Press Releases
Lankford Calls on FCC to Expand Rural Broadband, Update 5G Coverage Maps
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) today called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update the broadband coverage maps being used to distribute the 5G Fund's $9 billion to expand reliable broadband access across America. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly clear that millions in America, especially those in largely rural states like Oklahoma, do not have the reliable broadband … Continue Reading
04.22.20
Lankford urges Senate, House Leadership to Stop Taxpayer Funding for China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) along with Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and a bicameral coalition of over 50 other lawmakers sent a letter to Senate and House leadership requesting no COVID-19 relief funds be appropriated to China's notorious state-run bio-agent laboratory, the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Reports indicate that for years WIV has received taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for secretive and … Continue Reading
04.21.20
Lankford Supports More Relief for Oklahoma’s Small Businesses, Workers, and Hospitals
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement after the Senate unanimously voted to provide additional funding to hospitals, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). PPP and EIDL programs were created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. PPP ran out of money after 10-days. "Oklahoma small businesses and workers saw funding for both the Paycheck Protection Program and the EIDL advances run … Continue Reading
04.20.20
Lankford, Rosen Statement Commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Today, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, released the following statement in commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. "During the horrors of the Holocaust, six million Jews and millions of others were taken from us," said the Senators. "Today, communities across the globe look back on this dark chapter of history in remembrance of those who were lost, with… Continue Reading
04.20.20
Senator Lankford to Host Virtual Town Hall with Governor Stitt THURSDAY
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The Office of Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced that Lankford will host a virtual town on Thursday, April 23, 2020, with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK). The town hall will focus on state and federal resources available to Oklahomans during a time of COVID-19. Lankford will also provide an update on additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program which was created from passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March. … Continue Reading
04.20.20
Lankford Calls for SBA to Continue Accepting Paycheck Protection Program Applications
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Rand Paul (R-KY) to send a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) requesting that lenders be permitted to submit applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) despite the program's funding lapse. Enabling lenders to continue processing applications would help alleviate the already deve… Continue Reading
04.17.20
Oklahoma Delegation Urges Top Administration Officials to Make Publicly Owned Hospitals Eligible for Paycheck Protection Program
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Oklahoma's Congressional Delegation, led by Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03), penned a letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell urging that publicly trusted hospitals be made eligible for Paycheck Protection Program loans and other financial assistance programs. In Oklahoma, 43 rural hospitals are designated as a Public Trust making them… Continue Reading
04.17.20
Oklahoma Delegation Commemorates 25th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Today, Oklahoma's Congressional Delegation joined to honor and remember the tragic loss of lives in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995. Twenty-five years ago, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was the target of America's deadliest act of domestic terrorism, claiming the lives of 168 individuals, including 19 children. CLICK HERE to watch the video on YouTube. Senator James Lankford: "Twenty-five years ago, on a d… Continue Reading
04.16.20
Lankford, Leahy Urge State Department And DHS To Exercise Discretion And Grant Relief To Vulnerable Refugees And Special Immigrant Visa Holders
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) are urging Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to exercise discretion and automatically extend the validity periods of critical documents for refugees and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders approved for resettlement in the United States until COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted. They emphasized that this small, reasonable measure would provide much… Continue Reading
04.16.20
Lankford Leads Bipartisan Letter to HHS to Advocate for Relief for Senior Communities and Health Care Workers
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today led a bipartisan letter joined by 26 Senators to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to ensure that as HHS sets guidelines for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), they do not overlook the providers within nursing homes, skilled nursing centers, senior living communities, independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities who are devotedly caring for our nation's … Continue Reading
04.16.20
President Trump Taps Lankford and Inhofe to Serve on Coronavirus Economic Task Force
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Today, President Trump asked Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to serve on the Task Force on Economic Recovery. The bipartisan task force, comprised of other members of the Senate and House of Representatives, will advise the president on the re-opening of America in the wake of COVID-19. "Our nation and the world have been faced with an incredible challenge in the last couple of months," Lankford said. "As Oklahomans, we've kept our distance, acted in the… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Lankford, Wicker & Senators Urge Trump to Keep Pro-Life Protections for Coronavirus Research
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), today wrote President Donald J. Trump to ask the Administration to maintain pro-life protections during the search for treatments and cures for COVID-19. The Senators' letter, which was signed by 34 senators, refutes a request by 15 pro-abortion state attorneys general requesting waivers to prohibitions on the use of fetal tissue for coronavirus research. "These attempts to exploit the current crisis faced by our nation… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Lankford, Inhofe Lead Letter to Treasury, SBA to Ensure Protection for Faith-based Entities
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today led a letter joined by 17 Senators to Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to thank them for the recently issued interim final rule on protections for faith-based entities during the continued rollout of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and related federal economic relief. The Administration also issued an… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Lankford, Portman Urge President Trump to Use IGs to Ensure Federal Government Serves American Taxpayer Effectively & Efficiently
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Today, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Rob Portman (R-OH) wrote a letter to President Trump urging him to use Inspectors General (IG) to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used in the most effective and efficient way. With trillions of taxpayer dollars being spent by the federal government to respond to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, it is imperative that independent IGs are in place to prevent waste, fraud, and mismanagement. The senators stand ready to confirm qualified … Continue Reading
04.09.20
Lankford Calls on Senate Leadership to Expand COVID-19 Relief Access to Public Hospitals
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined a bipartisan group of eight Senators urging Senate leadership to clarify eligibility for publicly owned hospitals and similar care providers within the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) administered by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Currently, both for-profit and non-profit hospitals are eligible for assistance, but public hospitals are not, creating a disparity this clarification seeks to resolve. The PPP was provided an additio… Continue Reading
04.09.20
Lankford Urges Treasury, SBA to Clarify PPP Eligibility for Small Businesses Backed by Private Equity
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza asking them to clarify the eligibility of private equity or venture capital-backed small businesses for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. "The CARES Act allows for the participation in the PPP for small businesses that have either fewer than 500 empl… Continue Reading
04.07.20
Lankford, Rosen Join 180 Jewish Organizations to Call for Unity, Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, 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 calling on Americans to reject anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. "In times of crisis we often see the best of humanity; people from all faiths and all walks of life coming together to help each other through difficult times. During the coronavirus pandemic we have … Continue Reading
04.07.20
Lankford Urges Treasury, Federal Reserve to Keep CARES Act Financial Assistance Industry Neutral, Free of Bias
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell urging them to keep the financial assistance authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act industry neutral and free of bias. "We urge you to ensure that the financial relief offered under the CARES Act is fully available to companies throughout the economy," the senators wrote. "Some outside groups have already advoca… Continue Reading
04.06.20
Lankford, Durbin to HHS, Ensure Rural Hospitals Have Help During Coronavirus Response
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) urged Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to ensure rural hospitals have the needed support to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain financial stability to continue serving their communities. The Senators highlighted the $100 billion in new funding appropriated by Congress to health care providers in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and emphasized the i… Continue Reading
04.06.20
Lankford, Inhofe Applaud President Trump for Deeming Firearm Businesses Essential
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) led a letter to President Trump today applauding the administration's recent decision to include firearm retailers and manufacturers in the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advisory memo to states and localities regarding America's essential critical infrastructure workforce. The advisory memo is used by many states, including Oklahoma, to help determine which industr… Continue Reading
