Photo Gallery

On May 24, I joined the US Army Corps of Engineers for a tour of the Keystone Dam and an update on releasing water in the Arkansas River. The flooding in Green Country was dramatic, but the Corps did a remarkable job managing the incredible amount of rain water during the event. Now, it is time to start the after-action review to see what could have been done differently and review how we can protect property in the future. I continue to pray for fire and rescue, police, sheriff’s offices, emergency management personnel, Army Corps employees, volunteers, and OK National Guard members as they work to help Green Country through this crisis.

Yesterday, I joined a group of local, state, and federal officials to help residents of Tulsa's Town & Country area, which includes Candlestick Beach, to access resources and receive a storm damage update. 

I always look forward to seeing so many Oklahomans in DC during fly-in season. One afternoon I heard from the Enid Chamber about their ideas for Vance AFB, the Kaw Lake water project, and overall economic growth across the state.

Grateful for Jackson’s service to Oklahoma this past semester as a page in the Senate—he also increased the redhead percentage at the Capitol! If you know someone who would like to page for the Senate during their junior year of high school, please feel free to contact any of my three offices.

It was nice to host students from Tulsa’s Edison High School during Java with James. If you or your family are heading to DC this summer, be sure to stop by Wednesdays when the Senate is in session at 9:00 a.m. for some coffee (or cold water if it’s hot outside!).

I enjoyed spending time with the Stigler High School band while they visited DC. Proud of this young group of students! 

I was honored to receive the 2018 Award for Conservative Excellence by the American Conservative Union for my conservative voting record. I will continue to support policies that limit federal government intrusion, promote economic freedom, and remove wasteful spending.  

This afternoon, Cindy and I were honored to be able to serve lunch to Bixby first responders who have tirelessly served their storm-damaged community. Thank you for how you help people.

Dear Oklahoma friends and neighbors:

It has been a long few weeks of weather for Oklahoma families, meteorologists, first responders, and emergency management personnel after spring storms, tornadoes, and flooding have hit us and the Midwest especially hard this year. My staff and I remain very engaged with local, state, and federal officials to get people and communities the support they need to recover. Cindy and I continue to pray for those affected and for the brave first responders helping people evacuate flooded areas and rescuing Green Country residents as they are affected by flooding and storms. CLICK HERE to watch my speech on the Senate floor to provide an update to Washington, DC, about what is happening in the Heartland. 

Oklahoma's process to apply for federal disaster assistance is ongoing. In the meantime the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management asks affected residents to report damage to their property at damage.ok.gov or call 2-1-1 from anywhere in the state.

On May 23, the Senate passed and I voted for the disaster supplemental funding bill, which included funding for ongoing disasters affecting Oklahoma and the Midwest. Additionally, the bill included an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program. The bill has not yet passed the House, but I look forward to its consideration in the days ahead. CLICK HERE to read my statement on my support for the disaster supplemental bill.

Predominantly, local and state resources respond in disasters, but there is also a federal component, especially FEMA assistance and flood management through the US Army Corps of Engineers. I remain engaged with FEMA and the Corps personnel on the ground and will continue to receive regular updates on the status of the dam and levee system. I will also directly push for a clear after-action review concerning all federal responses to flooding in Oklahoma. 

In addition to our ongoing weather concerns, May is Military Appreciation Month, and I hope that Oklahomans took time with family and friends on Memorial Day to remember those who bravely fought and died for our nation in order to protect our freedoms and way of life. I recently spoke on the Senate floor in support of our active duty military, veterans, and their families. CLICK HERE to watch my Senate floor speech in honor of Military Appreciation Month.

As Oklahomans continue to reel from flooding and storm damage, I also want to draw your attention to today’s anniversary of another type of disaster: the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. As many as 300 black Tulsans were killed and 1,200 structures were destroyed from May 31, 1921 – June 1, 1921, in a devastating race massacre that destroyed the entire Greenwood District of North Tulsa, formerly known as Black Wall Street. This day is a terrible stain on Oklahoma’s past, but it is also a day to remember and learn from our history. To learn more about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, please CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to watch my speech on the Senate floor commemorating this tragic day in Oklahoma history and encouraging Oklahomans to engage in race reconciliation. 

