Press Releases
Lankford Wants Families to Safely Reunite with Loved Ones and Friends after Vaccinations
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Senate Finance Committee hearing entitled, "A National Tragedy: COVID-19 in the Nation's Nursing Homes," to ask what guidance the health-expert panel could provide on how and when vaccinated senior adults could receive visitors safely. He noted that Oklahoma and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have issued some, sometimes unaligned guidance. Lankford has pushed t… Continue Reading
03.17.21
Senate GOP Call Out Biden Administration for Escalating Border Crisis by Unlawfully Freezing Border Wall Funding
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined 39 Republican senators, led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, to send a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro highlighting President Joe Biden's suspension of border wall funding and construction without lawful justification, as required by the Impoundment Control Act, amid the rapidly escalating crisis along the southern border. Lankford took a trip to … Continue Reading
03.16.21
Lankford Draws Attention To Crisis at Southern Border
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about his trip to the Arizona border last weekend during which he visited the unfinished fencing on the southern border that was halted by the Biden Administration. President Biden called to end the National Emergency declaration at the southern border in one of his first acts as president. In February, Lankford also questioned President Biden's nominee to serve as Secretary of… Continue Reading
03.16.21
Lankford Seeks Solutions to Reduce US Dependence on Foreign Supply Chains
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine ways to enhance US research and development in innovative transportation technologies that reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains and increase US manufacturing. Lankford's questions on mineral availability and battery recycling were discussed with Mr. Edmund Adam Muellerweiss, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Cla… Continue Reading
03.16.21
Lankford, Paul Pen Letter to President Biden on Abrupt Firing of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission General Counsel
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Rand Paul (R-KY) led four cosigners in sending a letter to President Biden raising concerns about the sudden firing of Sharon Fast Gustafson, General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), after she rejected an ultimatum to step down. Lankford and Paul were joined by Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on the letter. In Gustafson's letter, when refusing … Continue Reading
03.16.21
Lankford, Crapo, Risch Introduce State Fiscal Flexibility Act
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Jim Risch (R-ID) to introduce the "State Fiscal Flexibility Act", a bill to eliminate a provision in the American Rescue Plan that prevents states from using relief funds to cut taxes. "The Democrat's COVID bill included many surprises and elements that had little or nothing to do with COVID, including a new provision to block states from giving tax relief to their citizens. The federal government is way out o… Continue Reading
03.15.21
Lankford Opposes President Biden’s Pick to Lead Interior
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed the nomination of Representative Debra Haaland (D-NM) to serve as the Secretary of the Interior, which was considered by the full Senate. Lankford questioned Haaland during a two-part hearing in February and noted her legislative record and testimony demonstrated her commitment to an unrealistic energy reality. "Oklahomans need an Interior Secretary that will support an all-of-the-above energy strategy and ensure we have reliable bas… Continue Reading
03.11.21
Lankford Backs Nonprofits on Senate floor, Outlines the Negative Impacts of the “COVID” bill
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about the latest $1.9 trillion COVID bill President Biden is signing today, what was in it, and what was not in it that should have been. Lankford highlighted additional spending in the bill, which will lead to even more debt, when federal dollars remain unspent from the last COVID bill passed in December. Lankford discussed the additional assistance that nonprofits need, as th… Continue Reading
03.11.21
Lankford Presses Need for Resilient and Reliable All-of-the-Above Energy Sources
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Reliability, Resiliency, and Affordability of Electric Service. Lankford pointed out how the Biden Administration wants the energy resources to be 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 but noted how long it takes to build the necessary infrastructure that supports renewable energy sources that support the needs of Americans.… Continue Reading
03.11.21
Lankford, Colleagues Work to Ensure Oklahomans Access to Rural Hospitals
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act, which would support financially vulnerable rural hospitals facing risk of closure. The legislation would update Medicare's "Critical Access Hospital" (CAH) designation so more rural hospitals can qualify for this financial lifeline and continue to serve their communities with quality, affordable health care services. Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) and… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Lankford, Inhofe Want to Preserve Sleep for Oklahoma Families By Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent
WASHINGTON, DC - Oklahoma's Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to reintroduce the Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the country. The Senators were joined by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Ed Markey (D-MA) in the reintroduction. Fifteen states-Arkansas, Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Id… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Senators: Biden Administration Must Impose Sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream II Pipeline
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined John Barrasso (R-WY) and a group of 40 senators to send a letter criticizing the Biden Administration for failing to follow the law and impose sanctions on entities involved in the Nord Stream II pipeline. The Nord Stream II pipeline would carry natural gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. If completed, the pipeline would make American allies and partners in Europe more susceptible to Moscow's coercion and malign influence. In the… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Lankford Shines Light on Lack of Transparency in Federal Government
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford joined Rep. James Comer (R-KY) to introduce the Guidance Out Of Darkness (GOOD) Act, which requires agencies to publish their regulatory guidance on the internet in a single, easily accessible location. This will dramatically increase the transparency of agency regulatory actions for all entities that need to comply-including small businesses, workers, and American households. Lankford and Comer were joined in introducing the bill by Senators Ron Johnson… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Lankford Protects Faith-based Adoption Providers
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford today joined Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) to introduce the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, which would protect faith-based child welfare providers from being discriminated against for acting in accordance with their deeply held religious beliefs. Lankford and Scott were joined in introducing the bill by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mike Braun (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND)… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Lankford Expresses Deep Disappointment in Democrats’ Move to Force Americans to Fund Abortions
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) expressed his deep disappointment that Americans will be, for the first time in 44 years, now forced to pay for abortions with federal taxpayer dollars in the Democrats' $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill that is being considered in the House today. He offered these comments this morning in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee business meeting to consider the nomination of Shalanda Young to be Dep… Continue Reading
03.09.21
Lankford, Coons Continue to Lead Push to Incentivize Charitable Giving
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tim Scott (R-SC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) today introduced the bipartisan Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act to expand and extend the current deduction for charitable giving. The bill would ensure that Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits are able to deduct… Continue Reading
03.08.21
Lankford Wants to Audit the Fed
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to reintroduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act or the "Audit the Fed" bill to prevent the Federal Reserve from concealing vital information on its operations from Congress. "Congress can't fix what we can't see, including the Federal Reserve," said Lankford. "The Fed is an integral financial institution, but it should not be immune from full congressional oversight and accountability to the American people, espe… Continue Reading
03.06.21
Lankford Votes Against Rushed, Progressive Wish List Cloaked As COVID Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed the Reconciliation Bill, which spends $1.9 trillion of borrowed money for "COVID" relief. Lankford joined Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) early this week to introduce a resolution asking the White House to provide a full accounting of what is unspent and what can be reallocated from the funding already approved. "The chaotic process that took place over the last week is further proof that this bill was not ready and… Continue Reading
03.06.21
Lankford, Daines Stand for Life During Partisan Budget Debate
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Steve Daines (R-MT) today introduced several amendments to the Reconciliation Bill to fix provisions to ensure it complies with the long-standing Hyde amendment, which bars the use of federal dollars to pay for abortion. Lankford filed his amendment to apply Hyde-related language to Community Health Centers and health funding and tax extenders. "Congress has passed five bipartisan bills in the past 12 months related to the COVID-19 pandemic t… Continue Reading
03.04.21
Lankford Continues to Prioritize Government Transparency
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford reintroduced two bills, the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act (PATTA) and the Guidance Clarity Act, which will help increase transparency of the federal rulemaking process for all Oklahomans, particularly small businesses. Lankford serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management. PATTA would require the notice of a proposed rule by a f… Continue Reading
