James Lankford

  • Your federal retirement benefits would be safer if the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 becomes law. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is one of the sponsors along with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). Lankford is also chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management. He explained to In Depth at Francis Rose what the bill will do.

    October 13, 2015
  • Agencies spend more on contracts in September than any other month of the year, as part of a governmentwide push to spend every last dollar before the fiscal year ends.

    September 30, 2015
  • Sens. James Lankford's (R-Okla.) and Heidi Heitkamp's (D-N.D.) retirement fraud reduction bill made it through the Senate on Wednesday. The bill criminalizes misusing federal retirement funds as a felony.

    August 07, 2015
  • Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) will introduce the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 Monday. Under the bill, attorneys would have authority to prosecute representatives and caretakers who steal funds from retirees.

    June 15, 2015
  • With all the focus on the OPM cyber breach, let\'s not overlook the simple fact that despite what some would call urgent and compelling needs, the government has rules and regulations that still need to be followed.

    June 15, 2015
  • Fewer than half of the Senior Executive Service members who responded to an exclusive Federal News Radio online survey say they would join today. The survey results were even more dim for federal employees at the GS-15 and GS-14 ranks. In the first of our four-part special report, Fixing the SES, we examine how current senior execs feel about the SES, and what they believe is right and wrong with the service.

    February 09, 2015
  • HHS and CMS cyber officials tell House lawmakers the Affordable Care Act portal is meeting or exceeding industry best practices for information assurance.

    January 17, 2014
  • The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is consolidating two subcommittees that oversee major agency functions, such as procurement and technology, into a new panel. No news yet on who will be the ranking members.

    January 02, 2013
  • A House bill designed to reduce government redundancy by requiring agencies to provide detailed reports about the programs they operate will cost about $100 million for agencies to implement, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. The Taxpayers Right to Know Act, introduced by Rep. James Lankford, would required agencies to publicly post detailed information about each of the program they operate, including costs and the number of employee dedicated to them.

    July 06, 2012
  • Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said the acquisition workforce is most important to improving how the government buys goods and services. He said with 55 percent of the current workforce eligible to retire by 2018, agencies and Congress have to work together to figure out how best to train and equip these employees to be successful.

    June 13, 2012
  • Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has cosponsored two pieces of legislation that target duplication of government services, both in the legislative and executive branches.

    May 08, 2012
  • Dr. Sonja Batten, deputy chief for specialty mental health, Veterans Affairs Department, discusses the VA's plans to hire 2,000 mental health professionals and support staff. Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) talks about two bills aimed at reducing the number of duplicative government programs.

    May 08, 2012
  • The chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform said agencies need to do more to train new employees to make the best decisions. Lankford said the turnover in the workforce and the lack of consistent training for the new employees is a major concern for the subcommittee.

    November 01, 2011
  • Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said he will hold hearings to see how to make the federal grant process more transparent. The administration merged two existing boards into a new Council on Financial Assistance Reform to improve the grant-making process. HHS awarded a $32.4 million contract for IT services for grants.gov portal.

    October 31, 2011