Dear Oklahoma Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you and your family had a safe and fun 4th of July weekend. It was good to spend the week of the 4th in Bixby, Edmond, Oklahoma City, Shawnee, Ada, Davis, Altus, and Lawton. During a week in which we celebrate our freedom and liberty, it was an honor to meet and thank many veterans who defended those rights. I posted some photos from last week's travels—CLICK HERE to see.

This week, I was back in DC working on nominations, healthcare reform, tax policy, the 2018 federal budget, Indian education, higher education, national defense, Veterans Administration, cybersecurity, and the debt ceiling. As Congress discusses these important issues, please keep in touch with me and my staff to share your concerns.

Update on Healthcare Reform in the Senate

As you know, I have advocated for the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act because of skyrocketing healthcare costs and diminished healthcare choices in Oklahoma. I believe that Congress should pass a bill that provides a transition from the Affordable Care Act to a healthcare structure without federal mandates or Washington, DC, control of personal healthcare decisions. We can protect people in the safety net and allow more affordable coverage options for everyone. Inexpensive healthcare insurance should not be illegal in America.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the latest version of the draft healthcare reform bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. Today and throughout this weekend, I will analyze the new version of this bill to determine if it allows people to have a variety of affordable insurance options, maintains our medical safety net, protects people with preexisting conditions, limits lifetime and annual caps, puts Medicaid on a sustainable path, and returns regulatory control to the states. No matter how I decide to vote next week, I will make sure I give you a complete explanation of the bill.

I can assure you that a single vote will not resolve the many complex healthcare issues we face. This is only the first significant step addressing a narrow group of issues. There will still be a need for many bipartisan votes in the months ahead to deal with the rapid rise of medical costs and complex medical issues.

Early next week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will release its analysis of the bill. I was surprised when the previous CBO estimate was released, both for the estimate and the data behind the estimate. For the past two CBO reports, they chose to use their March 2016 Affordable Care Act baseline, which did not take into account the millions of people who dropped from the Affordable Care Act in 2016 and the first six months of 2017. Over the past 18 months, rates have skyrocketed—in Oklahoma by 76 percent— and during the last six months, two million people have dropped their Affordable Care Act coverage. But CBO assumes there are currently no rate increases and no failing markets. I wish that were true, but the rapid changes in the past 18 months have made healthcare reform even more important. Forecasting insurance markets is harder than forecasting the weather. Remember, CBO estimated in 2010 that the Affordable Care Act would result in 21 million more enrollees to health insurance, but as of last year, the number was only nine million.

I encourage anyone who is interested to read the latest version of the healthcare bill. To view full text, CLICK HERE. To read my statement on the revised Senate healthcare bill, CLICK HERE

Let’s Get the Work Done Before August 

Congress has a number of pressing issues that need to be addressed this year: fixing healthcare, passing a budget, dealing with the debt ceiling, and updating the tax code. Last month, I sent a letter with nine of my colleagues to ask Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to shorten or cancel the August state work period if we have not completed our work to reform healthcare. This week, Leader McConnell accepted the request to delay the August state work period in order to allow us to make progress on the major legislative initiatives and confirm key executive branch officials. Congress is in session 11 months of the year, but with the glacially slow pace of nominations this year, we should stay in DC during as much of August as needed to get the work done.

CLICK HERE to read the letter sent to Leader Mitch McConnell. CLICK HERE to read my statement on Leader McConnell’s announcement.

SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Religious Liberty

Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church and religious liberty. Their decision affirmed that all organizations—whether religiously based or not—are constitutionally guaranteed the same right and opportunity to participate in government programs.

In this case, the state of Missouri wrongfully excluded Trinity Lutheran Church from a grant program intended to help nonprofits improve playground equipment at its preschool and daycare center. The Court determined that the state of Missouri discriminated against Trinity Lutheran Church simply because it was a religious organization. This decision has national implications because the next day, the court ruled against the state of Colorado because it discriminated against a church that participated in a state school program. Government must be neutral to groups and individuals, regardless of their faith or choice to not have faith. You cannot tell a group that it may not participate with government simply because its members are people of faith. This was another win for the First Amendment.  

Last year, I submitted a “friend of the court” brief with my colleagues in the House and Senate in support of Trinity Lutheran. CLICK HERE to read more.

Finding Unity in a Divided Washington

After the unthinkable attack on Republican members of Congress during a congressional baseball practice, our nation paused to consider our growingly divisive political culture. There are a number of issues we face in Washington that are emotional, personal, and difficult to discuss, but we can debate these issues in a respectful way. We will not all agree, but we can choose to hear each other rather than labeling and attacking each other. Over the 4th of July weekend, I wrote a national article to call on political leaders and Americans to recommit to civility and unity, even when we disagree.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Funding the US Government

Over the past few months, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, on which I serve as a member, has worked with federal agencies to outline spending priorities before the October 1 fiscal year deadline. This week, the Appropriations Committee met to debate and pass the first appropriations bill on military construction/Veterans Affairs funding.

Since the current budget process was created in 1974, there have only been four times this process has worked the way it was intended. I continue to encourage my colleagues that we desperately need to reform the process in order to prevent budget gimmicks and mega budget bills and include government shutdown prevention incentives. I have proposed a fix of the appropriations process for this year and long-term. I continue to work with others in the Senate to bring solutions to the problems we face.

As the 12 appropriations bills continue to pass out of the Committee, I will keep you posted on their progress or lack of progress. As always, you can keep up with what I’m working on when I’m in DC by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or you can contact me directly by phone or email. I look forward to connecting in the days ahead.

Keeping You in the Loop

  • Please keep Rep. Steve Scalise in your prayers as he continues his long recovery from gunshot wounds sustained when he and other members were practicing for a charity baseball game last month. Rep. Scalise improved but was taken back into ICU when he showed symptoms of infection. He remains in serious condition but has now been released from the ICU. The other victims have all been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
  • Last month, President Trump nominated R. Trent Shores to be US Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Trent is a great candidate and will serve Oklahoma well in this position. CLICK HERE to read more.
  • On Thursday, the Administration announced the nomination of Judge Charles Goodwin to the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. I know Charles will ensure the laws of our nation and our Constitution are followed and will not legislate from the bench. CLICK HERE to read more. 
  • Last month, I introduced the Transparency and Honesty in Energy Regulations Act that would require agencies to use Office of Management and Budget guidelines when developing energy and environmental rules. Federal agencies cannot create new regulations at their own discretion, they must follow the law. To read more, CLICK HERE.
  • On Thursday, I met with Christopher Wray, the President's nominee to be the next FBI director. We had a productive meeting about the work of the FBI, and I look forward to monitoring his nomination as it goes through the process. To read more, CLICK HERE.
  • This week, a bill I introduced, the Johnson-O’Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act, was examined during an Indian Affairs hearing. The bill will update decades-old data to to ensure access to more Indian students in public schools. CLICK HERE to read more.
  • Last week, Ngoc Tan Truong Huynh, a sailor in the US Navy, was laid to rest in Tulsa after his tragic death in early June when the USS Fitzgerald crashed off the coast of Japan. I know we all send our deepest condolences and prayers to Tan’s family as they grieve his loss. Our nation is forever grateful for his service, bravery, and sacrifice to protect our freedom.

 

 

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.

Notice: If you wish to stop ALL electronic communications from my office, visit this link to opt out permanently from this list. If you have any questions about this Notice or your right to decline future electronic mail from this office, please contact us at United States Senate, 316 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510.