Press Releases
Senator Lankford Advocates for Unborn Life, Applauds Pro-Life Activists on Senate Floor
CLICK HERE to view the YouTube video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today delivered a floor speech on the Senate floor about the sanctity of unborn life, the pro-life movement, and the upcoming March for Life on Friday. Transcript: Thank you, Mr. President. It's a basic American value: Families. Americans are kind of particular about our families. We love our families and we love our kids. It has been one of the struggles we've had as a nation, because we've seen this collap… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Senator Lankford Questions Attorney General on President Obama’s Fast and Furious Program and Gun Control Proposals
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Attorney General Loretta Lynch about the President's Fast and Furious program and recent proposed executive actions on gun control. On January 5, 2016, President Obama issued a number of proposed executive actions aimed at curbing gun violence by instituting new background check requirements, hiring more government workers to oversee gun policy, and increasing funding for mental health research and gun technology. Specifically, the… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Senator Lankford Responds to President Obama's State of the Union Address
CLICK HERE to view the YouTube video CLICK HERE to view the DropBox video WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) released the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union address: "Families in Oklahoma have been harmed by the policies and politics of the last seven years. Washington has become more partisan, our economic growth has become more anemic, and federal regulations have dramatically increased, controlling more of our everyday lives. "I did appre… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Senator Lankford’s Taxpayers Right To Know Act Passes The House Unanimously
WASHINGTON, DC - The Taxpayers Right To Know Act, a transparency bill championed by Senator James Lankford (R-OK) for several years, passed the House of Representatives Monday evening by a unanimous vote of 413-0. "I applaud the House for passing the Taxpayers Right To Know Act and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to bring it up for a vote right away," said Lankford. "We need to put this type of transparency legislation on the President's desk for his signature. The American people deserve… Continue Reading
01.11.16
Senator Lankford Leads Congressional Amicus Brief in Support of Nonprofits’ Supreme Court Challenge to HHS Mandate
WASHINGTON, DC - Along with three other Members of Congress, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today submitted a bipartisan amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the religious nonprofits and charities challenging Obamacare's Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, including the Little Sisters of the Poor. Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Diane Black (R-TN) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) joined Lankford in leading the Congressional effort, which was signed by 207 Members of Congre… Continue Reading
01.07.16
Senator Lankford Calls Out Department of Education for Use of Guidance Documents Over Regulatory Process
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of the Department of Education, John King, to question their use of guidance documents that attempt to inappropriately establish regulatory-type policy changes for colleges and universities without going through the rule-making process. As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, Lankford led a hearing in September on whether federal agencies, including the Depar… Continue Reading
01.06.16
Senator Lankford’s Office Releases 2015 Activity Report
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - To mark the one-year anniversary of Senator James Lankford being sworn-in as the 18th United States Senator for Oklahoma, Lankford's chief-of-staff Greg Slavonic released a memo detailing the activities and accomplishments of the Senator's first year in the Senate. A PDF of the memo is available here, and the full text is below: TO: ALL RESIDENTS OF OKLAHOMA FROM: GREG SLAVONIC (REAR ADMIRAL NAVY-RETIRED), CHIEF-OF-STAFF, SENATOR LANKFORD … Continue Reading
01.06.16
Congress Puts Bill on President’s Desk to Repeal Obamacare, Defund Planned Parenthood
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the House of Representatives for passing the Restoring Americans' Health Care Freedom Reconciliation Act (HR 3762), a bill to repeal Obamacare and limit federal funding for organizations that perform abortions, like Planned Parenthood. The Senate passed the bill on December 3 by a vote of 52-47. The bill now goes to President Obama for consideration to be signed into law. "Congress has finally put a repeal of Obamacare and defund… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Senator Lankford Reacts To President’s Gun Control Push
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the following statement in response to the president's executive actions on gun control. "All Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, are broken-hearted by senseless acts of violence, especially towards children. As we grieve for those who are affected by violence, we must evaluate the root causes that lead to violence, like broken families, mental health, drug use and a culture that glorifies violence. Just like the 23 execut… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Senator Lankford Announces Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Dr. Everett Piper as State of the Union Guest
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced that Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Dr. Everett Piper will be his guest for the State of the Union address, which will take place next Tuesday, January 12. Dr. Piper is the fifth president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, a private faith-based institution that was established in 1909. "It is my honor to have Dr. Everett Piper as my guest for this upcoming State of the Union address," said Lankford. "Oklahoma Wesleyan Univ… Continue Reading
