Oklahoma Officials React To Biden Dropping Out Of Race
President Joe Biden’s decision to exit the 2024 presidential race has pundits and politicians weighing in with their thoughts on what’s next. Here is reaction from some Oklahoma leaders:
Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson says Joe Biden “has provided steady leadership during times of great turmoil in America,” and thanks him for his service as President. She also says Oklahoma Democrats are energized and will unite behind the party’s nominee.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt calls Biden exiting the race a historic decision to put country above self, saying Biden is a good and decent man.
And Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. expressed his thanks for “the Biden/Harris administration’s commitment to Indian Country,” going on to say it set a tone of respect and meaningful government-to-government relations with tribal nations.
Oklahoma Democrats Pledge Early Support for Kamala Harris in Presidential Race
Some Democrats in Oklahoma are already pledging their support for Kamala Harris to be the next President.
“I personally am ready to support Vice President Harris immediately, robustly and with everything in me," said Alicia Andrews, who chairs Oklahoma’s Democratic Party.
She was joined by several elected officials and Democratic Convention delegates at a news conference in Downtown Tulsa on Sunday.
While Andrews herself is backing Harris, she says delegates pledged to Joe Biden will vote for whoever they want at the convention next month.
State Representative and Senator-elect Regina Goodwin joined some other delegates in saying they would back Harris.
Oklahoma Democrats say they want to re-focus the conversation to defeating former President Donald Trump.
Oklahoma Sheriffs Now Eligible for New Legislature-Funded Grants
Sheriffs can now apply for legislature-funded grants through Oklahoma’s Attorney General.
All 77 county sheriff’s offices are eligible to apply for the funding assistance program created by lawmakers this year with the passage of Rep. Kevin Wallace’s House Bill 2914.
The law appropriates $18 million to the attorney general’s office to award cash injections of $150 - $300 thousand to sheriff’s offices.
The money can be used for pretty much anything that qualifies as a legal expense for sheriffs, with one important exception: staff salaries.
Damon Devereaux is the Logan County Sheriff. He said that’s a problem because staff continuity is something sheriff's offices in Oklahoma lack.
"Trying to keep consistent services, consistent training, that is really tough based on what I pay versus what five blocks away, Guthrie PD pays," said Devereaux.
Deveraux says he’s lost count of just how many deputies have left the office to work at better-funded agencies nearby.
Instead of increasing salaries, many sheriff’s offices plan to give their deputies and administrative staff one-time stipends to help them make ends meet. Still, they worry about not being able to keep those up year-over-year.
10th Circuit Rejects Oklahoma’s Appeal To Restore Federal Family Planning Grants
A U.S. appeals court says Oklahoma isn’t entitled to federal family planning money it lost last year when it refused to provide counseling to pregnant people on all options, including abortion. The court rejected the state’s arguments on why it should get the money back.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond challenged the state’s loss of over $4 million in Title X funding with a lawsuit and, later, a motion for an injunction, seeking to reinstate the money.
When the motion failed, Drummond appealed, arguing that, among other things, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services violated federal law by requiring the State Department of Health to refer patients to a national hotline.
The ruling states the federal agency recognized Oklahoma’s near-total abortion ban, allowing the state to use the hotline to provide neutral information on all family-planning options to meet the grant’s requirements.
But since Oklahoma refused to provide women with the hotline, it didn’t meet the conditions of the grant.
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