UPDATE: Border Security

My office continues to hear from Oklahomans on the effectiveness of the replacement and construction of new border fencing along our southern border. You have heard me say that I believe all people are made in God's image and deserve dignity and respect. However, honoring national borders and the law is also respectful. It is reasonable to expect anyone entering and living within our borders to obey the laws of our nation. Earlier this year, Congress appropriated almost $1.4 billion specifically for the repair and expansion of existing fencing at the southern border. Border agents continue to emphasize that the new fencing is effective at preventing illegal entries and slowing the flow of illegal drugs into our nation. 

Nearly half a million people have been successfully apprehended trying to cross our border this fiscal year, due to the additional physical barriers along the border, new technology, and increased manpower. I recently had an opportunity to question Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan about several issues including border fence construction and its effectiveness to combat illegal immigration and drug and human trafficking. I think you will appreciate his answers.

CLICK HERE to watch my Q&A with Acting Secretary McAleenan.

We can and should stop people from attempting to enter our nation illegally. We must also vigilantly work to keep families together and protect the vulnerable members of these groups, including and especially children. To that end, I reintroduced the bipartisan Responsibility for Unaccompanied Minors Act, which requires HHS to keep better track of and care for unaccompanied alien children (UACs). This measure, which was first introduced in September 2018, will help both ensure the children’s safety and ensure they appear at their immigration court proceedings. CLICK HERE for a summary of the Responsibility for Unaccompanied Minors Act.

It is past time for Congress to solve these issues. I remain engaged directly with the White House and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to try to find a resolution to these and other immigration and border security issues.

UPDATE: Trade

I authored the bipartisan, bicameral Import Tax Relief Act, which would help provide relief by creating a new exemption process for some imports on “List 3” that have paid the US government more than $16 billion in import duties due to last year’s tariff action on Chinese imports. Americans deserve fair trade with China. The Chinese must return to the table to negotiate with the US in good faith.

In addition to trade talks with the Chinese, the Administration is also finalizing the new US-Canada-Mexico Trade Agreement (USMCA), a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Now that we are so close to finalizing a new trade agreement, President Trump has thankfully dropped the steel and aluminum tariffs he imposed on Canada and Mexico to get them to the negotiating table. Once finalized, the new agreement must first be approved by the House and then come to the Senate (This is not a treaty, which many may remember are considered by the Senate alone). Some Members of Congress want to start the negotiations all over from scratch, but I believe Congress has two distinct choices: vote on the new USMCA or re-affirm NAFTA. Our nation has one trade negotiator, and that does not include all 535 Members of the House and Senate.

CLICK HERE to listen to my recent podcast episode to get a Breakdown on trade.

Ongoing Regulatory Reform

One of the things many ask me to work on in Washington is bipartisanship. I have no problem working on issues of agreement with people I may have strong disagreement with on other areas.  I have ongoing legislative work with Democratic Senators Chris Coons, Maggie Hassan, Gary Peters, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and of course the new Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management (RAFM) Subcommittee I chair, Senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona. Together, Senator Sinema and I have already held hearings and introduced several bills to help streamline the federal regulatory process, promote public interaction with agencies on proposed rules, and work on transparency and length reduction of federal regulator documents our small businesses are forced to comply with daily. We also continue our efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in federal taxpayer-funded programs.

CLICK HERE for more information on my bill with Senators Sinema and Peters to help prevent fraud in federal retirement benefits.

CLICK HERE for more information on two other regulatory reform bills I am working on with Senator Sinema.

CLICK HERE to read an op-ed by former Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrators Sally Katzen and Susan Dudley about the positive work Senator Sinema and I are doing on regulatory reform.

Contraband Cell Phones in OK Prisons

Contraband cell phones in our nation’s prisons, and particularly in Oklahoma prisons, allow criminals to continue to commit criminal acts while incarcerated. This cannot continue. I recently spoke on the Senate floor in support of using cellphone-jamming technology for our prisons to prevent prisoners from preying on vulnerable members of our society from prisons. I offered some staggering statistics and implored Congress to stop “studying” this issue and actually make it happen.

