James Lankford was born in Dallas, Texas, and earned a master's degree in divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before entering politics, he spent seventeen years as the director of a Baptist youth camp in Oklahoma, one of the largest Christian youth camps in the country. Lankford was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and then to the U.S. Senate in 2014, where he has served since.
Lankford serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and has been the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He is known for his work on government efficiency, religious liberty, and border security, and attracted national attention for co-authoring a bipartisan border deal in 2024. Lankford has also been active on issues related to federal spending transparency and oversight of executive branch agencies.
- Senate Committee on Finance
- Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure — Chairman
- Subcommittee on Health Care
- Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Subcommittee on Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
- Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs — Chairman
- Senate Select Committee on Ethics — Chairman
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
- S. 5667: A bill to withhold birthright citizenship from individuals born in a United States territory to a mother who is not lawfully present and a father who is not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident. — Introduced
- S. 5573: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide that educational programs classified as Theology and Religious Vocations or Philosophy and Religious Studies at educational institutions that qualify for the religious exemption under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 are not subject to ineligibility for title IV assistance based on low earning outcomes. — Introduced
- SRES. 912: A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment and its enduring legacy of saving the lives of more than 2,600,000 unborn children and respecting the conscience rights of the American people. — Introduced
- SRES. 915: A resolution recognizing the nationwide impact of Prison Fellowship on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. — Introduced
- S. 5562: A bill to develop and deploy firewall circumvention tools for the people of Hong Kong after the People's Republic of China violated its agreement under the Joint Declaration, and for other purposes. — Introduced