State of Oklahoma Archives: on Homeland Security
Andrew Rice:
Divest from terrorist states like we divested for apartheid
Q: And how has your voting record reflected your opinions on the war?A: Well, on the war, there’s really no direct vote on the state level. Although somewhat related to it; I had a bill this year that the Republicans blocked. The bill would have had
our state retirement pension plans, the judge retirements, the teacher retirements, all of our big state retirement plans that are invested in mutual funds, that would have forced us to divest our retirements out of mutual funds that invest in countries
that are state sponsors of terrorism. Syria, North Korea, Iran. Our idea is that if they are national security threats, we shouldn’t be economically investing with their governments. And there have been a lot of states that have done these divestment
plans. This is what we did in South Africa during Apartheid; we divested the money out of South Africa until they dealt with ending Apartheid. That bill was stopped. So that would have had somewhat of a direct effect on national security issues.
Source: Judd Morse, Ada Evening News on 2008 Oklahoma Senate Debate
Jul 9, 2008
Chris Powell:
Don't expand the military
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Expand the military"?
A: Oppose.
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate
May 15, 2018
Drew Edmondson:
Services for veterans instead of for corporate donors
"Our legislative leaders still have a chance to set Oklahoma back on solid financial footing to fund education, health care and services for veterans," Edmondson said. "If they aren't willing to stand up to their corporate donors and their
corporate lobbyists and do what's right, I said in July 2017 that as governor, I'll put a plan before the people and let them vote to secure these critical services and put Oklahoma back on track."
Source: Tulsa World on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
Jun 4, 2018
James Inhofe:
Maintain a superior nuclear arsenal
Question topic: The United States must maintain a nuclear arsenal that is safe, reliable, modern and numerically superior to those of potential adversaries.
Inhofe: Strongly Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Oklahoma Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
James Lankford:
National security government's number one priority
National security should be the federal government's number one priority. We should deal with waste in all areas of government, including the military. But, the budget should not drive military strategy, strategy should drive the budget.
Trump prioritized defense and ensured members of the military have the resources needed to fulfill their duties. James has consistently voted to support the President's strategic efforts, including the largest military pay raise in a decade.
Veterans should have the freedom to choose their health provider. When our armed forces risk their lives in service, we should provide our gratitude and the best possible care for them. James voted for the
2018 Mission Act to streamline veteran health care, introduced legislation for greater VA oversight and reforms to veterans' benefits. James will continue to fight for our Military and provide first class support to our Veterans!
Source: 2021 Oklahoma Senate campaign website JamesLankford.com
Jun 21, 2021
Joe Maldonado:
Don't expand the military
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Expand the military"?
A: NO.
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate
May 15, 2018
Jim Bridenstine:
Smart defense reductions; don't jeopardize national security
In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?A: Yes.
Q: Do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
A: No.
Q: Do you support reducing Medicaid spending?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you support reducing
Medicare spending?
A: Yes.
Q: Is balancing the budget a legislative priority?
A: Yes. We must balance our national budget. Our debt is unsustainable, jeopardizing our ability to attract capital needed to expand our economy and create jobs.
Politicians often get re-elected by making promises which can't be kept. However, retired people and those nearing retirement have counted upon these promises.
Therefore, people 55 or older should be protected from benefit reductions. I support smart reductions in defense spending that don't jeopardize national security.
Source: Oklahoma Congressional 2012 Political Courage Test
Oct 30, 2012
Kendra Horn:
In Congress served on the House Armed Services Committee
Kendra served on the House Armed Services Committee. She was the Vice Chair of the Strategic Forces subcommittee, where she focused on strategic and nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, nuclear safety, missile defense, and national security space
policy. She played a leading role in improving housing conditions for our service members and their families and served as a conferee for the National Defense Authorization Acts in 2019 and 2020.
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Senate campaign website KendraHorn.com
Mar 27, 2022
Kevin Stine:
Tighten up defense spending; end use-it-or-lose-it mentality
Stine said he describes himself as to the left on social issues; on fiscal issues, he said he is more conservative. He said he would attempt to tighten up defense spending. After being in the military,
Stine said he remembers that at this time of year every single squadron is spending "ridiculous amounts of money. It's the use-it-or-lose-it mentality."
Source: Medford Mail Tribune on 2016 Oklahoma Senate race
Sep 21, 2015
Madison Horn:
Help veterans receive higher education, skills training
- Guarantee access to medical procedures for our veterans
- Expand the mental health services and assistance we provide our veterans
- Assist in skills training and development aiding in the integration back to civilian life
-
Provide resources to help our veterans receive higher education
- Protect earned benefits by reducing bureaucratic shuffling at the top of the VA
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Senate campaign website MadisonHorn.com
Aug 24, 2022
Markwayne Mullin:
Nation must honor its commitments to veterans
America made commitments to its military and it falls upon all of our shoulders to ensure our nation honors those commitments. My priority has always been to help veterans cut through the bureaucracy at the VA or other federal agencies.
