Press Releases
Lankford, Colleagues Protect Taxpayer Rights and Privacy
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) continues to protect Oklahomans against Democrats' campaign to monitor Americans' bank accounts, place taxpayer finances in a surveillance dragnet, and provide massive, additional mandatory funding to IRS for an army of IRS agents. Lankford, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, recently joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) and House Ways and Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) to introduce the Tax Gap Reform and Inte… Continue Reading
09.14.21
With Only Days before Federal Funding Expires, Lankford Leads Push to End Government Shutdowns, Hold Congress Accountable
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today were joined by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Braun (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL), Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) to reintroduce the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2021, which would take government shutdowns off the table by setting up an automatic continuing resolution (CR) if government funding has not been enacted on time and requiring Co… Continue Reading
09.09.21
Lankford Opposes Biden’s Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement today after President Biden signed an Executive Order requiring Executive Branch employees and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccine: "My family and I chose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and I am grateful for it. Every Oklahoman and American should have that same choice and option. Federal employees and contractors, members of our military, health care workers, and everyone else in our nation should be able to ch… Continue Reading
09.09.21
Lankford Joins Oklahomans to Stand for Life
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in the Pregnancy Resource Network Conference, hosted by Hope Pregnancy Centers, a ministry of Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children located at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. This is an annual conference that includes the pregnancy centers in Oklahoma and other pro-life organizations, including 39 evangelical centers, 10 Catholic pregnancy resource centers, and a handful of other organizations. "Every life-born o… Continue Reading
09.07.21
Lankford Joins Finance Committee Republicans to Demand Full, Open Process to Vet Reckless Tax-and-spend Proposals
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined all 14 Senate Finance Committee Republicans to demand a full, open markup to examine and debate any forthcoming reckless tax-and-spend proposals under the Finance Committee's jurisdiction. While the legislation Democrats intend to introduce has been withheld from Republicans on the Committee and from the American people, press reports indicate a far-reaching and potentially highly disruptive agenda with trillions of taxpayer dollars … Continue Reading
08.31.21
Lankford Statement on US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement on the arbitrary deadline of August 31, 2021, that President Biden set to get Americans and allies out of Afghanistan: "The Biden Administration did not use every available resource-including time-to bring every American to safety. The hundreds of Americans and thousands of allies left behind in Afghanistan are now potential bargaining chips for the Taliban to make demands of the United States in the days ahead. "Our nation i… Continue Reading
08.25.21
Lankford Says to Forget August 31 Deadline, Focus on Getting Every American Out Safely
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement on President Biden's plan to complete the evacuation from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021: "Biden initiated a withdrawal from Afghanistan that was focused on a date, not the safety of every American and our allies- which was a massive failure to the national security of our nation. The August 31 deadline is arbitrary and Biden should start listening to the pleas of the Americans and allies who are still trying to get out of the… Continue Reading
08.24.21
Lankford Stands Up for Conscience Rights Against the Most Pro-Abortion President
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) called out the Biden Administration for allowing California to violate federal law and the conscience rights of Californians who do not want to pay for abortions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has the responsibility of investigating violations of conscience rights and subsequently taking enforcement action, as was done under the Trump Administration. But instead of continuing to enforce the law, t… Continue Reading
08.24.21
Senators to President Biden: Why Are You Favoring OPEC Oil over American Oil?
