WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined for a second consecutive quarter, which constitutes an economic recession. The U.S. economy shrank nearly 1 percent in the second quarter of this year and by 1.6 percent in the first quarter. "Although President Joe Biden continues to deny our nation has reache  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after voting for the Senate Amendment to H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, also known as "CHIPS-Plus." "Although this is not a perfect bill and not the one I would have written, it is a step in the right direction toward keeping Communist China at bay and protecting our nation's economic and security interests," said Cole. "At a time whe  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, issued the following statement on July 28, 2022: Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after this morning's announcement that the U.S. GDP shrank in the 2nd quarter, meeting the technical definition of a recession. "I'm really sad to have been proven right about this recession." "This isn't something anyone wants, but you don't need a fancy economics degree to have seen this coming. "Biden's spending over the l  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on July 27, 2022: Legislation sponsored by Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) passed the House of Representatives today, included in a larger tele-health package: HR 4040, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act. Previously, Rep. Hern introduced HR 8497, the Protecting Mental Health Services Act. The bill was included in today's HR 4040. HR 8497 permanently extends Trump-era tele-health benefits for senio  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Oklahoma, ranking Republican member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, issued the following statement on July 28, 2022: The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) released a statement on the CHIPS and Science Act. Read Ranking Member Lucas' Full Floor Statement: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just 24 hours ago, I expected my remarks on the CHIPS and Science Act to be very different. I have worked  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Oklahoma, issued the following floor statement on July 28, 2022: * * * The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) released a statement on the CHIPS and Science Act. "This is one of those occasions that, as a statesman and responsible Member of Congress, I have to put aside my own pride in the Science Committee's work and cast a vote that represents the best interests of Americans and - particularly - the good  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release and letter on July 28, 2022: Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) led nine of his House Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tae Johnson, urging them to address the ICE budget shortfall and consider the impact this will have on our already deteriorating southern border. Mull  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on July 28, 2022: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today joined 23 Republican colleagues in introducing a broad package, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), to clarify and strengthen violent crime laws related to homicide, bank robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and other offenses. The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act resolves discrepancies brought about by conflicting court decisions and clarifies c  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, praised the Senate passage of H.R.7776, as amended, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 and provisions in the legislation that will bring benefits to Oklahomans far into the future. The measure passed by a vote of 92-2. "I have always said there are two things we should be doing in Co  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, issued the following opening statement on July 28, 2022: * * * U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, gave an opening statement at a committee hearing to consider the nominations for four key Department of Defense civilian positions. Witnesses included: Milancy Harris, nominated to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; Dr. Radha Plumb, nominated to be Deputy U  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on July 28, 2022: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today was joined by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mike Braun (R-IN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mike Kelly (D-AZ), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Roger Wi  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release on July 28, 2022: Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today brought the Oklahoma agricultural community's concerns President Biden's refusal to negotiate free trade agreements (FTAs) to Washington, DC, in a Senate Finance hearing to consider the nomination of Douglas McKalip to be the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In his Q&A Lankford pressed that O  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release and letter on July 28, 2022: In April, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would not issue new contracts with McKinsey & Company pending ongoing investigations into whether McKinsey failed to divulge potential conflicts of interest over its work with both the FDA and opioid manufacturers. McKinsey's conflicting interests appear to go beyond its work with opioid manufacturers. The c  more