03-07-2025
Oklahoma senators support the 'big beautiful bill', representatives at the ready for vote
The 'big, beautiful bill' passed the Senate with a 51-50 tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. The bill received support from all but three Republicans, and the most crucial vote was from the vice president.
Now that the bill has passed in the Senate, it will return to the House of Representatives for one more vote before being presented to President Donald Trump.
The bill has undergone some changes between the two chambers, which is typical of the legislative process.
When the House of Representatives voted in May, the bill passed with a vote of 215-214, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. Oklahoma representatives and senators have supported this bill in both stages of its vote.
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Oklahoma's legislators have been vocal about their support for the bill. Once the vote came to a close, Senators Markwayne Mullin and James Lankford both expressed support for the bill and still hope to meet the deadline.
Here's what Oklahoma senators had to say after the tight vote was called, as well as what some representatives hinted at regarding their stance on the upcoming House vote.
Senators Markwayne Mullin and James Lankford, both R-Oklahoma, voted in support of the bill. Lankford went further to speak on Fox News regarding the vote count in the Senate. Lankford called the bill a 'big beautiful win for Oklahoma families, workers, seniors and small businesses.'
He stated that the values of Oklahoma are reflected in the bill, including the protection of charitable giving, support for energy jobs, and making it easier for businesses to grow with American workers.
'This one big beautiful bill is all about one thing: How do we stop the largest tax increase in history? Democrats are doing everything they can to try to keep tax rates from staying where they are,' Lankford said on Monday morning.
Senator Mullin alluded to the promises that were made by Trump and promises that Mullin intends to keep with the passage of the bill.
In May, all Oklahoma representatives unanimously supported the bill, which could lead to significant changes for Oklahomans in food stamps, border security, and taxes. As of July 2, most representatives still appear to support the bill in its current form.
Alongside Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, stated the two had just spoken with the president about how to get the bill past the finish line.
The bill aims to be finished and passed in the House before the holiday, and Bice said they'll 'see how the day progresses, but hopefully we'll have this wrapped up by the end of the day.'
The two described themselves as 'key allies' for the bill, and Johnson pushed that he thinks 'we're going to get it done.'
Similarly Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, stated that Trump's leadership was instrumental in getting the bill to this point and said, despite delays, 'we will pass this bill and send it to his desk this week.'
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Oklahoma, has not made a statement publicly since the bill's passage on July 1. Before the near tiebreaking vote, he posted that "we cannot let the big government spenders, foreign companies, and their lobbyists win and further burden families and endanger our grid by continuing the Green New Scam."
"Unless the Senate corrects this and reverts back to the financially responsible framework the House voted for, it will mean a loss for Americans: more debt driving up inflation and interest rates, more broken promises, more lack of courage to do the right thing," Brecheen stated.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma lawmakers praise 'big beautiful bill' as it returns to House
