WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today praised the announcement from Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will transfer funds to keep 149 contract air traffic control towers open. The decision includes Wiley Post in Oklahoma City, Norman Max Westheimer, Stillwater Regional, and Lawton-Fort Sill in Oklahoma. “Secretary LaHood’s announcement comes at a critical time for our nation’s air traffic control... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, praised the adoption of Amendment 801 to the Water Resources and Development Act that would grant relief from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule for farms and ranches. The amendment was adopted Wednesday night by Unanimous Consent. “Since I was notified of plans for the implementation of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) joined Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and eight others in introducing a resolution Monday calling on the Senate to investigate and conduct hearings on public policies that led to the illegal abortion practices of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and to correct abusive, unsanitary, and illegal abortion practices. “What took place at Gosnell’s clinic is abhorrent, and no one – no matter his or her position on abortion – should sit quietly and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to assist rural communities of less than 25,000 residents with funding to maintain, modernize and expand water resource and infrastructure facilities. The amendment was adopted yesterday by Unanimous Consent. "America's rural communities need the same access to water resources and infrastructure as... Continue Reading »
As prepared for delivery: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I join you in welcoming our witnesses today and thank them for their many years of service. "Secretary Donley, thank you for all you have done for this country and the Air Force over the past four-and-a-half years. I appreciate your friendship and wish you and your family the best as you enter the next chapter of your lives. I’m confident that you will continue to contribute to our country and to the men and women of our military that you... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the committee’s ranking member, have written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel seeking guidance on how to achieve the $52 billion in fiscal year 2014 defense savings required by the Budget Control Act. “I believe we should replace sequestration – both the defense and domestic cuts – with a balanced deficit reduction plan,” Levin said.... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today issued the following statement regarding the recent record low temperatures in Oklahoma: “When we experience temperatures not to our liking, it gets labeled as global warming in the summer and climate change in the winter. Waking up to frost on my windshield in May made it a little confusing just what my climate alarmist friends would say we’re experiencing here in Oklahoma. Yesterday’s temperatures were 10-20... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today joined 41 Senate colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta to call on the agency to stop the planned closure of 149 contract towers. In the letter, the members highlight that the bill passed in the Senate on April 25 and signed into law by the president to end furloughs at the FAA provides enough budget flexibility to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, along with ranking member David Vitter (R-La.) and Congressman James Lankford (R-OK-5) today sent a letter to Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Bob Perciasepe to express concerns for the abuse of statutory discretion under the Clean Air Act to override states’ responsibilities in rulemaking and to request more transparency in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) today introduced in their respective chambers the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act of 2013. The legislation would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a report on the purchasing of ammunition by federal agencies, except the Department of Defense, and its effect on the supply of ammunition available to the public. The AMMO Act would restrict agencies from... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today made the following statement in response to reports that Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against its people in Syria: “President Assad’s use of chemical weapons against his own people clearly crosses the ‘red line’ established by President Obama. This marks a significant turning point in what’s already been a... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement today on reports that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, is no longer cooperating with investigators: “Recent media headlines that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has stopped cooperating with investigators after being mirandized should come as no surprise. This development only reinforces that the Obama... Continue Reading »
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I join you in welcoming our witnesses and thank them for their many years of dedicated service to our nation. "The purpose of our hearing today is to discuss the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request for the Department of the Navy. Like the Defense Department as a whole, the Navy’s ability to meet our nation’s security requirements will greatly depend upon the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement today regarding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s amendment to offset sequestration budget cuts for fiscal year 2013 by transferring funds from the Department of Defense (DOD)’s Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. “Sen. Reid’s amendment to cut future... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, (R-Okla.) was honored with the “Friend of Farm Bureau” award from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau for his support of critical agriculture and farm issues during the 112th Congress. “The agriculture industry continues to bear the brunt of a growing, intrusive federal government,” said Inhofe. “Sky-rocketing fuel costs and intrusive government regulations are... Continue Reading »
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I join you in welcoming Secretary McHugh and General Odierno and thank them for their many years of dedicated service to our nation. "The purpose of our hearing today is to discuss the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request for the Department of the Army. Our Army continues to perform with remarkable courage, professionalism, and effectiveness around the world. They are battle-tested after a decade of sustained combat... Continue Reading »
BROKEN ARROW – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today joined Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, to announce a Department of Defense contract awarded to L-3 Westwood for their Load Demand Start Stop (LDSS) microgrid system. “Advancements in defense technologies continue to decrease the level of risk our servicemembers face while defending... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today sent a letter to Gina McCarthy, nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), requesting a response to four areas of concern where the administration is preventing the exploration and development of affordable energy. "While I have appreciated Gina McCarthy's outreach since her nomination, I cannot support her confirmation until I receive sufficient responses... Continue Reading »
As prepared for delivery: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I join you in welcoming our witnesses today and thank them for their many years of service to our nation. "This hearing comes at a time when our nation’s security is being challenged like never before. When you look around the world today—instability and violence raging throughout North Africa and the Middle East, rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon,... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement today on his amendment votes to gun-control legislation currently before the Senate: “Many efforts were made today to address gun violence, but a majority of the restrictions presented were all predicated on one assumption that some how we think that the criminal element will single out this one law to comply with," said Inhofe. "Instead amendments such as the... Continue Reading »
