Press Releases
Lankford Delivers George Washington’s Farewell Address
CLICK HERE to download Lankford’s remarks from Box.CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on YouTube.CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on Rumble. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address in honor of his birthday. The tradition of reading the address out loud began on February 22, 1862. The Senate selects one of its members, alternating parties to read the 1,641-word statement on the Senate floor. Lankford i… Continue Reading
02.24.23
Lankford Leads Bipartisan Letter Urging Expansion of Abraham Accords through Trade Policy
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden outlining the success of the Abraham Accords and urging its expansion through trade policy. Lankford was joined by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ted Budd (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). This letter was sent ahead of the upcoming release of the Administration’s 2023 trade policy agenda and follows a bipar… Continue Reading
02.23.23
Lankford, Colleagues Stand Up Against Medicare’s Planned Reimbursement Cuts for Rural Hospitals
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led more than a dozen Senators to push for an extension of a policy that allows rural hospitals to continue delivering quality care to their communities. In a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Senators formally requested a four-year extension of the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy, which allows hospitals in rural areas to compet… Continue Reading
02.22.23
Lankford, Thune, Colleagues Demand Update on Efforts to Recover Fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Benefits
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), Todd Young (R-IN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Steve Daines (R-MT) recently sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Martin Walsh requesting an update on the Biden Administration's efforts to recover fraudulent benefits obtained through the temporary COVID-19 unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Since the creation of these programs in March 2020 through the Coronaviru… Continue Reading
02.21.23
Lankford, Colleagues Push for Greater Health Care Access for Oklahomans, the Nation
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and his colleagues today announced the reintroduction of the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act, which removes the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) ban on the creation and expansion of new physician-owned hospitals (POHs) and allows POHs to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Lifting this ban will increase competition among hospitals, decrease costs, and expand access to quality care for more Americans, especially those with Medicare a… Continue Reading
02.17.23
Lankford, Cloud Want to Stop Taxpayers from Paying for Abortion
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced the bicameral Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, which gives states the authority to exclude abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving state Medicaid funds. Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX) will introduce the same bill in the House. 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 (GAO) report revea… Continue Reading
02.16.23
Lankford Leads 19 Members to Call Out FBI Over Leaked Memo Targeting Catholics
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representative Michael Cloud (R-TX), along with 18 of their colleagues, led a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray regarding the leaked memo targeting Catholic Americans. Lankford and Cloud were joined on the letter by Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Mike Braun (R-IN) along with Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), … Continue Reading
02.15.23
Lankford Works to Counter Iranian Terrorism and Stop Its Partnership with Russia
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced two bills today countering Iran’s global aggression. The Deterring Iranian Support for Russia in Ukraine and Pre-empting Terrorism (DISRUPT) Act puts pressure on Iran for their military partnership with Russia, and the Sanctioning Transfers and Outbound Products to (STOP) Iran Act will prevent American products from enabling Iranian terrorism. “Iran poses a direct threat to the United States and our allies,” said Lankford. “The … Continue Reading
02.15.23
Lankford Wants to Know Why the IRS Needs to Snoop On Your Venmo Account
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks on YouTube. CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks on Rumble. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Daniel Werfel, the nominee to serve as the next Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, in a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Lankford questioned Werfel about his current service at the IRS, particularly in the aftermath of the Lois Lerner scandal of targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, which Lankford inv… Continue Reading
02.14.23
Lankford Wants to Stop Federal Subsidies to Professional Sports Stadiums
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act, a bill to end generous federal subsidies for professional sports stadiums. The bill would close a loophole in the tax code that allows professional sports teams to finance new stadiums with municipal bonds that are exempt from federal taxes. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is leading the bill's introduction in the House of Representatives. Municipal bonds are intended to give com… Continue Reading
02.10.23
Lankford, Colleagues Push Against Biden Emissions Rule Hurting Truckers
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), and 32 Senate colleagues introduced legislation to overturn an excessive Biden Administration regulation on heavy-duty vehicle emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest rule would be challenging to implement and make new, compliant trucks cost prohibitive for small business owners. "Biden is at war against truck drivers so he can please his Green New Deal supporters. The EPA's new demands wil… Continue Reading
02.10.23
Lankford Continues Work to Stop ATF From Eroding Americans’ Second Amendment Rights
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- Senator James Lankford (R-OK) is standing up for Oklahomans' Second Amendment right to own and use pistol braces without burdensome regulation, registration, and taxation with the reintroduction of his Pistol Brace Protection Act. Lankford's bill stops the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule by exempting pistol braces from regulation under the National Firearms Act (NFA). The bill eliminates subjective standards that exist in federal law that have a… Continue Reading
02.10.23
Lankford Leads Push to Expand Scholarship Eligibility for Military Spouses and Children
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced the Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2023 to ensure surviving spouses and children of servicemembers who die as a result of a service-connected illness or injury have access to the benefits we owe them, some of which are currently tied up in eligibility timeframes that need to be corrected in law. “The women and men serving in our nation’s National Guard and Reserve continue to support our country, and in retur… Continue Reading
02.09.23
Lankford Prioritizes Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced four important bills to help our service members, veterans, and their families. Lankford introduced the Military Spouse Employment Act, the Service Contract Modernization Act, the Department of Defense (DOD) Improved Hiring Act, and the Retain Skilled Vets Act. "We can and should address these hurdles for our heroes in Oklahoma and around the world to increase efficiency, open new opportunities, and address process flaws," said Lan… Continue Reading
02.08.23
Lankford, Colleagues Push Effort to Block Illegal VA Abortion Rule
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Representative Michael Cloud (R-TX), along with more than 65 colleagues, introduced a bicameral joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify an illegal US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rule that provides abortion services through the taxpayer-funded VA health care system. The CRA gives Congress the authority to review major rules issued by federal agencies. If… Continue Reading
02.06.23
Lankford Says Biden Has Several Crises He Needs to Address During State of the Union Address
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement on what he expects to hear tomorrow night during President Biden’s State of the Union Address: “The State of the Union serves as a time for a president to address Americans on the strength, progress, and unity of the nation. With soaring inflation and record American debt, I also need to hear the plan to restore fiscal sanity, not his plan to spend even more.“Oklahomans want to know what President Biden’s plans are to re… Continue Reading
02.06.23
Lankford, Rosen Applaud DHS Addition of Cybersecurity Collaboration to Abraham Accords
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, issued the following joint statement today after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would expand the Abraham Accords collaboration among member countries of the US, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco to include cybersecurity: "Expanding the already successful Abraham Accords into cybersecurity creates another lay… Continue Reading
02.03.23
Lankford, Blackburn Push Back on Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford, Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and more than 40 of their Republican colleagues filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States on Friday, supporting respondents in the dual Supreme Court cases challenging Biden's student-loan debt relief program, Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown. The Senators argue that Biden's decision to forgive federal student loan debt in these circumstances constitut… Continue Reading
02.03.23
Lankford Continues to Unwind the Rx Pricing Scheme to Bring Down Costs at the Pharmacy Counter
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to continue to crack down on pharmacy benefit managers' (PBM) unfair practices in the prescription drug-pricing scheme by introducing the Prescription Pricing for the People Act. "Getting affordable prescription drugs in Oklahoma and around the nation doesn't need to be this complicated or costly," said Lankford. "Unfortunately, at each stage… Continue Reading
02.03.23
Lankford Raises Alarm Over False ICE Data
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tae D. Johnson following reports that ICE may have been providing the public with inaccurate data on the ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. This discrepancy was exposed through a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, and it raises the alarm about other sets of data that ICE releases. … Continue Reading
