13-02-2025
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford releases ‘Playbook for DOGE'
U.S. Senator James Lankford and Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Chair Teresa Rose discuss the senator's expectations and priorities under an incoming Donald Trump administration during the chamber's annual D.C. Spotlight event, Dec. 6 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. (Photo by Lionel Ramos/KOSU)
Oklahoma's senior U.S. Senator James Lankford has released what he calls a 'Playbook for DOGE,' the Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk. It's the latest in a series of annual 'Federal Fumbles' reports Lankford has released since 2015.
'As a founding member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, my goal is to create a roadmap for DOGE, identifying key areas within the federal government and solutions to fix them,' Lankford said in the report.
Lankford released the 26-page football-themed document exclusively to Fox News. In it, he highlights improper payments in Medicaid, SNAP benefits and unemployment insurance.
Lankford also claims 'the Taliban have directly received nearly $11 million in American taxpayer dollars' from USAID since 2021. The report he references from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction finds the Taliban-controlled Afghan government collected that much money in taxes, fees and duties from non-governmental organizations receiving U.S. funds.
Like that finding, many of the improper payments Lankford cites were uncovered by federal inspectors general — watchdogs for agency impropriety or wrongdoing. President Donald Trump fired around a quarter of all federal inspectors general by email last week. Some of the firings are already being challenged in court for potentially violating laws that protect those inspectors from retaliation for their investigations.
Lankford's playbook also calls out environmental regulation for keeping the U.S. 'behind in the rankings.' He highlights the U.S.'s lengthy permitting process for new mining operations and includes two different sections on a stalled plan to install electric vehicle chargers along the nation's interstates.
Lankford also excoriates the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives money from Congress and distributes funds to NPR and PBS stations, for 'undercutting the home team.'
'Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for news that harms the reputation of our country,' Lankford said.
Lankford isn't the only Oklahoma politician hoping to influence DOGE's actions. Gov. Kevin Stitt recently announced DOGE-OK to pare back government spending at the state level. Stitt said that's also intended to work as a playbook for Musk as he looks for ways to cut federal funds for states.
'My theory is we need to help him with that,' Stitt said at a press briefing Wednesday. 'We need to say, 'Okay, Elon, if you're going to cut 10% of what you're giving to the state of Oklahoma, here's the scalpel approach. Here's how we think we can do it efficiently.''
This article was originally published by KOSU.
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