Press Releases
Lankford, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Help Protect US Energy Jobs
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce a bill to provide relief to America's energy industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The SAVE Jobs Act aims to promote liquidity and flexibility for domestic energy companies so they can maintain their workforce through the pandemic's economic downturn. Lankford and Cornyn were joined by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cindy Hyde-Smit… Continue Reading
06.22.20
Lankford Leads Bipartisan Group to Introduce Bill Expanding Federal Tax Deduction for 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), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today introduced the bipartisan Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act to expand the current above-the-line deduction for charitable giving made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March, The bill would ensure that Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other n… Continue Reading
06.19.20
Lankford, Rosen Statement on Further Adoption of IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, released the following statement applauding Argentina and Serbia for recently adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition on anti-Semitism. "We have long-supported adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which is a helpful tool to train law enforcement and inform… Continue Reading
06.18.20
Lankford Statement on SCOTUS DACA Decision
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court released its ruling today in the case to determine whether the Trump Administration's decision to rescind the Obama Administration's executive action on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was appropriate: "The Supreme Court has now ruled that every future president has to abide by any previous President's executive actions, whether lawfully put in place or not, unless a court… Continue Reading
06.17.20
Lankford Urges Colleagues to Set Aside Partisanship and Pass the JUSTICE Act
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's floor speech. CLICK HERE to download Lankford's speech from Box. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today took to the Senate floor to encourage his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to end the divisive rhetoric and come together to actually work on legislation that would address specific areas of law enforcement by considering the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, which Lankford introduced this morn… Continue Reading
06.17.20
Lankford Issues Statement on Lands Bill, Continues to Call for Reforms
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement after he voted against the Great American Outdoors Act (HR 1957): "The federal government owns 640 million acres of land, but we still have not agreed on a plan to maintain or care for that land without adding billions to our federal debt. I support our public lands, but I am opposed to buying land than not caring for it or ignoring the cost of care. The maintenance backlog on our federal land does not require us to choose … Continue Reading
06.17.20
Lankford, Colleagues Introduce JUSTICE Act to Addresses Police Reform, Accountability, Transparency
WASHIINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ben Sasse (R-NE) to announce the introduction of the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act. The legislation provides long-term solutions focused on police reform, accountability and transparency. The bill also promotes efforts to find s… Continue Reading
06.16.20
Lankford Joins Second-Annual Bipartisan Reading on Senate Floor of Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's segment of the reading. CLICK HERE to download the video of Lankford's segment from Box. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), John Kennedy (R-LA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), with a special introduction from Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) in a reading on the Senate floor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. In April 1963 Dr. King penned the lett… Continue Reading
06.16.20
Lankford, Senate Committee Push on Lack of Response from Cell Phone Carriers on Contraband Cell Phones in Prisons
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in a Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) fiscal year 2021 funding hearing. Lankford asked Chairman Pai about the ongoing expansions in telehealth medicine, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the redrawing of broadband maps to better represent coverage in parts of the … Continue Reading
06.12.20
Lankford Joins Bipartisan Letter Urging the Administration to Provide Paperwork Relief for Oklahoma Small Businesses who Utilized the COVID-19 Relief Program
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) along with Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today led a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza urging the administration to ease paperwork requirements for small businesses seeking loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The letter, signed by 44 senators, specifically requests that the loan forgiveness application for loans under $250,000 to be no … Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford Praises Annual Work to Highlight and Eliminate International Religious Persecution
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today praised the release of the 2019 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious freedom Sam Brownback today announced the annual report's release and highlighted several examples of positive steps taken internationally to ensure religious freedom for all people of faith around the world. The State Department submits the reports in accordance with the International… Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford Explains Why the Great American Outdoors Act May Be Less Than Great
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's speech. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Senate's consideration this week of the Great American Outdoors Act, which seeks to address the purchase and maintenance issues with federal lands. But Lankford told his fellow senators today that the bill lacks critical provisions that would help prevent significant amounts of debt and deficit spending. As Lankford reminded the Senate today, this is not a new issue. … Continue Reading
06.10.20
Lankford, Cruz, Cotton Introduce Reforms to NEPA to Roll Back Burdensome Regulations, Cut Red Tape
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) to introduce two pieces of legislation aimed at reforming the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in order to streamline infrastructure projects. The first bill, the Federal Permitting Modernization Act of 2020, establishes a series of deadlines for agency action under the FAST Act (Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act), which gives project proponents more control over the timetabl… Continue Reading
06.09.20
Lankford Continues to Push for Charitable Giving in Testimony in Front of Joint Economic Committee
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's opening remarks. CLICK HERE to download the video from Box. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today provided testimony before the Joint Economic Committee during a hearing entitled "Supporting Charitable Giving during the COVID-19 Crisis." In 2017, Lankford introduced the Universal Charitable Giving Act, which creates a universal charitable deduction in addition to the standard deduction for individuals and married couples that do not itemize. Lank… Continue Reading
06.09.20
Lankford Questions Officials on Lessons Learned from COVID-19 on Preparedness and Supply Chain
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. CLICK HERE to download the video from Box. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing entitled, "Evaluating the Federal Government's Procurement and Distribution Strategies." Lankford's Q&A for the panel including procurement and distribution leaders from the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Health and Human Services focused on federal procurement p… Continue Reading
06.08.20
Lankford Encourages Americans to Constructively Work toward Racial Reconciliation
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's remarks on the Senate floor. CLICK HERE to download the video from Box. WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today spoke on the Senate floor about the racial unrest in our nation and how we can work toward practical federal, state, and local changes to address areas of disparity for underserved communities and neighborhoods within government. Lankford sent out a special edition of his e-newsletter on his thoughts on the death of George Floyd and ways he… Continue Reading
06.04.20
Lankford Issues Statement in Support of Confirmation of Nominee to Head US Agency on Global Media
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement on his support of Michael Pack to lead the US Agency on Global Media (USAGM), the federal agency comprised of five media organizations tasked with promoting American values and advancing access to information for people in closed societies. "We often take our country's First Amendment rights to a free press for granted, but millions around the world live in closed countries where they only have state-run media and they have… Continue Reading
06.04.20
Lankford, Portman, Cardin, Booker Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure PPP Access for Small Business Owners Who Earned Second Chance
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act, which will allow small business owners with criminal records to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Currently, PPP, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses that keep their employees on payroll during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, includes several questions that ma… Continue Reading
06.03.20
Lankford Joins Colleagues to Introduce Legislation to Create Transparency for Law Enforcement-Related Shootings
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in reintroducing the Walter Scott Notification Act. This critical legislation requires states receiving federal law enforcement funding to report a number of details surrounding officer-related shootings."Our nation is hurting and crying out to fix underlying systemic injustices that have existed for far too long," said Lankford. "While no one b… Continue Reading
06.03.20
Lankford Calls on State Department To Process 1.6 Million Backlog of American’s Passport Applications
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK), along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), David Perdue (R-GA), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary Mike Pompeo to seek answers to why Americans' passport applications have not been completed since March 19, 2020. The lack of processing has resulted in a backlog of 1.6 million applications. The State Department has continued to receive applicants payments for … Continue Reading
