Press Releases
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
02.02.23
Lankford, Sinema Advocate for CBP to Repair Ports Along Southern Border
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), both members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today introduced a bill to give the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the authority to repair ports along the southern border. “During my visits to the southern border, it is evident that CBP needs to repair ports between the US and Mexico. Bureaucratic red tape has blocked CBP from making those simple fixes to increase borde… Continue Reading
02.02.23
Lankford, Manchin Crank Up the Heat on Biden’s Quiet Push to Ban Gas Stoves
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) today sent a letter to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric amid rumors swirling that the Biden Administration is looking to ban gas stoves in his near-constant pursuit of a Green New Deal agenda to cater to progressive Democrats instead of letting Americans buy what they want. Lankford and Manchin wrote in their letter, "While a gas stove ban is not yet on the table, the lead up … Continue Reading
02.02.23
Lankford, Capito, All Republican Senators Formally Challenge Biden WOTUS Rule through Congressional Review Act
WASHINGTON, DC -Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and all of their Senate Republican colleagues in introducing a formal challenge to the Biden administration's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval. The resolution comes after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers announced a new rule in December 2022 repealing the Navigable Waters Protection R… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Lankford Applauds ODOT’s Selection for Competitive Grant Funds for I-44, US Highway 75 in Tulsa
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement to applaud Oklahoma's selection for a massive $85 million federal Department of Transportation (DOT) competitive "mega grant" award to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to upgrade the I-44 & US-75 interchange in Tulsa along with pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements. "This is big news and a big win for Oklahoma and Tulsa," said Lankford. "This interstate and US highway are essential fed… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Lankford Puts Forward Real Solutions to Start Solving Biden’s Border Crisis
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released two bills that are critical to fixing the crisis at the border as illegal border crossers continue to take the dangerous journey across the US-Mexico southern border. The Public Health and Border Security Act would require all COVID-related national states of emergency to be lifted before Title 42 is officially terminated, and require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to put in place a workable plan to manage the chaos at the … Continue Reading
02.01.23
Lankford Announces Committee Assignments for 118th Congress
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) announced his Senate Committee assignments for the 118th Congress. Lankford will rejoin the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while retaining membership on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and the Select Committee on Ethics.Lankford previously served on the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2015-2018. “The Oklahoma delegation continues to lead the nation on vital committees important to our… Continue Reading
