Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
04.29.22
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and their colleagues to send a letter to Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Karen Gibson to share their concerns about the Senate’s ongoing contract with Citibank (Citi) to provide Senate office credit cards after the bank sent a letter on March 15 to their shareholders indicating they plan to finance abortion tourism. Joining Lankford and Daines in sending the letter were Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mike Braun (R-IN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Rick Scott (R-FL)
The Senators said in their letter, “Consistent with nearly five decades of federal policy against using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions, taxpayer dollars used by the US Senate should not be administered through a company that facilitates abortion on demand and promotes a woke, pro-abortion agenda. Accordingly, we ask that you immediately terminate the US Senate’s existing contracts with Citi and refrain from entering into any new contractual agreements with Citi.”
As the Senate’s most pro-life member, Lankford has been a leading voice for the protection of life. He spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of protecting life in the womb ahead of the 49th annual March for Life. Lankford has been vocal in his support of the State of Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which presents the Supreme Court with the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. He joined an amicus brief signed by more than 220 Members of Congress supporting the state of Mississippi in Dobbs. Lankford released two episodes of a four-part series on his podcast, The Breakdown with James Lankford, highlighting the science behind life in the womb and the stories behind the pro-life movement.
Lankford pushed back on the Biden Administration’s rule to allow taxpayer funded abortions. He successfully saved the long-standing Hyde and Weldon Amendments, which prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions and abortion-related discrimination against health care workers, including insurers. Lankford received an A+ score on the latest Susan B. Anthony List National Pro-Life Scorecard, a tool for holding members of Congress accountable for their legislative records on life and highlighting leadership in the fight to protect unborn children and their mothers.
Lankford is Chair of the Senate Values Action Team, which advocates for issues including life and conscience protections, as well as a member of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus.
The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Sergeant Gibson:
We wish to express our deep concern about the US Senate’s contractual relationship with Citibank, a subsidiary of Citigroup, Inc. (Citi), following Citi’s recent announcement that it would pay for its employees to travel out of state for abortions. As you know, your office furnishes Citi credit cards to the offices of every member of the US Senate, the offices of Leadership and Committees, and Officers of the Senate to pay for flights, office supplies, and other goods using taxpayer funds.
On March 15, Citi sent a letter to stakeholders stating that “[i]n response to changes in reproductive health care laws [regarding abortion] in certain states in the US, beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources.” In other words, Citi is now paying for its employees to travel to obtain abortions out-of-State that are illegal in the employees’ State. Citi’s decision to finance abortion tourism for its employees in brazen circumvention of State law, shows a reckless disregard for the lives of preborn children and disdain for the will of the people of the States in which Citi acts as an employer.
Consistent with nearly five decades of federal policy against using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions, taxpayer dollars used by the US Senate should not be administered through a company that facilitates abortion on demand and promotes a woke, pro-abortion agenda. Accordingly, we ask that you immediately terminate the US Senate’s existing contracts with Citi and refrain from entering into any new contractual agreements with Citi.
We look forward to your timely response to our request.
Regards,
###