WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today questioned witnesses at the annual posture hearing for United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Witnesses included: General Stephen Townsend, Commander, AFRICOM; and General Frank McKenzie, Commander, CENTCOM. Inhofe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General Townsend, as I said in my opening statemen more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, ranking Republican member of the House Rules Committee, issued the following remarks at a Feb. 15, 2022, hearing on the Postal Service Reform Act (H.R. 963): * * * Today's hearing is to take testimony on H.R. 963, the FAIR Act. This bill would retroactively rewrite contracts binding every business and person in the United States to eliminate agreed arbitration provisions. There is one exception, which is, unsurprisingly, for arbitration agreements included in collective bargaining agreements. more PR

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, ranking Republican member of the House Rules Committee, issued the following news release: As delivered during today's hearing providing for consideration of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2471, H.J. Res. 75 and H.R. 6968: Our hearing today covers three items. Our first item is a bill to ban imports of Russian oil into the United States and to impose additional sanctions following Russia's unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine. While I will be supporting this measure, I cannot help but feel more PR

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, issued the following statement: * * * Representative Stephanie Bice (OK-05) voted in favor of the two divisions making up the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bills that included many conservative values and 15 of Rep. Bice's priorities for Oklahomans. "While this legislation is not perfect, and certainly not the bill I would have drafted, I voted in support of both divisions of the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill. "The defense portion of this legislation is vital as we face growin more PR

WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, issued the following statement: * * * Representative Stephanie Bice (OK-05) joined Representative Scott Franklin (FL-15) in introducing the Prohibiting Oil Trade with Venezuela's Tyrant Act, which would require the president to prohibit the importation of all petroleum products originating from Venezuela. The bill was developed in response to reports that the Biden Administration discussed loosening sanctions on Venezuela's Maduro regime. Rep. Bice issued the following statement: "The more PR

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after voting in favor of an import ban on Russian oil and against the Democrats' appropriations package as well as the short-term spending bill. "I voted against another Democrat spending bill, because Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have yet to learn the lesson that more spending is not the solution to rampant inflation," said Rep. Hern. "We are going in the wrong direction - the federa more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, issued the following joint statement with Sens. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma: * * * Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) today offered the following joint statement after a report was released by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in which recommendations are made to "modernize and realign" the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee (for eastern Oklahoma recommendations, see pages 72-7 more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Oklahoma, ranking Republican member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) joined Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) on a letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Christopher Hanson and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm regarding the nuclear licensing process. The Members emphasized the importance of  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following opening remarks on March 15, 2022: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today delivered opening remarks at the annual posture hearing for United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and United States Central Command (CENTCOM). He also submitted remarks for the record regarding the plight of the Sahwari people of Western Sahara -- whose right to self-determination Sen. Inhofe has long championed. Witnesses include: more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: Top Senate and House Republicans today urged Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to make quick and decisive use of emergency funds provided by Congress to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the unwarranted and unprovoked Russian invasion. Last week, Congress passed H.R. 2471, which included an emergency supplemental that includes $3 billion in direct authority and funding for the United Sta more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today connected with the leadership of Oklahoma community health centers from across the state to learn more about the challenges they face with staffing and workforce issues, how to best utilize and even expand telehealth opportunities across our state, and others. Lankford was also selected today to receive the 2022 Distinguished Community Health Center Advocate Award on behalf of the National Associatio more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: After making the request last July, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) offered the following statement to celebrate that Altus Air Force Base is expected to receive vital funding to improve the L. Mendel Rivers Elementary School on Base, which has classrooms for pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, and is badly in need of repairs, safety upgrades, and general renovations. "I have personally toured Rivers Elementary and seen the need to dramat more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted on a resolution of disapproval to end the federal mask mandate on planes and in public transportation. Lankford spoke out against the federal mask earlier today, as Oklahomans and much of the rest of the country have ended their mask mandates in public places. The resolution passed in a vote of 57-40. Last week, Lankford sent a letter (https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankfo more PR

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined100 of his colleagues in a letter to the IRS demanding much needed relief as the agency struggles to address customer service needs and processing issues. The IRS's lack of action is causing unnecessary confusion, as the current tax filing season is already underway. "We remain concerned that the IRS does not have a comprehensive plan to remedy the numerous problems affecting taxpayers, despite the fact that this fil more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 15, 2022: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) offered the following statement after the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which Lankford introduced last year with Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Ed Markey (D-MA). "This is one issue that I have been chipping away at for a few years, and an issue I have consistently h more PR

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on March 14, 2022: Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) sent a letter cosigned by 20 colleagues to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, raising concerns about recent crimes committed by illegal aliens that crossed into the United States under President Biden's open-border policies. The Senators are demanding answers about the impact of the Biden administration's negligence on crime in American communities. Co-signers of the l more PR