Dear Oklahoma friends and neighbors: How about our Thunder and OU Women’s Softball! We’ll have more great Thunder basketball to watch this Memorial Day weekend, but it’s important for all of us to take time to remember the reason for this holiday. Those who have worn the cloth of our nation and who gave their last full measure of devotion to our nation deserve our utmost gratitude. We should continue to teach the next generations about the ways Americans have laid down their lives in defense of our freedom. We also honor our Gold Star Families whose loved ones never came home from their service. We honor their sacrifice as well this weekend. I pray for those grieving the loss of a service member. May you know our country’s deep gratitude for our freedom. Thank you.
The Tax and Spending Reduction Bill The House completed their version of the bill to reduce federal spending and protect our taxes from going up next year. Now the Senate can get to work on it to find even more ways to save our taxes dollars and make the tax code fair for every American.
Our focus in the Senate has been on reducing spending and tackling our national debt. I have worked for months on tax policies that will help our families and small businesses, now it is time to get them implemented. I also want to allow people to deduct their non-profit gifts from their taxes again. Years ago, the deduction for non-profit donations was removed for all Americans, except those that itemize their taxes. Since only 9% of Americans itemize their taxes, there is no longer a tax deduction for nonprofit donations for 91% of Americans.
One rumor I’ve heard about the budget bill is that it would take Medicaid away from children and close Oklahoma rural hospitals. That is absolutely not true. Medicaid should remain available to those who truly need it, like moms and kids without access to health care, lowincome elderly people, and those with disabilities. But able-bodied adults with no children should be required to work, just like they are required to work to receive SNAP benefits (food stamps). Work brings purpose and opportunity to rise out of poverty, it should be encouraged, not discouraged.
In addition to our ongoing work on the budget bill, the Senate has worked to confirm more Executive Branch nominees since January 2025 than anytime in the last 40 years. Democrats continue to fight us on every nomination just to stand in the way of the Trump Administration, so Republicans in the Senate have stayed in session many long nights to keep up our progress.
About California Electric Vehicle Standards Good question. In 2023, President Biden asked the Government Accountability Office to classify a new electric vehicle mandate for California as an “order” instead of a rule to try to slip in a nationwide electric vehicle mandate on the country without going through Congress. He waited to release this mandate after the November election because he knew the American people want to choose the type of car they drive, not be required to buy electric cars and trucks.
The Senate demanded that a rule that significant to the entire country would have to go through Congress, so we used the Congressional Review Act to take down the Biden EV mandate. It was a long fight, with many technical aspects, but we won the right for Americans to once again select any vehicle they want to buy, electric or gas.
Assessing the Southern Border – San Diego Edition Earlier this month, I left Washington, DC ,for the weekend to see the dramatic change on our Southern border. At the San Diego/Tijuana border, I connected with federal law enforcement officers, toured key border facilities and received updates from the folks on the ground protecting the border. The morale and situation at the border is so much better under President Trump’s leadership.
The San Diego Sector has made 45,000 apprehensions from 147 different countries—more than anywhere else in the US! I visited remote locations like “Arnie’s Point” and the “Well Draw” site, which showcase the difficulties presented by our border terrain and where gaps in the wall remain a serious vulnerability. The illegal border crossings are down 95% from just a year ago, but there is still more work to do in the law and at the border.
I witnessed an illegal crossing and observed live apprehension efforts involving joint Department of Defense– Border Patrol operations, and I observed firsthand the evolving conditions on the ground, including enhanced border enforcement operations and interagency coordination in high-risk areas. I spent time at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, one of the busiest border crossings in the nation, where CBP officials highlighted the importance of ongoing facility expansion and modernization efforts.
I also met with the Coast Guard, who are facing much higher numbers of illegal entries and drug smuggling.