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senators James Lankford (R-OK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), all Republican members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding to know why his Administration is favoring foreign sources of oil over American oil. The senators specifically question the Biden Administration's request of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and oth… Continue Reading
08.23.21
Lankford, Cornyn Want Answers on Notice to Report Policy for Biden Border Crossers
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), lead Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, and John Cornyn (R-TX), lead Republican on the Citizenship, Immigration and Border Safety Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to US Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro about the Biden Administration's "notice to report" process at the Southern border. Under the notice to report process, DH… Continue Reading
08.20.21
Lankford in Disbelief after Biden Defends Afghan Withdrawal While Americans Scramble to Get Out of Chaos
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today shared his disbelief after President Biden addressed the nation today in defense of his Administration's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan: "American citizens are scrambling to get out of Afghanistan as the vacuum left behind by our hasty withdrawal is dangerously filling with the Taliban and their supporters. But President Biden doesn't seem to have access to the internet or tv because today while he defended the mess he created… Continue Reading
08.19.21
Lankford, Inhofe Urge Biden to Devote ‘All Means Necessary’ To Evacuate Americans From Afghanistan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and 14 of their colleagues sent a letter to President Joe Biden today urging him to fulfill his"solemn responsibility to evacuate all American citizens and Afghan partners without respect to arbitrary timelines dictated by the Taliban." Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fisch… Continue Reading
08.19.21
Lankford Condemns Biden Decision to Close GTMO
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) pushed back today after receiving a very unsatisfactory and troubling response from the Biden Administration regarding their plans for the future of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In May, Lankford led a letter to President Biden to demand a status update on his plans for continuing to detain terrorists at US facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, even as the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan this week, which Lankford opposed, has esse… Continue Reading
08.19.21
Lankford, Blackburn, Colleagues Demand Durham Report Be Made Public
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) along with 43 of their Republican colleagues to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to request an update on the status of Special Counsel John Durham's inquiry into Crossfire Hurricane and to ensure the investigation is seen to completion. "The truth pursued by this investigation is necessary to ensure transparency in our intelligence agencies and restore faith in our civil liberties," the sen… Continue Reading
08.17.21
Lankford, Inhofe Demand Biden Reverse OPEC Call to Increase Oil Production
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) led a letter to President Biden urging a reversal of his decision to call upon the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to increase oil production in response to rising gas prices. Lankford, Inhofe, and their colleagues made it clear that the best and most effective way to reduce the cost of gasoline at the pump is to unleash clean, affordable, and reliable American energy. Lankford and … Continue Reading
08.17.21
Lankford Statement on Hasty Withdrawal from Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after the Taliban over took Afghanistan: "The rapid return of the Taliban in Afghanistan due to the rapid withdrawal of American forces was seen by almost everyone except President Biden. The lack of a coherent plan by this administration led to the chaotic collapse of the nation and the disorderly withdrawal of American forces and contractors. The Afghan people went from living in freedom to living under a reign of t… Continue Reading
08.17.21
Lankford, Colleagues Demand Answers on IRS’s Inappropriate Treatment of Religious Nonprofit Seeking Tax-exempt Status
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) led a letter to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George requesting a review of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) processes for making tax-exempt status determinations, and the apparent failure of quality controls in the case of the Christians Engaged religious organization. Lankford and Sasse were joined in sending the letter by Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-… Continue Reading
08.16.21
Lankford, Colleagues Demand Oversight of Lack of ICE Arrests of Criminal Illegal Aliens Under Biden Administration
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), lead Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operation and Border Management, joined Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) Rick Scott (R-FL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Rand Paul (R-KY) to send a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting critical information on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) record of arresting and deporting illegal immigrants during t… Continue Reading
08.12.21
Lankford Calls Out Biden for Harming US Oil Independence
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after the White House urged OPEC+ to ramp up crude production to counter the spike in oil prices: "A year ago, when the national average for gas prices was lower, and our government sent a strong signal to American producers that we wanted them to maintain our own energy independence. America relied only on our producers and American jobs for oil. Today, gas prices continue to rise, and President Biden has asked Russi… Continue Reading
08.12.21
Lankford, Cotton, Harris Lead Colleagues to Demand Justice for Conscience Rights of Health Care Workers
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD) led a bicameral group of Senators and Congressmen in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra demanding answers on why the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped a lawsuit against the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), which has received federal funds from HHS since 1998, for forcing a nurse to assist with an abortion … Continue Reading
