Senator Lankford on FoxNews.com: What To Do With The Debt Ceiling? Reform It
It happens like clockwork in Washington. Every year or two when we approach the federal debt limit, countdown clocks start, doomsday scenarios are assumed, and backroom negotiations begin in earnest to prevent our country from defaulting on our obligations. The prevailing theme of debt ceiling negotiations is usually avoiding default. Lost in the conversation is how […]
The Truth About The Trade Deficit
Last month, the Trump administration issued its objectives for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. There is much about the trade agreement that should be modernized, such as updated rules for e-commerce and stronger intellectual property protections. I support the president’s objective to maintain existing duty-free market access for agricultural goods, as […]
Senator Lankford in The Wall Street Journal: How to Make the Senate Work Again
James Madison explained that the Constitution’s authors considered the Senate to be the great “anchor” of the government. The upper chamber has become an anchor, but I don’t think today’s dilatory Senate is what the Founders had in mind. Many Americans see the main issue in the Senate as the filibuster rule, the 60 vote […]
Senator Lankford in The Atlantic: Finding Unity in a Divided Washington
Several weeks ago, a routine early morning baseball practice for a charity game became the site of an unthinkable attack. Republican members of Congress were shot by a gunman who had made clear his antipathy for their party and the president who leads it. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise suffered wounds that resulted in an […]
Sen. Lankford & Mr. Graham in The Hill: Congress’ next 100 days: Small businesses need regulatory relief
As the nation evaluates the new President’s First 100 Days and Washington looks ahead to the next 100, we must ask a simple question, do we want vibrant small businesses in America or not? The complexity and cost of the regulatory burden placed on each small business shows the evidence of our answer. When the […]
Repeal of FCC rule is no loss for privacy
THERE are times when the art of politics involves pretending trivial events are actually earth-shaking. That certainly seems to be the case with the reaction to a congressional vote repealing a Federal Communications Commission rule on customer privacy. As many have noted, the FCC rule had not yet taken effect, so no one lost any […]
Senator Lankford in The Hill: One year ago today, we declared ISIS atrocities as genocide
On year ago today, on March 17, 2016, then-Secretary of State John Kerry formally designated the actions of ISIS as genocide. As part of that declaration he said: “[ISIS] is… responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups and in some cases also against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities… […]
Senator Lankford in The Bartlesville Examiner: Giving away control of the internet
When Oklahomans asked me to represent them in Washington D.C., I knew that I would not win every fight on every policy, but I understood many issues are worth the fight and the stand, even if you do not win. But I can honestly say, I never dreamed I would have to fight with the […]
Senators Lankford & Scott in Time Magazine: Americans Should Dine With Families of Other Races
Our nation continues to reel from the race-related murders of eight police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, as well as the deaths of two African-American men in Baton Rouge and St. Paul, Minnesota, several weeks ago. These events have brought the issue of race to the forefront of the national conversation, and forced us to re-evaluate where […]
Senator Lankford in U.S. News & World Report: On Father’s Day, Remember that stable families can address many societal and economic problems
It was only a snow globe, but it mattered to me. For 24 years, a wedding present had sat next to my side of the bed, a snow globe with a red headed tux clad groom, looking adoringly into the eyes of a blonde haired bride. One day recently in a moment of carelessness, I bumped the […]