I have held yearly Veteran Town Hall meetings around our district to successfully bring together veterans, their families and available area resources. My office held informational seminars to help veterans understand the newly-enacted VA Choice Program.
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Senate campaign website MullinForCongress.com
Mar 27, 2022
Markwayne Mullin:
Let military do their jobs with every tool available
We must fully support our troops whenever they are sent into harm's way. Our fighting men and women deserve strong, consistent leadership from their Commander in Chief, with clear objectives and a decisive plan for victory.
Our military must be permitted to do the jobs they have been trained to do with every tool available in order to achieve the mission's goals and objectives of defeating America's enemies.
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Senate campaign website MullinForCongress.com
Mar 27, 2022
Matt Silverstein:
Support the strongest, most dominant military in the world
Matt supports the United States having the strongest, most dominant military in the world. He agrees with the Joint Chiefs that we need to modernize the military, stop paying for redundant and antiquated weapons systems, and always make sure our brave
troops always have the best protection.Matt is concerned about military readiness due to inefficiencies and redundancies. This reflects the broken culture in Washington DC of constant conflict as opposed to working together in creative cooperation.
There's no excuse for our military to be inefficient and Matt will work every day to fight for Oklahoma's military installations, which are being devastated by partisanship and gridlock. Partisan finger pointing is obnoxious and it doesn't advance our
collective goal to secure our nation and strengthen Oklahoma's economy with smart investments. Matt believes we need to consolidate redundant programs and zero out ineffective or outdated programs.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattForOklahoma.com, "Issues"
Nov 11, 2013
Mick Cornett:
Praises nonprofits efforts finding housing for homeless vets
Mayor Mick Cornett pitched the virtues of service in Wednesday's State of the City address, highlighting accomplishments of nonprofits that fill gaps in Oklahoma City's social services safety net. Cornett gave credit to
nonprofits' efforts by organizations, including the Homeless Alliance, for finding housing for homeless veterans, and the Humane Society, for turning around dismal euthanasia rates in the animal shelter by helping find homes for stray pets.
Source: The Oklahoman on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
Jan 13, 2016
Nathan Dahm:
Revitalize Oklahoma militia to protect its citizens
Dahm filed Senate Bill 1251 to revitalize the Oklahoma militia and provide greater protection for the citizens of Oklahoma. The bill states local guard units can be voluntarily funded and supplied, and that individuals may be required to use privately
owned semi-automatic weapons if mustered into service. "State guards and militias have a rich history in our nation dating back to the Minutemen of times past," Dahm said. "They were necessary in 1776, and they are necessary today."
Source: State Senate press release on 2022 Oklahoma U.S. Senate race
Jan 12, 2022
T.W. Shannon:
Fight socialism; rebuild our military; stand up to China
[On political philosophy]: "The people of Oklahoma owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Inhofe for his lifetime of service to Oklahoma families and protecting American freedoms," Holland said in a statement. "As your next senator,
I will continue the Inhofe legacy of defending our Christian values, fighting socialism, rebuilding our military and standing up to China."
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 25, 2022
Abby Broyles:
Invest in service members; fully fund military bases
Abby will fight to keep our military bases fully funded and to guarantee the safety and protection of the United States. Congress has balanced their budget by shortchanging our service members. Reduced pay raises and cuts to benefits are not only
disrespectful but also unsustainable. Abby will work to ensure that we as a nation invest in our service members and their families. She will fight to keep our military bases fully funded and to guarantee the safety and protection of the United States.
Source: 2020 Oklahoma Senate campaign website AbbyBroyles.com
Jul 26, 2020
Markwayne Mullin:
Hegseth qualifies as SecDef because he's a civilian
Q: On Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth...MULLIN: Pete is qualified to be the SecDef.
Q: What makes him qualified? What makes him qualified?
MULLIN: He is a civilian--this is a civilian role. First of all, SecDef is a civilian position.
Q: Well, I'm a civilian. I'm not qualified.
MULLIN: Exactly. No, no, but let me get to it. He's a civilian, which that first is the only qualification that the SecDef has to have. Now, if you want to go more than that, he also served honorably in the
service for 20 years and is a decorative combat veteran. He retired as a major. He's had a successful career since then. He can articulate what needs to be done and he knows the system. Now, outside of that, what other qualifications does it say that a
SecDef has to have?
Q: It's not about what the actual letter of the law is. It's who is appropriate. I hear you that Donald Trump did say he wanted to put people in to be disrupters.
MULLIN: That's right.
Source: CNN SOTU 2024 interview on 2026 Oklahoma Senate race
Nov 24, 2024
Markwayne Mullin:
Record numbers of new recruits since Trump's in office
We've had record numbers of new recruits coming in the service since President Trump has taken office. The morale is through the roof because people are finally saying, "President Trump has taken the fight to our enemies rather than sitting back and
apologizing and focus more on DEI than actual lethality," which is what our service members want to do. They want to sign up for what they did, protect American rights, and go after those enemies that want to come and harm Americans.
Source: Meet the Press on 2026 Oklahoma Senate race
Mar 30, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026