Baby bills: Oklahoma’s two U.S. senators, Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, signed off on proposed legislation that would allow pregnant women to claim child support payments.
“Dads need to step up and provide for their kids. Period. Our bill helps moms in every state have access to child support throughout the entirety of their children’s lives, not just after they are born,” Lankford said in a press release.
The bill would require states to enforce court-ordered child support payments, which could be retroactive to the first month of pregnancy. Payments could not be awarded without the woman’s consent.
Health care: Health savings accounts, less paperwork and pricing transparency are the keys to cheaper, better health care, according to a House Republicans report that 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern helped draft.
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Writing for the The Daily Signal, a website owned by the Heritage Foundation, Hern and two other House members said: “Americans deserve to know the cost of health care before they receive it. But in several areas throughout the country, unhealthy levels of consolidation among hospitals and health plans have left patients with only one choice. That leads to rising prices, lower quality of care, and worse long-term health outcomes.
“To address that, Republicans will identify and eliminate payment incentives and billing practices that reward harmful consolidation in the health care system and increase costs for patients. Congress must also repeal the laws that prevent medical providers from opening and operating new facilities to increase competition and give patients more options for their care.”
Oiled up: Inhofe and Lankford also signed onto Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s bill to stop oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve from finding its way to China.
Republicans have been dismissive of President Joe Biden’s decision to sell a million barrels a day from the reserve in an attempt to lower oil prices and thus fuel prices. The oil is sold at auction to the highest bidder, and, according to reports, some of it has ultimately been exported to Europe and China.
Experts consulted by FactCheck.org said the global nature of oil markets makes foreign transfers of oil insignificant to pricing and that the amount reaching China appears to be relatively small, but Republicans are outraged nonetheless.
Inhofe said it is “irresponsible” to allow U.S. oil to reach China, which he referred to as an adversary and “our greatest threat.”
Lankford said Biden is “outrageously selling our emergency oil supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to nations like China. This is absolutely unacceptable. We should help American families afford gas and groceries by increasing domestic production, rather than handing over our emergency reserves to bad-actor nations.”
Oil and fuel prices have declined over the past several weeks, although it is unclear whether Biden’s use of the strategic reserve is a factor.
China, meanwhile, is reportedly buying record amounts of oil from Russia.
Unchained melody: As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a business owner, 2nd District Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Markwayne Mullin figures he knows a few things about disruptions in supply chains.
Last week he addressed weaknesses in the United States’ access to pharmaceutical and rare earth minerals by calling for federal action to increase domestic production.
Specifically, he and Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig filed legislation creating incentives for stateside manufacturers of certain drugs, and Mullin separately called for loosening of mining regulations.
“Electric vehicles need batteries, and batteries require critical minerals,” he said. “While we may know what minerals to look for and often where to look, it takes 10 years to permit a mine in the U.S. with (the) current approval process. For this reason, the U.S. remains 100% dependent on imports for 17 key mineral resources and 50% dependent on imports for another 29 mineral commodities from China.”
Transgender law: Lankford was one of the Republican senators filing legislation to allow “individuals who suffered experimental and potentially sterilizing gender-transition procedures as minors” to later sue those providing the services.
“These procedures are life-altering, lack medical justification, and can cause irreversible side-effects. When kids as young as 11 are victims of experimental medicine in a woke culture, they need the ability decades from now to challenge their doctor’s actions,” Lankford said.
Last week, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health said hormonal treatments are appropriate in some cases for teens as young as 14. It said some reassignment surgery is appropriate for some patients as young as 15.
“Certainly there are adolescents that do not have the emotional or cognitive maturity to make an informed decision,” said Dr. Eli Coleman, chair of the organization’s standards of care and director of the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Human Sexuality Program. “That is why we recommend a careful multidisciplinary assessment.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, about one in four people who identify as transgender or nonbinary have undergone reassignment surgery, with most reporting satisfaction with the results.
Carbonation: Third District Congressman Frank Lucas, in line to chair the Science, Space and Technology Committee if Republicans get control of the House next year, is all in for carbon sequestration.
Lucas is a sponsor of legislation that would require federal research into absorbing carbon emissions through land use — i.e., plants.
“As a farmer and rancher, I’m well aware of how sound land use practices can conserve resources and improve our environment,” Lucas said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. “We need an all-of-the-above approach to addressing climate change — one that makes use of our many resources.
“Research and development into innovative solutions like this will be what drives our success in greenhouse gas reductions — not restrictive mandates that raise prices on American families.”
Dots and dashes: Hern cast one of the 101 “no” votes on last week’s National Defense Authorization Act. The state’s other four members voted “aye.” … House Democrats blocked a Republican resolution, backed by 4th District Congressman Tom Cole, proposing a constitutional amendment to permanently set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. … Inhofe was among a dozen senators complaining that the U.S. Agency for International Development is not distributing humanitarian aid to Ukrainians fast enough. … Lankford voted against confirmation of Steven Dettelbach to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. … Farm state Republican senators, including Inhofe, complained that Biden administration trade policies have “weakened American farmers and ranchers.” … The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma received a $2 million U.S. Commerce Department grant to help tribes assess their broadband needs. … Fifth District Congesswoman Stephanie Bice sponsored legislation to expand the nation’s network of Mesonet weather reporting stations. … Lankford is spending the weekend on the Texas-Mexico border.
— Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World
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The executive order was filed July 11 with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office.
