Good morning. It is time for our monthly discussion with Oklahoma Senior Senator Senator
James Langford calling in from Washington. Good morning, Senator, how are you
today? I'm well, actually, good morning, good morning. Well,
what's going on in Washington right now, sir? Drama is happening in Washington,
which normally happens at Washington. So this is a week that is obvious
we're approaching an election based on what Chuck Schumer is putting on the floor in
the Senate. So a couple of things that are happening internationally. We've got
obviously the D Day recognition, that's today the eightieth anniversary of D Day happening
internationally, but yesterday there wasn't a recognition of that in the Senate. Chuck
Schumer put in his fake contraceptive bill on the floor of the Senate to try
to say that all Republicans are opposed to contraceptives, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Put a bill saying there's a right to contraceptive But he also secretly included into
this same bill that none of the media is talking about, that every state
that doesn't allow transgender surgeries for minors would have to get rid of it,
so that our states which is determined, hey, you can't do sex change
operations on a fourteen year old. You've got to wait till you're an adult
to be able to make to be able to have a lifelong, life changing
decision like that. That would be reversed in the state of Oklahoma. They
also put in there, for the first time ever, a repeal of what's
called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that would say, hey, this mandate is
coming down into regardless of your faith, you can't Your faith doesn't matter on
this one. The government's faith matters on this one. And so there's a
reason that Republicans voted against this bill because of the very toxic text that was
included within it. So it's a drama week, as many of these weeks
are leading up to an election. Absolutely well, it certainly is. There's
never the shortage of drama at the Capital. I do know that one other
things, Senator, so that I'm aware of that, you also joined with
colleagues from both sides of the aisle. This was the Congressional Review Act resolution
of disapproval related to nursing homes. What was that all about, Senator?
It's correct, So the administration is saying that, hey, we want to
improve the quality of nursing homes across the country, which there's no problem with
that. Everyone wants to be able to see that. But the way they're
doing it is to say we're going to mandate a lot of additional nurses be
hired at every single nursing home and that if you don't have that, we're
going to close you down or we're going to not allow you, and they
created this new standard. The problem again, no problem having nurses at nursing
homes. That is, long term care facilities are common for having lots of
nurses that are there. The issue is for rural areas where they don't have
the number this high number that they want to have. It's not based on
the fact they don't want to They literally don't have that many people living in
a rural area to do it, or it would cause people to be taken
from a rural hospital to be able to come to a long term care facility
and in the hospital wouldn't have the right amount. So they're not creating the
flexibility that's needed between urban and rural facilities just because they literally don't have the
population, which I believe is going to cause the closure of a lot of
our rural facilities, and we cannot have that. Those families can't drive long
distances to be able to be with loved ones. But we're pushing back on
them. We've got this Congressional Review Act saying we all want better care and
the best quality care and long term care facilities. So do the leadership and
the people and the staff that work in these facilities. But we can't.
It's an unrealistic expectation and not pay attention to the realities in rural America.
And with that in mind, that would certainly impact several facilities here in our
home state of Oklahoma. Is that correct? It absolutely would, and that
has been the issue. I've talked to several folks that work and serve and
long term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and others, and they're saying,
hey, this all sounds great, except realistically, there's literally not enough
people to do that to be able to accomplish it. So everyone wants to
increase care, everyone wants to be able to take care of folks, and
there's all kinds of ways that are doing it. But when bureaucrats said an
unrealistic expectation that can't be met. The natural result of that is closure of
facilities, which makes the situation worse, not better. Absolutely absolutely, Well
other things say in Washington as well as we all know, President Biden recently
issued an executive order related to the southern border. Talk a bit about that
and what your thoughts are on the administration's actions or lack of action, and
what solutions we need to be continuing to look forward to moving forward. Yeah,
Oklahomans, well know, this is an issue I've worked on for years,
will continue to pound away on because this is a real national security issue.
