Press Releases
Lankford Praises DOT Funding to Fix Historic Bridge Crossing Canadian River
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) praised the announcement made by the Department of Transportation (DOT) that they have awarded Oklahoma a grant for $22,000,000 to reconstruct a bridge on US Highway 281 (historic Route 66) which crosses over the Canadian River between Canadian and Caddo Counties. In May, Lankford sent a letter to DOT Secretary Elaine Chao in support of the application from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "The historic bridge crossing the Canadian Rive… Continue Reading
09.09.20
Lankford Pushes for Targeted COVID-19 Relief Bill to Support Testing, Charities, Kids, and Small Businesses
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 outlined the latest offer of targeted relief from Senate Republicans, which was introduced yesterday. The bill focuses on assisting Americans who have been impacted most, including small businesses, assisting schools to help students get back to school safely, and prioritizing vaccine development, health, and resorting the National Stockpile. The… Continue Reading
09.09.20
Lankford, Colleagues Pen Letter to Secretary Pompeo on USCIRF Recommendations
WASHINGTON, DC- Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback to ask the State Department to consider recommendations made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) when determining designations of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and placement on the Special Watch List (SWL). CPC and SWL designations by the Secretary of State often differ fro… Continue Reading
09.08.20
Lankford Applauds FEMA Funding to Prevent Future Flooding of North Canadian River
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after it announced a federal grant of $3,566,250 for the state of Oklahoma to restore and stabilize the bank along the North Canadian River and to prevent future flooding of Triple X Road. The federal dollars will be transferred to the state to start and complete the project. "If you live near the North Canadian River you know all too well what the flooding and erosion have done to the comm… Continue Reading
09.08.20
Lankford Successful in Including Charitable Giving Deduction Included in Targeted COVID-19 Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has long advocated for expanding the current above-the-line deduction for charitable giving and today Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced such an expansion in the bill providing targeted funding for coronavirus relief. Thousands of nonprofits have expressed support for Lankford's bill to further incentivize charitable giving. "This year has been full of uncertainty for many families. Americans have stepped up to support their n… Continue Reading
09.02.20
Lankford, Colleagues Send Letter to FDA Urging Abortion Pill Classification as Public Health Hazard
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined a group of 20 Republican senators to urge Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn to exercise the FDA's authority to classify the abortion pill, Mifeprex (or mifepristone), as an "imminent hazard to the public health" that poses a "significant threat of danger," a classification that would result in the removal of this pill from the US Market. The senators wrote: "It is by now nakedly obvious that the abortion industr… Continue Reading
09.01.20
Lankford Applauds USDA School Meal Waiver Extension
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision to allow summer meal programs to continue to operate into the fall, which will help ensure that all Oklahoma students receive two meals a day during the week regardless if they attend schools in person or virtually. "Like the rest of the country, Oklahomans are still navigating the unique challenges brought on by COVID-19," said Lankford. "While we've made progress slowing the spre… Continue Reading
08.28.20
Lankford Applauds Federal Awards to Oklahoma Health Centers, Nursing Facilities Fighting COVID-19
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on $1.4 million in federal health-related funding to 21 health centers across Oklahoma. Additionally, HHS announced its awards to 291 Oklahoma nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, totaling $43,166,350, through the Provider Relief Fund from the CARES Act as a part of its $2.5 billion allocation nationally. These federal grants help states, especially r… Continue Reading
08.26.20
Senator Lankford, Representative Hern Present Tulsa’s John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park with Membership to National African American Civil Rights Network
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) will present the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park's official membership into the US Department of the Interior's African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN), formally recognizing the historic and national significance of the tragic Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and Dr. John Hope Franklin's work to advance the African American civil rights movement. Lankford and Hern wi… Continue Reading
08.24.20
Lankford Introduces Bipartisan PPP Forgiveness Bill
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced he joined Senator Kevin Cramer's (R-ND) bipartisan Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act. The Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act streamlines forgiveness for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $150,000 or less if the borrower submits a simple, one-page attestation form to the lender. The approximately 4.2 million PPP loans of $150,000 or less account for 85 percent of all PPP approved loans but … Continue Reading
08.21.20
