Name: James Lankford
Occupation: U.S. Senator for Oklahoma
Book(s) you’re recommending to friends: The Bible, Love Your Enemies by Arthur Brooks
Most significant accomplishment(s) since coming to Congress: After years of work, Congress passed my Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act and in February of 2024, the Office of Management and Budget launched the Federal Program Inventory. This gives every American the ability to see how their tax dollars are spent and is a step to end waste and duplication in government. This is the first time an online tool has allowed anyone to quickly and easily search for information about every federal program that provides grants, loans, or direct payments. That is a huge step to address our national debt.
Challenge facing your state that you are working hard to address: This should come as no surprise, but it’s securing our border. This is a national security issue for all Americans, because Biden’s border crisis has made every state a border state with illegal crossers, illegal drugs, and contraband coming across the border into our communities. We need to go beyond throwing money at the border. We need real solutions to secure the border and that starts with President Biden using the authorities he has now to secure it. We are now close to 8 million illegal border crossers in three years. That includes thousands of individuals who have been identified by DHS as “Special Interest Aliens,” someone who poses a national security risk to the US. We need to secure our border, and we need to do it now.
Excerpt from Federal Fumbles report that will make every taxpayer wince: There are a lot of earmarks that when Oklahomans hear about it make them wince, including federal tax dollars paying for million-dollar splash pads, ski jumps, drag shows in Ecuador, or a National Science Foundation study on butterflies in Europe. But what should really make anyone pause is the fact that we are $34 trillion in debt, and there is no serious effort in Congress to turnaround our fiscal house. Federal Fumbles is a starting point to cut wasteful spending to address our fiscal realities. You can check it out by visiting www.lankford.senate.gov/about/fumbles