 2017. Specifically, FEMA today revised their Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide to include that houses of worship will no longer be excluded from eligibility for FEMA aid on the basis of the religious character or primarily religious use of the facility. With this change, FEMA a… Continue Reading
01.02.18
Senator Lankford’s Office Releases 2017 Activity Report
WASHINGTON, DC - The Office of Senator James Lankford today released a memo detailing the activities and accomplishments of the Senator's service to Oklahoma in 2017. A PDF of the memo is available here, and the full text is below: TO: ALL RESIDENTS OF OKLAHOMA FROM: GREG SLAVONIC (REAR ADMIRAL NAVY-RETIRED), CHIEF-OF-STAFF, SENATOR LANKFORD SUBJECT: OFFICE OF SENATOR JAMES LANKFORD ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT DATE: JANUARY 2, 20… Continue Reading
12.22.17
Senator Lankford Again Pushes Gridlock Reform on Senate Floor
CLICK HERE to view the video. WASHINGTON, DC - Days after testifying before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration about his gridlock reform proposal, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) delivered a speech on the floor of the Senate, Thursday, about the issue. Lankford has advocated a series of Senate rule changes to streamline the executive confirmation process, to address the numerous federal agency vacancies, and also allow the Senate to debate and vote on more legislation. The Senate … Continue Reading
12.21.17
Lankford Letter - Tax Reform Special Edition
CLICK HERE for the December 21, 2017 Tax Reform Special Edition Lankford Letter.… Continue Reading
12.21.17
Senators Lankford, Klobuchar, Harris, Collins, Heinrich and Graham Introduce Election Security Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE D.J. Jordan (Lankford): 202-228-1477 Kirsten Hartman (Klobuchar): 202-228-6317 Tyrone Gayle (Harris): 202-897-6212 Annie Clark (Collins): 202-224-2523 Whitney Potter (Heinrich): 202-228-1578 Taylor Reidy (Graham): 202-224-5972 WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), along with co-sponsor Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), today introduced the Secure Elections Act,… Continue Reading
12.20.17
President Signs Enhancing Veterans Care Act Into Law
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) praised the president for signing into law the Enhancing Veterans Care Act (S.1266) today. Sen. Inhofe, Sen. Lankford and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), authored this legislation to provide greater accountability and allow independent oversight at Veterans Affairs facilities. "Unfortunately, the VA hasn't always met the standard of healthcare and patient care that our veterans deserve," said Lankford. "Most of the administra… Continue Reading
12.20.17
Senator Lankford: Tax Reform Is One Step Closer To Becoming Law
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) tonight made the following statement after voting in favor of the House and Senate conference agreement of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: "After thirty years, we finally have a tax reform bill that's one stop away from being signed into law by the President. Over the past decade, economic growth has stalled and for the first time since World War II, America has grown around 2 percent or less. For the past year, we have worked to simplify the tax code … Continue Reading
12.19.17
Senator Lankford Testifies on Gridlock Reform Before Senate Rules Committee
CLICK HERE to view the video. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today testified before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration on Senate Resolution 355, which is a resolution introduced by Lankford to address Senate gridlock. Lankford has advocated keeping the legislative filibuster but changing the rules that produce or result in a delay in the Senate calendar for presidential nominations. In April 2017, Lankford proposed to reinstate a rule from 2013 in order to reduce S… Continue Reading
12.19.17
Senators Lankford and Klobuchar Urge Department of Homeland Security to Prioritize Election Cybersecurity
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have written the new Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen to urge the Department to prioritize election cybersecurity. Intelligence reports make it clear that Russia hacked presidential campaign accounts, launched cyberattacks against at least 21 state election systems, attacked a US voting systems software company, and illegally obtained emails from more than 100 local election officials. In today's letter, Klobuc… Continue Reading
12.13.17
Senator Lankford Introduces Judge Charles Goodwin at Nomination Hearing
CLICK HERE to view the video. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced Oklahoma Judge Charles Goodwin at his nomination hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Goodwin is nominated to serve on the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Goodwin currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Oklahoma. Goodwin presided over approximately 500 initial proceedings in felony cases, issued approximately 350 opinions… Continue Reading
12.08.17
Lankford Letter - December 8
CLICK HERE for the December 8, 2017 Lankford Letter.… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Senator Lankford Touts Benefits of the Senate Tax Reform Bill
CLICK HERE to watch the video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered a speech on the floor of the Senate to tout the benefits of the tax bill that passed the Senate on December 2. Lankford used the speech to clear up misinformation about the bill, and to explain how the bill would help middle class Oklahomans. This speech comes a day after Lankford penned an op-ed on the same topic. Excerpts: Mr. President, we're in the middle of a have very protracted conversation … Continue Reading
12.06.17
Senator Lankford in The Oklahoman: Tax reform will help Oklahoma's economy
by Senator James Lankford
It has been more than 30 years since there was a major change in federal tax policy. Thankfully, the Senate passed a tax reform bill last week that will simplify our tax code, cut taxes in all brackets and help grow the economy. During the past 70 years, the American economy has grown at around 3 percent or more a year, on average. But in the past 10 years, economic growth has collectively averaged only 2 percent, and last year, our GDP was just 1.5 percent for the year. We must get our economy… Continue Reading
12.06.17
Senator Lankford Supports President’s Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israeli Capital
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the President's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, an action that Congress has supported for decades on a strong bipartisan basis: "After more than two decades of bipartisan requests from Congress, I applaud the President's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the start of a long process to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The Government of Israel officially resides in Jerusalem; ignoring the obvi… Continue Reading
12.06.17
Senator Lankford Chief of Staff Nominated Assistant Secretary of the Navy
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the President's nomination of Retired Rear Admiral Gregory Slavonic to be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Slavonic is a native Oklahoman and currently serves as Chief of Staff in the Office of Senator Lankford. "Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic is the model of public service. He has dutifully served our nation in the Navy, and he has served the people of Oklahoma as my Chief of Staff. He has been nomin… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Senator Lankford Introduces Bill to Strengthen Border Security, Improve Immigration System
CLICK HERE to watch the video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined other Senators to introduce the Security, Enforcement, and Compassion United in Reform Efforts, (SECURE) Act, a bill that aims to strengthen border security and improve interior immigration enforcement. The bill also contains provisions from several immigration proposals, including Senator Dick Durbin's (D-IL) bipartisan BRIDGE Act, which protects DACA recipients from deportation. The SECURE Act is cospons… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Senator Lankford Supports Confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen as DHS Secretary
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the following statement in support of the confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by a vote of 62 to 37: "I'm glad Kirstjen Nielsen has been confirmed as the next DHS Secretary. She has an impressive resume and extensive experience working at DHS that will serve us well as she leads the agency. Her background in cybersecurity is vital as we continue to confront and protect aga… Continue Reading
12.02.17
Senator Lankford Supports Senate Tax Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted in favor of the Senate version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed by a vote of 51 to 49. The House passed their version of the bill on November 16, 2017. The differences between the two bills will now be worked out in a conference committee between the House and Senate. Once the conferenced bill is approved by both chambers, it goes to the President's desk for his signature. CLICK HERE to read the differences between the House bi… Continue Reading
11.30.17
Senator Lankford’s RESPECT Act Passes Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK)'s Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act was adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent. The bill would repeal several outdated, offensive federal laws against Native Americans, including unenforced laws currently in place subjecting Native Americans to forced labor. Specific to Oklahoma, the bill would repeal a 100-year old law that allowed for the forced removal of Native American children from… Continue Reading
