Lankford Opposes Funding Bill, States It Does Not Address National Security Risks and Funds Hospitals That Perform Late-Term Abortion

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today issued a statement after the Senate voted on the final six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills, which include funding for Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs:

“This monster bill has some important policy elements, including a much-deserved raise for our military, mission-critical funding for national defense, and school choice. But with the good, there is some ugly. I have to make hard decisions on every bipartisan agreement and weigh the good and the bad. This is not a bill I can support.

“For over a year I have sounded the alarm about the number of Special Interest Aliens that are designated as a national security risk that are released into the interior of our nation by the Biden Administration with zero oversight. DHS has no idea where the Special Interest Aliens are located or who they are connecting with. We must do something now to protect our national security.

“The bill also egregiously funds hospitals that perform late-term abortions. I know many Americans disagree on the issue of life, but it is past time that at five months of pregnancy, we recognize a child is viable and should be given the opportunity of life. Federal taxpayer dollars should not support facilities that perform late-term abortions.”

Lankford offered amendments to the budget bill to end the release of Special Interest Aliens and withhold funding for late-term abortion facilities. The first would have prohibited funding for the release of “Special Interest Aliens” from federal custody until their case has been fully adjudicated, and the second amendment would strike earmarks that provide funding to hospitals that provide late-term abortions up to 22 weeks, which both amendments failed. Lankford spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the vote on why he’s opposed to the earmarks.

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