Lankford Addresses Postal Service Rumors during Hearing with Postmaster General
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford's Q&A. CLICK HERE to download Lankford's Q&A from Box. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing entitled, "Examining the Finances and Operations of the United States Postal Service During COVID-19 and Upcoming Elections." During the hearing Lankford questioned newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about his work to continue reforming the US Postal Servic… Continue Reading
08.19.20
Senator Lankford Named 2020 Fiscal Hero
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) was named a 2020 Fiscal Hero by the Committee for a Responsible Budget. Fiscal Heroes is an award that recognizes Senators and House Members who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating leadership on issues of fiscal responsibility, pushing party leaders to confront the growing national debt, voting responsibly and raising awareness about debt's dangers to improving the nation's fiscal condition. "Our nation faces so many challenges thes… Continue Reading
08.19.20
Following Beirut Blast, Lankford Calls on Administration to Help Stabilize Lebanon, Calls for Reforms
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK-Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), David Perdue (R-GA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on Wednesday called on the Trump administration to lead an international effort to help the Lebanese people recover in the aftermath of the Beirut blast that killed more than 220 people and injured thousands of others. In a letter to State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo and Acting USAID Administrator John Barsa, the senators said long-te… Continue Reading
08.13.20
Lankford Welcomes State Department’s Designation of Confucius Institutes in US as Advancing Communist Chinese Goals
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today applauded the State Department's action to require the Confucius Institutes to register as a "foreign mission" with the State Department since the Institutes are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The State Department said in part today that the action to designate was to recognize the Confucius Institutes for what they are, "an entity advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign on US campuses and K-12 … Continue Reading
08.13.20
Lankford Issues Statement on UAE’s Normalization of Relations with Israel
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement today after the State Department announced that the United Arab Emirates and Israel have reached an agreement to normalize relations between the two nations: "Any day we can talk about inching closer to peace in the Middle East is a good day. The UAE is the first Arab state to normalize relations with Israel since Israel's treaty with Jordan in 1994, and today's agreement is arguably the most significant peace deve… Continue Reading
08.13.20
Lankford Leads Letter to Urge USAID to Prevent US from Funding Abortions, Abortion Advocacy Abroad
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) today led a bicameral letter to the Acting Administrator for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) John Barsa to urge him to protect American taxpayer dollars during the coronavirus pandemic from funding pro-abortion lobbying or advocacy efforts in other countries via the United Nations (UN) in violation of the Siljander Amendment, which prevents State Department funds from being use… Continue Reading
08.12.20
Lankford Joins Letter to Treasury to End Tax Breaks for Abortion
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) in a bicameral letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to call for new regulations to end tax breaks for abortion under the guise of health care. Lankford and Braun are joined by 101 additional bicameral signers. "Abortion is not healthcare. Any procedure where a successful outcome is the death of a living human being - born or unborn - is not healthcare. That's why we're calling for new regulations to … Continue Reading
08.10.20
Lankford Announces Bipartisan Bill to Maximize Telework Flexibility for Federal Agencies
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) today announced the bipartisan Pandemic Federal Telework Act, which would maximize telework for federal employees for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Senators previously introduced similar legislation, the Emergency Telework Act at the onset of this crisis to ensure that agencies and federal employees across the country have the tools they need to provide effective, effic… Continue Reading
08.07.20
Lankford, Loeffler Lead Senate Colleagues in Call to Investigate Planned Parenthood
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) led more than two dozen senators in calling on the U.S. Department of Treasury to investigate Planned Parenthood's abuse of the taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program, and separately calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to expand its ongoing investigation of Planned Parenthood in the wake of new evidence of criminal activity. In a letter to Treasury, Lankford and Loeffler led 27 of their Senate col… Continue Reading
08.07.20
Lankford, Colleagues Introduce Comprehensive Veterans Benefits Package
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, to introduce the Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020 to improve benefits for veterans in the areas of education, pensions, and survivor benefits, among others. This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Steve Daines (R-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and John Boozman (R-AR). Companion legislation was … Continue Reading
