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On
Saturday,
our
nation
commemorates
Veterans
Day
and
the
many
heroes
who
have
selflessly
answered
the
call
of
duty
to
protect
our
nation.
Through
their
service,
Americans
continue
to
celebrate
the
many
freedoms
outlined
in
our
nation’s
founding
documents.
We
thank
all
veterans
and
their
families
for
their
service
and
commitment
to
our
nation.
May
God
bless
each
and
every
one
of
you.
This
week,
the
Senate
introduced
a
plan
to
reform
the
nation’s
cumbersome
and
overcomplicated
tax
code.
This
follows
the House
Ways
and
Means
Committee,
which
introduced
its
proposal
to
reform
the
federal
tax
code
last
week.
It
is
a
priority
of
the
White
House
and
Congress
to
finish
tax
reform
this
year.
In
the
upcoming
weeks
and
months,
the
debate
around
tax
reform
will
continue
to
be
loud,
and
Congress
will
continue
to
talk
through
which
direction
is
the
right
way
to
go
on
a
multitude
of
issues.
I’m
committed
to
simplifying
the
nation’s
tax
code
for
families,
reducing
the
national
debt,
and
implementing
a
plan
that
will
spur
economic
growth
to
create
jobs
and
increase
wages.
To
read
the
current
Senate
tax
proposal,
CLICK
HERE.
As
we
continue
to
discuss
tax
reform
and
many
other
important
issues
in
Congress,
I
will
keep
you
updated
on
our
progress.
As
always,
please visit
my
website
for
the
most
accurate,
up-to-date
information.
Nation’s
Opioid
Epidemic
CLICK
HERE
to
watch
a
video
discussing
the
opioid
crisis
in
Oklahoma.
Last
month,
the
White
House
took
action
on
the
nation’s
growing
opioid
epidemic
with
their
announcement
declaring
a
public
health
emergency.
Opioid
abuse
is
a
nationwide
crisis
that
continues
to
grow,
and
the
effects
continue
to
devastate
families
across
the
country.
This
crisis
is
all
too
real
for
Oklahoma
families
and
communities.
Over
the
last
40
years,
opioid
use
and
abuse
in
Oklahoma
have
grown
steadily
and
significantly
more
than
in
our
neighboring
states.
Our
state
ranks
high
in
the
nation
for
opioid-related
deaths.
We
all
must
take
steps
to
combat
addiction
through
border
enforcement,
drug
education,
recovery
research,
and
removing
unneeded
prescription
drugs
from
our
homes.
It
is
time
for
action.
CLICK
HERE
to
read
my
full
statement
after
the
White
House
announcement.
Regulatory
Solutions
from
State
Legislatures
Last
month,
the
Homeland
Security
and
Governmental
Affairs
Subcommittee
on
Regulatory
Affairs
and
Federal
Management,
which
I
chair,
examined
state-level
solutions
to
improve
the
regulatory
process
and
determine
whether
these
ideas
could
be
implemented
at
the
federal
level.
The
committee
welcomed
elected
leaders
from
Idaho,
North
Dakota,
and
Connecticut—all
states
that
have
implemented
innovative
strategies
to
reduce
regulatory
burdens.
The
hearing
showed
that
states
can
review
state
regulations
to
ensure
they
follow
legislative
intent.
Congress
must
get
serious
about
regulatory
reform
and
consider
commonsense
improvements.
For
decades,
Congress
has
fallen
into
the
habit
of
passing
legislation
that
is
vague
on
details,
which
forces
agencies
to
interpret
the
law
through
regulations.
This
is
a
horrible
process
for
the
American
people.
CLICK
HERE
to
read
more
about
the
hearing.
Congress
Addresses
Fake
Russian
Ads
on
Social
Media
Last
week,
the
Senate
Intelligence
Committee
held
a
hearing
with
executives
from
Facebook,
Twitter,
and
Google.
During
the
hearing,
I
challenged
representatives
from
each
company
on
their
strategy
to
stop
the
misleading
and
false
advertising
from
Russian
entities,
and
I
pushed
them
to
publicize
examples
of
fake
content
to
make
social
media
users
more
aware.
I
want
to
protect
free
speech.
Americans
want
an
open
dialogue
without
fear
that
the
social
platforms
they
use
are
being
manipulated
by
foreign
actors
who
want
to
abuse
our
nation’s
right
to
free
speech.
It
is
of
great
value
to
share
the
ads
in
a
public
space,
which
gives
social
media
users
the
ability
to
understand
more
about
the
sources
they
might
be
receiving
news
from—news
that
could
be
influenced
by
a
Russian-generated
social
media
troll
farm.
To
watch
the
hearing,
CLICK
HERE.
Senate
Confirms
Federal
Judges,
Including
an
Oklahoman
Last
month,
by
a
vote
of
79-16,
the
Senate
confirmed
Judge
Scott
Palk
to
the
US
District
Court
for
the
Western
District
of
Oklahoma.
Judge
Palk
is
exceptionally
qualified
to
serve
as
one
of
Oklahoma’s
federal
judges.
He
is
a
man
of
principle
and
has
a
deep
respect
for
the
rule
of
law.
He
was
nominated
by
President
Obama
in
2015
and
re-nominated
by
President
Trump
in
May
2017.
