I will continue to fight the right way to ensure our government doesn’t tie the hands of businesses with over – regulation and unnecessary federal spending but empowers Oklahoma’s small businesses by removing government red tape so they can serve their communities and employees.
James Lankford will continue fighting to reduce federal overregulation, unnecessary federal spending, and red tape for Oklahoma small businesses.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congress.gov lists Sen. James Lankford as sponsor, shows the bill became Public Law No. 118-9 on July 25, 2023, and summarizes it as requiring federal proposed-rule notices to link to a plain-language summary of 100 words or fewer on regulations.gov.
Congress.gov lists S.839 as introduced by Sen. John Thune for himself and Sen. Lankford on March 16, 2023; it required regulatory impact analysis before significant rules, including effects on different types and sizes of businesses, but its only action was referral to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Congress.gov lists Sen. Lankford as sponsor of S.1615, introduced May 16, 2023, to improve agency rulemaking; the latest action was referral to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, with status Introduced.
Congress.gov text lists Sen. Lankford among the senators for whom S.485 was introduced; the bill would require major executive-branch rules to have no force or effect unless Congress enacted a joint resolution of approval. Congress.gov shows it was read twice and referred to committee on February 6, 2025.
Congress.gov lists Sen. Lankford as sponsor of S.392, introduced February 13, 2023, to ensure bonds used to finance professional stadiums are not treated as tax-exempt bonds; its only action was referral to the Senate Finance Committee.
The bill text shows Sen. Lankford introduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026 to create automatic continuing appropriations during a funding lapse and to impose procedures and consequences for failure to enact appropriations.
Lankford said he fought to make full, immediate expensing permanent so businesses can deduct equipment and technology costs up front, and the event framed that tax change as helping small business investment and expansion.
Lankford's official press releases index shows the most recent entries dated May 21–22, 2026 (Prevent Government Shutdowns Act materials). There are no new press releases or listed office announcements dated May 24–26, 2026.
On May 21, 2026 Senator Lankford reintroduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026 (bipartisan Senate sponsors listed and a House companion). The release describes the bill's automatic continuing-resolution mechanism and lists supporting organizations.
Assessments
The promise is a broad pledge to “continue fighting” against overregulation, unnecessary spending, and red tape. Evidence shows sustained, concrete legislative activity while Lankford has been in office: he sponsored and helped pass S.111 (Public Law No. 118-9, 2023) requiring plain-language summaries of proposed rules (a narrow regulatory-transparency win that reduces red tape), supported tax changes framed as making full immediate expensing permanent that benefit small-business investment, and introduced/reintroduced multiple regulatory- and spending-related bills (e.g., S.485, S.1615, S.839, S.392) and the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026. However, several broader regulatory- and spending-reduction proposals remain unpassed, so the overall promise — which implies broad reductions in overregulation and unnecessary federal spending — has not been fully achieved. That pattern (enacted targeted reforms + ongoing but unsuccessful larger proposals) supports partial credit; timing of actions and the enacted item(s) all occurred during his Senate term.
Lankford made repeated same-term federal efforts on overregulation, spending, and red tape, including sponsoring or backing regulatory reform bills and anti-spending measures. He also delivered narrower enacted outcomes, especially the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act of 2023, which improved regulatory transparency, and a small-business tax provision framed as helping investment. However, the broad promise was to continue fighting to reduce overregulation, unnecessary federal spending, and red tape for Oklahoma small businesses; most major regulatory and spending-reduction proposals cited were introduced or referred to committee rather than enacted. The record supports meaningful activity and some narrow wins, but not full delivery of the broad promised outcome.
Lankford fulfilled part of the promise by sponsoring S.111, which became Public Law 118-9 on July 25, 2023 and added plain-language transparency requirements for proposed federal rules. That is a narrow red-tape/regulatory-transparency result, not a broad reduction in federal overregulation or unnecessary spending. His other cited regulatory and spending bills, including S.839, S.1615, S.392, and S.485, show continued legislative effort but had not been enacted based on the available status evidence.