During U.S. Sen. James Lankford’s first week representing Oklahoma’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was seriously wounded and six constituents were shot to death in a grocery store parking lot in her district.
Two weeks ago, days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah, Lankford had dinner with Giffords’ husband, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly.
“He just reached out to me and said, ‘Can we have dinner and just talk about where we are as a country and what can we do to think of ways to figure this out?'” Lankford said.
In a time when many seem to consider moderation a betrayal and reason a weakness, Lankford has probably felt the lash of public criticism from left and right more than any elected Oklahoma Republican.
An Oklahoma GOP faction excoriated Lankford last week for noting on CNN that political violence is being inflicted across the board, on Democrats and non-political bystanders as well as on Republicans.
Others call him to task for not speaking up more forcefully against what they see as the excesses and abuses of the Trump administration.
“You stick your head up, and you get hit,” Lankford said Tuesday during a visit to the Tulsa World.
In a Trump-friendly state like Oklahoma, Republican incumbents such as Lankford likely do not have to stick their heads up. All they have to do is not upset too many GOP voters.
Nevertheless, Lankford picked his way along the same treacherous path on Tuesday.
Yes, some things the administration does concern him — but having Democrats in control concerns him more.
Congress’ current loggerheads is an example.
Republicans want to pass a “clean” continuing resolution that continues federal funding for six weeks after spending authorization expires on Oct. 1. Democrats want concessions, especially on Affordable Care Act insurance exchange subsidies, to give the GOP majority the votes needed to advance the CR in the Senate.
“What (Democrats) say they want is to be able to extend the premium tax credits that were done during COVID. I don’t know if you know this, but COVID is over,” Lankford said. “Part of the struggle is, why are we extending a COVID credit post-COVID? Their statement is because insurance rates are going to go up on people with the premium subsidies.
“My response is, from 2021 to 2024 we doubled the number of people in America with premium subsidies,” he continued. “We were a little over 10 million in 2021; we’re over 20 million now in four years with premium subsidies. We can’t keep that trajectory. So I understand that what Democrats are asking for, financially, fiscally, we can’t keep doing that.”
Democrats aren’t the only ones asking to renew the credits, but Lankford’s point is that, as a fiscal conservative, he opposes writing off the estimated $380 billion in revenue the tax credits would cost.
Other issues seem to be less a matter of conservative vs. liberal (or moderate) than party or personal loyalty.
Lankford said he is not entirely comfortable with not only threats but attempts to use presidential power against political foes and to some extent foreign countries.
President Trump, he said, is in some cases reacting against what Lankford said were abuses of the Biden administration, but he said: “Not right then. Not right now.”
In a similar vein, Republicans were critical of the Biden family’s business dealings, and particularly those of President Biden’s son Hunter Biden, but Trump and his family arguably have been involved in self-dealing.
Among those recently reported was an exchange in which the United Arab Emirates sovereign wealth fund invested $2 billion in a cryptocurrency owned by the Trump family and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Soon after, the UAE received access to U.S.-made microchips needed by the country’s burgeoning artificial intelligence industry.
Other deals involve Trump in-laws and Libyan oil and reports that border czar Tom Homan was video-recorded taking $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents, allegedly in exchange for securing government contracts from the incoming Trump administration.
The alleged event happened before Homan joined the administration. Homan has denied wrongdoing.
Asked about such allegations, Lankford said exploiting the presidency is never right.
“I am more comfortable with equal justice under the law. She’s blind, holding the scales,” he said.
randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com
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Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World Reporter
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