The people that are crossing our border now a very high percentage are coming
in from the Middle East, are coming from Russia, from China, from
West Africa, from Pakistan. These are not just folks that are coming from
Guatemala, Honduras, Nel Salvador anymore. It's dramatically changed of who's coming across
the border because these criminal organizations are working to make money by pushing more and
more people at greater and greater costs to get in the country. So I'm
going to work with whoever wants to solve the problem in any way that we
can solve the problem because this is a major national security risk saying that.
But President Biden put out this week was this statement that if hey, we've
got a big crowd of people coming over, then then I'll step up and
try to do something. And what he's doing he knows the courts will not
allow him to do. And so this is more drama and show than anything
else. I went to the floor the Senate yesterday actually laid out here are
the things that Biden could do that we know the court will allow. Things
that he undid. The Trump administration did things even the President Obama did that
President Biden refuses to do. Things like Romanian Mexico. That was a policy
that absolutely worked, limiting the use of parole coming across. The Biden administration
could do that today and it would cut twenty five hundred people from crossing the
border today if he just did that one policy. That's something President Obama did
and President Trump did. We know the courts will allow that. Biden still
refuses to do. And even in his fake executive action that he's putting out
there, that doesn't include any of those things. So that there are ways
to be able to cut the numbers significantly through executive action that he can do.
He's just choosing not to do those things and try to pretend he's doing
something different. We are having our monthly conversation with Oklahoma Senator James Langford.
Sorry stumbled on that. I apologize. But one thing on this day that
we are recording this podcast today is the eightieth anniversary of D Day in Normandy.
Several heroic Americans as well as our allies went and fought during that timeframe.
What are your thoughts here on today again being the eightieth anniversary of the
D Day landing. We still have some folks from World War Two that are
alive, and we're grateful to that generation that gave so much so the entire
world that could have freedom. I was there on the seventy fifth anniversary of
D Day and sat there during that ceremony and reflected on the sacrifice that Americans
have given. There is a large cemetery that is there, and you look
across edge and you see all the lives that were lost right there in that
area, and you realize Americans went across the world and paid the price for
freedom in that generation that has kept us free. And it is a remarkable
thing to be able to see and to experience, to be able to be
there. But it's also a reminder that there are real dangers and threats in
the world. I wish there were not that generation certainly wish that there were
not, but there are. There are people that are evil, that are
trying to do evil things, and they're trying to disrupt the world. We're
experiencing their right now in Israel obviously as they've seen terrorists come across we have
experienced that as a nation with terrorist attacks. Ukraine is experiencing that right now.
We understand that there are real threats that are out there and men and
women that put their lives on the line to be able to protect freedom.
It is a remarkable sacrifice for generations and for people around them. So it's
up to day to remember, the day to reflect, but it's also a
day to be grateful for the freedoms that we have and sacrifices that have been
made the past, and a fitting tribute for our city here, Bartlesville,
just as past Monday we were named a Purple Heart city, so that it's
a very fitting timing, I believe, for our support here locally of our
veterans and of course those who have served our country and have been wounded in
that as well. Well. Your final thoughts here, Senator, as we
wrap up our monthly conversation with you. Final thoughts today, well, I
would say, continue to be able to pray for the nation, continue to
be able to do the work that thinks as far as serving our neighbors.
Will feel helpless at times saying Washington, DC has all kinds of problems.
The way to be able to express that is to be able to serve locally
and to be able to make a difference, to take the energy and the
frustration what's happening nationally and say how can I actually make our communities even better?
There are plenty of ways to do that. Obviously, There's lots of
folks still cleaning up from storm debris and damage in Bartlesville, Barnes, Doll
clear more in other places. There are other communities and nonprofits that just need
an additional hand to be able to step in. So finding a way to
be able to serve locally affects who we are as a nation, and it's
a good gift, and we'll continue the work we can nationally as well.
Oklahoma Senator James Langford on our monthly podcast right here on Bartlesvielle Radio. Senator,
thank you for your time. Thank you,