Dear Oklahoma friends and neighbors: I hope everyone is finally thawed out around our state. The cold was brutal in Oklahoma and in Washington DC. Based on the shelves in the grocery stores, it looked like some families also had fun cooking together. The snowy weekend was a great weekend for Cindy and me to make a pot of chili and watch the snow. I am consistently proud of how well we work to take care of each other in our state. We can always do more to help others, but we set a great example for the rest of the country on how to treat our friends and neighbors with dignity, respect, and kindness.
There’s a lot happening around our nation’s Capitol. We have an ongoing debate about funding the government, protests in Minnesota, affordability ideas, discussions on what to do about the terror-obsessed Iranian regime, and much more. If you walk around snowy Washington DC, you are likely to bump into some great Oklahomans since there are almost 200 Oklahoma National Guard members who are deployed to assist local law enforcement in the District of Columbia. They have served our nation with distinction and made our state proud once again.
Two weeks ago, I spoke to a large group of Oklahomans in eastern Oklahoma County, before the bad weather blew in, to talk about economic development and our national priorities. CLICK HERE to watch some of my remarks on the ways last year’s passage of the Working Families Tax Cut Act has already helped our state. In a wide-ranging and open conversation, I answered questions about tax policy, energy policy, Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland.
Iran continues to murder thousands of protestors in the streets who are longing for freedom and economic opportunity. The people of Venezuela now have an opportunity to elect their own government while the illegitimate leader Maduro faces justice in a federal court for his more than two decades of drug trafficking into the United States. Just to make it clear again: no, we are not invading Greenland.
There are a multitude of great changes in our tax laws this year that help people who work for tips, work overtime, working senior citizens, own a small business, operate a farm or ranch, school teachers, parents of young children, people who donate to churches or nonprofits and much more. As the year goes on, I will try to highlight some of the specific changes in our tax law that kick in this year since we passed the Working Families Tax Cut Act last year.
Some Good News from FEMA for Oklahoma For years, FEMA has drug their feet after federally declared major storms were declared and the state was certified as eligible for assistance. Recently, we worked directly with the Oklahoma Emergency Management Office to identify a specific list of disaster-related projects to push FEMA to finish their work and get the federal assistance out the door.
I spoke directly with US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem several times to break the logjam of funds at FEMA and secure the more than $20 million that FEMA owes Oklahoma. Secretary Noem called me from her office last week as she was signing the paperwork to tell me that Oklahoma would receive the funding right away.
Disaster funding included a major flood mitigation project in Tulsa County and rebuilding Shawnee Public Schools and Oklahoma School for the Deaf buildings destroyed in past severe weather outbreaks.
The grants I helped move represent a strong federal, state, and local partnership to help us recover and will play a critical role in protecting Oklahoma communities from future flooding.
Shawnee Public Schools will receive more than $1.7 million in federal disaster assistance to replace the Stucker Building at Shawnee High School, which was destroyed by a tornado in April 2023. The funding will support the demolition of the damaged facility and construction of a new, larger building which will include a gym and athletic spaces for wrestling, basketball, and volleyball, along with an expanded safe room.
The Oklahoma School for the Deaf will receive more than $1.2 million in federal funding to repair storm and flood damage to four campus buildings following severe weather in April 2024. Repairs include replacement of damaged roofs, electrical systems, interior finishes, and mechanical equipment. The project also includes the installation of generators to keep sump pumps operating during future storms, helping reduce the risk of repeated flood damage. The project is funded at a 75 percent federal cost share through FEMA’s Public Assistance program.
Approximately $9.5 million in other grants will reimburse the State of Oklahoma, local and tribal governments for costs associated with managing disaster recovery efforts following the 2019, 2020, and 2023 severe weather events.