Senator Lankford Continues to Call for Responsible Spending

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement today on his opposition to the Senate vote to reconsider the Conference Report for the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which includes $1.1 billion in additional debt spending to address the Zika virus:

“I continue to support the underlying policy in the Military Construction and Veterans Appropriations bill, but I cannot support the attached Zika deficit-spending masked as emergency spending,” said Lankford. “We can protect our children and their future by responsibly using already appropriated money to support the US response to the Zika virus, and not add to the national debt. If we can pay for a program without adding more debt, why wouldn’t we?”

On May 18, Lankford offered an amendment to the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that would fully fund a US response to Zika with unused and unobligated money already budgeted, rather than spending new money. On May 12, Senator Lankford delivered a speech on the Senate floor to urge Congress to prioritize spending with already-appropriated funding for a Zika response. Lankford also wrote an op-ed on May 10 about the importance of prioritizing spending. Lankford also delivered a floor speech on this issue.

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