CLICK HERE to watch my floor speech and learn more about the situation in Oklahoma prisons.

To provide necessary congressional oversight of the agencies responsible for regulating cellphone jamming technology, I recently had the opportunity to question FCC Chairman Ajit Pai about stopping cell phones in prisons. Chairman Pai has since visited Oklahoma to speak directly to state leaders, including Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and his staff about this issue. I will remain engaged to hopefully see this necessary technology through to protect our communities.

CLICK HERE to watch Chairman Pai’s testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, on which I serve. (My Q&A begins at about the 1:00:52 mark.)

UPDATE: Helping small business

Last week, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and I hosted a joint hearing of the Small Business Committee and the RAFM Subcommittee, which I chair. The joint hearing focused on ways to strengthen the Office of Advocacy at the US Small Business Administration. We continue to fight to protect small businesses from excessive federal regulations and to provide an appropriate venue for small businesses to have a voice on regulations in the agencies that affect them.

CLICK HERE to learn more about our joint hearing and our work to protect American small businesses.

Keeping You in the Loop

• On Thursday, May 23, the Senate voted on a bill to help prevent the rapid and dramatic uptick in unwanted robocalls to phones around the nation. I included a section on the robocalls problem in the previous version of the “Lankford Letter,”  and why it is vital that Congress and our agencies address the problem of unwanted calls. The measure passed 97-1 and awaits further action in the House. I will remain engaged with the FCC about ways we can prevent or eliminate robocalls while ensuring we protect freedom of speech in our nation. The bill provides tools for federal agencies to go after robocall scammers and would give the federal government the authority to fine up to $10,000 per call.
• Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which annually authorizes national defense objectives for the fiscal year. I am happy to report that the legislation includes bipartisan provision introduced by Senators Shaheen, Tillis, Van Hollen, and I to prohibit the transfer of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Turkey. Turkey is a NATO ally, but they have lately started flirting with Russia. We should not transfer our most precious military technology or allow equipment, intellectual property, technical data necessary for the maintenance or support of the F-35, or facilities to store the F-35 in Turkey if they will not be an ally in the days ahead. I am grateful for Senator Inhofe’s leadership to move this measure in the NDAA, and I look forward to its passage on the Senate floor soon. We must hold Turkey responsible for its actions. CLICK HERE for more information on the F-35 provision.
• As many of you know, my office provides constituent services to help Oklahomans navigate federal agencies and processes. One of those services can be helping obtain a veteran’s DD-214. If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, you may now use vetrecs.archives.gov to order a copy of your military records. For all others, your request is best made using a Standard Form 180. It includes complete instructions for preparing and submitting requests. If the veteran has any issues receiving a response from their own inquiry, my office can certainly help inquire for a status update. It is VERY important that veterans share the location of their own DD-214 with their spouse and family members in case of an emergency situation. I also introduced bipartisan legislation to help reserve component members of the US Armed Forces—including members of the Reserves and National Guard—receive the benefits they have earned following their retirement or completion of service. Currently, Reservists do not receive a separation document detailing their service and Guardsmen do not receive the same forms as Active Duty service members after completion of service. CLICK HERE for information on my bill.
• I would like to extend my congratulations to the Air Force JROTC unit at Putnam City High School on their selection for the 2018-2019 Air Force JROTC Distinguished Unit Award. Congratulations, Cadets and Retired Lt. Col. Dane Christensen, who oversees the program at Putnam City HS. Thank you for your early decision to serve our nation, and I look forward to hearing more great things from each of you as you hopefully embark on a distinguished career in our military.

In God We Trust,

James Lankford
United States Senator for Oklahoma

Stay Connected! 

If you would like more information on these topics or any other legislation currently before the US Senate, please do not hesitate to call my DC office at (202) 224-5754. My Oklahoma City office can be reached at (405) 231-4941 and my Tulsa office at (918) 581-7651. You can also follow me on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram for updates on my work in Congress.
     
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