Senators Hicks, Kirt, and Matthews attend White House meeting highlighting investments/opportunities for Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senators Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, and Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, were invited participants at a recent White House meeting to learn more about the positive impact federal investments are making throughout Oklahoma and share opportunities to seek bipartisan solutions to ongoing challenges facing communities and families. 

The meeting not only gave the Oklahoma senators an opportunity to learn more about the impact of federal investments, but also how elected officials from neighboring states are addressing ongoing challenges. “Communities in Action:  Building a Better Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri,” highlighted how those resources are being leveraged to create more private investment, rebuild infrastructure, and bolster support for Oklahoma families.

“We owe it to the people of our state to roll up our sleeves and work together on solutions to the biggest problems in the daily lives of all Oklahomans,” Kirt said. “This was a chance to work with the White House on bipartisan solutions for our families.”

Among the infrastructure investments directly benefiting Oklahoma:

• The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $1.6 million grant to the North Peoria Church of Christ to study the partial removal of I-244, which currently bisects the historically Black community of Greenwood.
• The National Telecommunication and Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded more than $12 million in grants to the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma under the Internet for All initiative to improve internet accessibility and reliability for members of those Tribes.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded $28 million to continue and accelerate critical maintenance work on locks and dams along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS).
• The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) and EMBARK $6.7 million to replace diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life with compressed natural gas buses to improve fixed-route and paratransit services in Oklahoma City.

“The people in the room represented nearly every level of problem solving in our communities from both sides of the aisle. The one-to-one opportunity to exchange ideas and support was invaluable,” Matthews said. “It was great to see how the White House is promoting bipartisan solutions on every level of community engagement and representation. Better relationships create better opportunities to help our communities in need.”

Additional investments helped keep Oklahoma businesses open during the pandemic, including 2,625 child care programs across the state, and federal emergency relief funds are providing up to $82 million for new loans and investments in small businesses through the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The Investing in American agenda is also helping Oklahomans save money on health care premiums and prescription drugs, high-speed internet, and home energy costs.

“What an honor to spend time at the White House focusing on long term solutions for the challenges Oklahomans are facing,” Hicks said. “We were able to celebrate the unprecedented investments made in Oklahoma through the American Rescue Plan Act and discuss the persisting needs in areas like child care and health care.”

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Cutline: Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, Caucus Vice Chair Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, and Democratic Leader-elect Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, recently attended a meeting at the White House on federal investments and their direct benefits to Oklahomans and giving lawmakers a chance to explore bipartisan solutions to ongoing challenges faced by Oklahoma and neighboring states.

For more information, contact:
Sen. Carri Hicks at 405-521-5543 or Carri.Hicks@oksenate.gov
Sen. Julia Kirt at 405-521-5636 or Julia.Kirt@oksenate.gov
Sen. Kevin Matthews at 918-955-2283 or Kevin.Matthews@oksenate.gov