Press Releases
Lankford, Colleagues Introduce Bill To Block Biden Energy Ban
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to introduce the Protecting our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act of 2021. The POWER Act would prohibit the President or his secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture and Energy departments from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without congressional approval. Lankford and Lummis were joined by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackbur… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Lankford, Rubio, Senate Colleagues Seek to Stop Goods Coming to US from Forced Labor of Uyghurs in China
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and 25 bipartisan Senate colleagues to reintroduce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill will ensure that goods made with Uyghur forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) do not enter the United States. Earlier this year, the State Department issued a determination that the Chinese Communist Party is committing crimes against humanity and genocide aga… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Lankford Joins Inhofe to Call for Greater Protections For Children with Down Syndrome
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) who led 20 of his colleagues in re-introducing S. 75, the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act, which would ban a doctor from performing an abortion being sought because the unborn child has Down syndrome. Congressman Ron Estes (KS-04) re-introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Sponsors of the bill include Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), John Thune (R-SD), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jo… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Lankford Joins Colleagues to Push for Meeting with President To Advocate for Energy Workers
WASHINGTON, DC-Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Dan Sullivan's (R-AK) letter, with 24 of his Senate colleagues, to President Joe Biden voicing their concerns about the new administration's recent executive orders and regulatory actions targeting the domestic energy sector and the thousands of good-paying American jobs it supports and requesting a meeting with the President. The letter is also signed by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Lankford Announces New Staff in Oklahoma City Office
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The office of Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced the addition of Estela Hernandez as Field Representative for Oklahoma and Cleveland counties and Vickie Moore for Staff Assistant in his Oklahoma City office. Estela's role as a Field Representative will include connecting with Oklahomans in Oklahoma and Cleveland counties to hear the needs of and work to solve federal issues for local residents. Vickie will serve Oklahomans through front-office operations in Oklaho… Continue Reading
01.28.21
Lankford, Wicker Lead 45 Pro-Life Legislators in Effort to End Taxpayer Funded Abortions
WASHINGTON DC- Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today led 46 of their colleagues in reintroducing the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which would make permanent the Hyde Amendment restrictions on using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. Currently, policies that regulate federal funding for abortions, like the long-standing Hyde Amendment, have to be reapproved each year and can be terminated at any time. This bill would elimin… Continue Reading
01.28.21
Lankford, Colleagues Urge President Biden to Follow Good Government Practices on President Trump’s Late-Term Federal Regulations
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) in a letter urging President Biden to follow good government practices regarding late-term federal regulations put forward by President Trump's administration and reminding him that there are proper procedures in place to ensure both thoughtful rulemaking and oversight of those rules by Congress. Final rules that have completed the rulemaking process generally do not go into effect until at least 30 days after… Continue Reading
01.28.21
Lankford, Cloud Want to Stop Taxpayer Dollars from Supporting Abortion Providers
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today reintroduced the bicameral Women's Public Health and Safety Act, which gives states the authority to exclude abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds. Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) introduced the House version of the bill on January 5, 2021. Under current law, states are required to allow any qualified provider to participate in a state's Medicaid system. A non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GA… Continue Reading
01.28.21
Lankford Criticizes Biden’s Move to Force Taxpayers to Pay for Abortion Overseas
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement after President Joe Biden's Administration signed a Presidential Memorandum to repeal the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (PLGHA), often referred to as the expanded "Mexico City Policy," that banned US taxpayer dollars from supporting international organizations that promote or perform abortion, as well as organizations that support other organizations that promote or perform abortion: "The day before virtual… Continue Reading
01.27.21
Lankford Advocates for Education Scholarships
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), led by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), along with Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), introduced the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act to expand elementary, secondary, and vocational education opportunities for students by providing a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit scholarship funds. Rep. … Continue Reading
01.27.21
Lankford Asks Senators and Americans: Is that a baby?
