Sen. James Lankford said his fellow senators seem to have forgotten about how "grunt work" is how things happen in Washington politics.
The Oklahoma Republican appeared on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday," and said many senators are more apt to post something on a social media account than do the real work of being a legislator. "That's just grunt work. That's just going to one member at a time and actually working out, saying this needs to be law, not just discussed."
Lankford said there's nothing glamorous about being a legislator. It takes time, planning, and effort. "That means committees have got to do their work. And when a bill passes out of committee, that means the Republican and the Democrat that were in committee that formed it have got to do their work to then get 60 co-sponsors."
The allure of social media, along with online coverage and broadcast media, he said, seems to have some senators thinking they don't need to work at being a legislator. "It's easy to be able to do a post on social media saying, 'I filed this bill,' but not do the work to actually pass it. Filing a bill doesn't solve the problem. It may get you clicks on social media."
Lankford added that taking a piece of legislation from start to finish takes time and more effort than most understand. "We've got to actually do the work on that. And then once we pass it, we've got to pay attention to the House and the White House to make sure it gets across the finish line."
The senator's new book deals in part with that issue, along with how anyone can impact the laws of the nation with a similar approach to planning and process work.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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