12.27.15
Joint Op-Ed in Tulsa World: Lifting ban on crude oil exports starts new chapter for Oklahoma
by U.S. Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe, and U.S. Representatives Frank Lucas, Tom Cole, Markwayne Mullin and Steve Russell Sunday
Revenue in Oklahoma is down by 12 percent. We face a $900.8 million shortfall going into 2016. Our state Secretary of Finance has said we are facing the biggest fiscal challenge since the 2008 recession, and our state education agencies have been told to prepare for large, across-the-board budget cuts midway through the school year. On top of all of this, a report from Oklahoma State University shows our state could lose more than 20,000 jobs through 2016 as a result of our unstable energy mark… Continue Reading
12.23.15
Senator Lankford Statement on Oklahoma Veterans Affairs Problems
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement on the Oklahoma Veterans Affairs Medical Center problems detailed in this week's USA Today newspaper: "Our veterans have sacrificed to keep us safe and protect the freedoms we enjoy every day. I remain continually frustrated by the issues happening at both the Department of Veterans Affairs and in our Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, the front line where we need to honor the promises to treat service-relate… Continue Reading
12.21.15
BLOG: Why I Voted For The Omnibus Spending & Tax Relief Bill
by Senator James Lankford
Last week, Congress passed a spending bill that funds the federal government for the Fiscal Year, which ends September 30, 2016. The total cost of the omnibus bill was $1.1 trillion. For context, the entire annual federal budget is almost $4 trillion. The Omnibus was a collection of 13 bills, all compiled into one giant bill. The House of Representatives had the luxury of voting separately on several of the appropriations bills, But in the Senate, most of the bills were filibustered by the Democ… Continue Reading
12.21.15
Oklahoma Delegation: Tulsa Air National Guard Best Choice For F-35A
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation today sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Debra Lee James urging her to consider the 138th Fighter Wing (138th FW) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the next home for the F-35A. The Air Force is looking for two National Guard candidate wings as future bases for the F-35A. While these aircrafts would not begin to arrive until 2022 or 2023, a decision is expected sometime over the next year. Criteria that will be considered in the f… Continue Reading
12.20.15
Senator Lankford, Jonathan Small in The Oklahoman: Plan, commitment needed to tackle nation's debt
by Senator James Lankford & Jonathan Small
Question: How do you burn down your house? Answer: Get distracted and forget about the pan on the stove top. Our nation is focused on very real concerns with terrorism, education, immigration, energy, our economy and much more. But in the middle of the chaos, if we forget about our national debt, the most vulnerable among us will suffer the most. The federal government overspends (deficit) around $450 billion annually, putting our nation $19 trillion in total debt. To put it in plain terms, un… Continue Reading
12.18.15
Senator Lankford Statement on Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued the following statement after voting for the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (also known as the omnibus and tax reform bill): "The omnibus and tax reform combined bill is a stark visual of the broken Senate process. Legislation in a democracy is often a boisterous compromise, but this bill was a complete backroom negotiation. It is full of great policy provisions mixed with half-baked ideas and muddy process. While I voted for … Continue Reading
12.16.15
Senators Lankford, Inhofe Announce Judicial Nominees for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe today announced the nomination of Judge Suzanne Mitchell and Scott Palk for federal judgeship positions for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. "I'm pleased that the White House has nominated Judge Suzanne Mitchell and Scott Palk to the U.S. Federal Court for the Western District, and I congratulate both nominees," said Inhofe. "This nomination process for these seats has been unnecessarily long, and so I… Continue Reading
12.10.15
Implementing GAO and OIG Recommendations Could Save Billions in Gov't Waste
WASHINGTON, DC - The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, under the chairmanship of Senator James Lankford (R-OK), today held a hearing to examine the government efficiency and cost-saving recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the federal agency Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs), the primary auditing offices of the federal government. Specifically, the hearing highlighted the billions of dollars tha… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Senator Lankford Supports Bill to Repeal No Child Left Behind, Expand State Role in Education
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today supported the Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177), which replaces No Child Left Behind and returns education decisions for students back to parents, teachers, local school boards, and state officials. The bill eliminates the heavy-handed, Washington-based approach of No Child Left Behind, which forced more than 42 states, including Oklahoma, to operate under waivers from the Department of Education. "After years of bureaucratic top-down fede… Continue Reading
12.07.15
Senator Lankford in Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Social Security: A Promise that Isn’t Being Kept
by Senator James Lankford
When I took the oath of office in January to be the next U.S. senator for Oklahoma, I made a commitment to represent our great state and our values in Washington, D.C. While Oklahomans do not agree on many issues, most Oklahomans are very protective and very skeptical of Social Security. We know years ago the federal government made a promise to America's seniors. We also know that, for decades, individuals have paid taxes into the trust fund to support their own retirement and to provide an eme… Continue Reading