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered an impassioned speech on the Senator floor to ask a simple question: Is that a baby? His speech comes ahead of the annual virtual March for Life on Friday. Lankford pressed that some in our nation want to avoid the question of whether a child in the womb is in fact a human baby and instead ask whether or not a legislator supports programs that help children and mothers after the baby is born. … Continue Reading
01.27.21
Lankford and Graham Reintroduce 20 Week Abortion Ban
WASHINGTON, DC - US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today reintroduced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The legislation would provide common-sense protections for unborn children at 20 weeks after fertilization, a point at which there is significant scientific evidence that abortion inflicts tremendous pain on the unborn. "Every life is valuable-born or unborn," said Lankford. "It shouldn't be controversial to say that if a child survives an attempted … Continue Reading
01.26.21
Lankford Opposes Returning to Weak Foreign Policy Strategy, Opposes Secretary of State Nominee
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after he opposed the confirmation of Mr. Antony Blinken to serve as the Secretary of State: "I strongly oppose Tony Blinken's nomination for Secretary of State because he brings the same failed foreign policy strategy from a decade ago that put us in a weak position with nations like Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, and other bad actors. As we confront a rise in cyber threats, election tampering by foreign adversar… Continue Reading
01.26.21
Lankford Issues Statement on Impending Impeachment Trial in the Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford issued the following statement after he voted to support Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)'s point of order on the constitutionality of the trial of a former president: "This is not a trial; this is political theater. You cannot remove someone from office who is already out of office. In this trial there is no current President, no Chief Justice and no possibility someone could be removed from office because they are not in any office. In a moment when our nation… Continue Reading
01.25.21
Lankford Joins Colleagues Call to Award Officer Eugene Goodman with Congressional Gold Medal
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced legislation to award Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal to honor his heroic actions on January 6, 2021. Goodman confronted rioters in the Capitol, delaying their access to the Senate chamber and protecting the lives of those inside. "A congressional Gold Medal will never be enough to thank Office… Continue Reading
01.25.21
Lankford Supports Students' Right to School Choice
WASHINGTON, DC - US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tim Scott (R-SC), Congressional School Choice Caucus co-chair, introduced a resolution declaring this week as National School Choice Week. Lankford and Scott were joined by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mike Braun (R-IN), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson… Continue Reading
01.22.21
Lankford Continues Strong Record to Stand for Life
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) was honored to receive an "A+" rating on the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List National Pro-Life Scorecard, which ranks senators and representatives on a series of SBA-selected key pro-life votes. "I can think of no more fitting way to honor the legacy of Susan B. Anthony in the year we have the most pro-life women serving in Congress ever than to join together to protect the lives of unborn children," said Lankford. "Standing up for those who cannot spe… Continue Reading
01.21.21
Lankford Says Halting Border Wall Construction Compromises US National Security
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after President Biden made it one of his first priorities to terminate the Trump Administration's declared national emergency at our southern border and halt funding and ongoing construction of the physical barrier at the border in as soon as one week: "After setting up walls and fences throughout Washington, DC, for the inauguration, President Biden announced that he does not believe fences promote our national secur… Continue Reading
01.21.21
Lankford Decries Biden Administration’s Immediate Obstruction of Keystone XL
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement following President Joe Biden's climate change-related Executive Action, which includes a revocation of the cross-border permit for the Keystone XL pipeline: "The Keystone XL is the physical embodiment of Democrats' crusade against traditional energy. President Biden wasted no time turning back years of Americans' hard work developing, ironing out the route, and building this trans-border pipeline," said Lankford. "Th… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Senator Lankford Issues Statement on Confirmation of President Biden's Pick to Serve as Director of National Intelligence
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement on the confirmation of Avril Haines, President Joseph Biden's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence: "It is vital that our nation has in place a Senate-confirmed Director of National Intelligence to provide leadership for our intelligence agencies. The Senate Intelligence Committee completed its hearings and background work days ago so that the Senate could make a determination on consent as early as possible. Th… Continue Reading