The
blatant
obstruction
of
presidential
nominees
threatens
our
nation’s
judicial
system.
After
hours
of
stalling
tactics,
it
is
especially
frustrating
when
the
nominees
are
then
approved
by
the
Senate
with
wide
bipartisan
support.
Nine
of
the
President’s
district
and
circuit
court
nominees
have
been
filibustered
this
year,
while
only
one
of
the
President
Obama’s
judicial
nominees
was
subject
to
a
filibuster
in
2009.
Last
week,
the
Senate
was
able
to
approve
four
judicial
nominees
to
fill
current
vacancies.
I
support
Leader
McConnell’s
effort
to
keep
the
Senate
working,
which
is
why
I signed
on
to
a
letter
last
month
to
request
that
the
Senate
work
nights
and
weekends
to
overcome
the
gridlock.
During
the
debate
to
confirm
Scott
Palk,
I
spoke
about
my
plan
to
stop
the
gridlock
in
the
Senate
for
nominations; CLICK
HERE
to
watch.
To
read
my
statement
after
the
Senate
confirmed
Judge
Palk,
CLICK
HERE.
Keeping
You
in
the
Loop
- Last
week,
the
Veterans
Affairs
Office
of
Inspector
General published
a
report
on
the
results
of
a
lengthy
investigation
of
the
Oklahoma
City
VA
Health
Care
System.
Our
veterans
deserve
world-class
care,
and
there
is
no
excuse
for
not
providing
appropriate
care
to
these
heroes.
I
know
Director
Vlosich
and
his
staff
agree.
I’m
encouraged
by
their
willingness
to
confront
the
issues
by
working
hand-in-hand
with
the
IG
to
immediately
fix
the
problems.
To
read
my
full
statement,
CLICK
HERE.
- Last
week,
the
Senate
approved
Amy
Barrett
to
serve
as
a
judge
on
7th
Circuit
Court
of
Appeals.
During
her
nomination
hearing,
Democrat
Senators
challenged
Judge
Barrett
to
explain
her
faith
and
suggested
that
she
could
not
be
an
impartial
judge,
if
confirmed,
because
of
her
level
of
devotion
to
her
faith.
Article
VI
of
the
Constitution
clearly
states
there
should
be
no
religious
test
for
any
officer
of
the
US.
I
thought
we
moved
past
this
moment
in
the
1960s
when
JFK
ran
for
president.
I
spoke
on
the
Senate
floor
to
defend
the
right
to
free
exercise
of
religion. CLICK
HERE
to
watch
the
speech.
- Last
month,
I
traveled
to
United
Nations
headquarters
in
New
York
City
to
meet
with
UN
Relief
personnel,
UN
Secretary
General
Antonio
Guterres,
the
US
Deputy
Representative
to
the
United
Nations,
and
the
US
Representative
on
the
Economic
and
Social
Council
of
the
UN.
The
purpose
of
the
meeting
was
to
discuss
the
effective
use
of
US
taxpayer
dollars,
to
ensure
UN
peacekeeping
operations
are
fulfilling
their
purpose
and
mandate,
and
to
defend
our
ally,
Israel.
- On
November
2,
Senator
Joe
Manchin
and
I
introduced
a
resolution
to
commemorate
the
100th
anniversary
of
the
Balfour
Declaration,
a
public
statement
issued
by
Great
Britain
on
November
2,
1917,
during
WWI
that
announced
support
for
the
establishment
of
a
nation
for
the
Jewish
people.
The
declaration
set
in
motion
a
series
of
events
that
led
to
the
reestablishment
of
the
state
of
Israel
in
1948.
To
read
the
resolution, CLICK
HERE.
- Last
week,
I
joined
Fox
News
@
Night
with
Shannon
Bream
to
discuss
the
horrific
terror
attack
in
New
York
City
on
October
31
that
killed
eight
and
injured
11. CLICK
HERE
to
watch
the
interview.
- On
Friday,
USDA
announced
that
Lee
Denney
will
serve
as
Oklahoma’s
State
Director
for
Rural
Development
and
Scott
Biggs
will
serve
as
state
director
of
Oklahoma
Farm
Services
Agency.
Lee
and
Scott
are
the
right
candidates
to
faithfully
serve
our
agriculture
and
rural
development
communities.
I’m
grateful
for
their
willingness
to
serve. CLICK
HERE
to
read
more.
- On
Wednesday,
the
Homeland
Security
and
Governmental
Affairs
Committee,
on
which
I
serve,
held
a
hearing
to
discuss
the
nomination
of
Kirstjen
Nielsen
to
serve
as
Secretary
of
the
Department
of
Homeland
Security.
Kirstjen
has
extensive
experience
working
at
DHS
and
will
serve
the
nation
well
as
she
leads
the
agency.
During
my
Q&A
I
asked
about
her
position
on
protecting
our
country
from
cyberattacks,
protecting
our
borders,
and
implementing
Real
ID
laws.
- It’s
that
time
of
year
again!
On
Monday,
November
27,
I’ll
release
the
third
installment
of Federal
Fumbles:
100
Ways
the
Government
Dropped
the
Ball.
To
catch
up
on
the
last
two
reports
before
the
release,
CLICK
HERE.
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