Yesterday, Congressman Russell (OK-5) joined with fellow combat veteran Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-19) in introducing the “Protecting Our Security Through Utilizing Right-Sized End-Strength Act of 2016,’’ or the ‘‘POSTURE Act.” The POSTURE Act would stop the military drawdown for the Army, Marine Corps, National Guard, and the Army Reserves and would increase our troop levels, possibly by more than 250,000 troops. Recently, the President unveiled his Fiscal Year 2017 budget, which included rou...
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Today, Congressman Steve Russell has announced that he will be holding five town hall meetings during the third week of February. All five events are open to the public. The Congressman will be available to the press immediately prior to and following each Town Hall. Monday, February 15 OKC Town Hall Meeting at Noon Sunbeam Family Services Training Room 1100 NW 14th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73106 Edmond Town Hall Meeting at 6:00 pm Edmond Multipurpose Activity Center Senior Center 2733 Marilyn W...
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Today, Representatives Steve Russell (R-OK) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced a bill to make sure military retirees have fair access to jobs with the Department of Defense. Under current law, servicemembers who retire have to wait 180 days before even applying for civilian jobs at military facilities like Tinker Air Force Base. Every year since 2001, the President has issued a waiver to lift this hiring rule; however, recent years have seen substantial uncertainty as to whether this would occur...
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A single serving of pasta cooked with North Carolina tap water in the home of a sick baby contained more lead than a dime-sized paint chip. An increase in spontaneous abortions and miscarriages was tied to undisclosed lead in the Washington, D.C.’s drinking water. And tap water at an Ohio mobile home community was found to have three times the allowable lead levels for months before residents were informed. As members of Congress scramble to address the lead-tainted water in Flint, Mich., the na...
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After the US House of Representatives approved a Republican-led bill to give Congress more oversight over implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, and after President Barack Obama vowed to veto the legislation should it pass the Senate and reach his desk, the bill’s author maintains the substance of his measure is already in line with promises the president made when selling the deal. The Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, which is authored by Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK) and which passed the Ho...
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Del City, OK – Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5) joined the family of Robert Kalsu, United States Post Office officials, as well as Del City leaders to dedicate the renaming of the Del City Post office, the James Robert Kalsu Post Office. Bob Kalsu, as he was known, was a Second Lieutenant in the US Army, and was killed in action on July 21, 1970 in Vietnam. Before heading overseas to serve his country, Bob Kalsu was an All-American Offensive Tackle for the University of Oklahoma, was selected by...
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President Obama is opening up about his proposal to add a $10 per barrel oil tax when he presents his budget to congress next week. "It's right to do it right now when gas prices are low," he said at the White House on Friday. "They'll be low for quite some time to come." The plan, which would be phased in over a five-year period, would generate $20 billion a year. "Some of that revenue can be used for transportation and some of the revenue for investments in basic research needed for the energy...
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Today, Congressman Russell voted in favor of H.R. 766 – The Financial Institution Customer Protection Act – which passed by a bipartisan vote of 250-169. H.R. 766 is a direct response to Operation Choke Point, which was initiated by President Obama and the Justice Department (DOJ) in 2013. Operation Choke Point was supposed to prevent those who commit fraud from accessing consumer bank accounts, but like so many of the administrations executive and agency actions, it became another way to circum...
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Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5) will be joined by Del City leaders, Oklahoma USPS officials, and members of the Kalsu family for the dedication of the newly named James Robert Kalsu Post Office in Del City. At the end of the public ceremony, they will unveil the plaque bearing the Kalsu name before transporting it to the nearby Del City Post Office, where it will be displayed prominently. A reception will follow the ceremony. Kalsu, a graduate of Del City High School, was a standout football p...
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Tonight, H.R. 3662 – The Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, authored by Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5), passed by a bipartisan vote of 246-181. Congressman Russell spoke about its passage, saying: “The President has repeatedly said that violators on the terror and human rights sanctions lists would not gain relief due to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear deal. We agree. All this bill does is ask for justifications from the administration for why more th...
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