Dear Oklahoma Friends and Neighbors...

Keeping You in the Loop

•In June, Cindy and I had the opportunity to pay our respects at the funeral of Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson, who tragically died in the line of duty. We must continue to stand together in support of the police officers who serve with honor and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect everyone in our communities. I prayed for Sgt. Johnson and injured Officer, Aurash Zarkeshan, and their families on the Senate floor prior to the loss of Sgt. Johnson. Officer Zarkeshan continues to recover from his injuries, and Cindy and I continue to pray for his swift and complete recovery.

•In late June, the Senate began consideration of a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, which would add an 11th full day that federal buildings would be closed each year. I have supported the idea of recognizing Juneteenth, the official celebration on June 19th of the end of slavery in the US, as a federal holiday. We strive to “form a more perfect union” in our nation, and I believe celebrating positive changes we’ve made toward that goal is important. All 100 senators supported the idea of making Juneteenth a federal holiday, so I researched the impact on our national debt of the lost time and overtime every year from an 11th federal holiday. I learned that each federal holiday costs around $600 million. So I joined another senator to suggest we close federal offices on Juneteenth instead of Columbus Day since only 21 states observe the day off for Columbus Day. The amendment did not “abolish” Columbus Day. It simply meant that federal workers would not get the day off for Columbus Day, just like they do not get the day off for Flag Day, Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, and countless others. Columbus Day would have still been a holiday each October, but we would have saved $600 million each year in lost time and wages by keeping our federal agencies open. I do not support the removal of any Christopher Columbus monument or his name on anything, but I do support saving taxpayers' hard-earned money. If you are one of the Oklahomans who saw the blatant misinformation on social media or TV about my proposal to save our tax dollars,

•On June 25, the Senate Homeland Security Committee held a hearing to provide oversight of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). I questioned a senior CBP official about the agency’s ongoing work to seize items, including illegal drugs and fake COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and test kits along our borders and at ports of entry. Our conversation also highlighted the 11- year high of newly naturalized citizens to our nation over the last few months and the positive steps in the process of legal immigration President Trump and his Administration have taken.

•July 8th the Supreme Court ruled with the Little Sisters of the Poor that a requirement to provide contraceptives to employees was a violation of their deeply held religious beliefs and First Amendment rights. Representative Vicky Hartzler of Missouri joined me in an amicus brief to urge the Supreme Court to uphold religious exemption protections for the Sisters, and I was even able to meet with the Sisters earlier this year.