Your Vote Counts: The economy, healthcare, and tax cuts

As political tensions rise across the country, Oklahoma lawmakers are addressing both state and national concerns, from economic uncertainty to health care reforms and tax cuts.

During a recent episode of Your Vote Counts, Senator Avery Frix and Representative Suzanne Schreiber shared insights into the pressing issues affecting Oklahomans, emphasizing that federal concerns are dominating conversations at the local level.

“I had a town hall about a week ago, and we had two times the people that we typically have at these town halls,” Schreiber said. “They wanted to know about what’s going on with the layoffs, is their veterans' health care still going to be good, how are they going to deal with Medicaid and Medicare changes, and how are they going to take care of their families.”

Although state lawmakers don’t directly handle federal issues, Frix noted that they are in close communication with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation.

“You know, where we're at in our country is we have over $36 trillion in debt, and we have to do something,” Frix said. “I support President Trump and Elon Musk’s effort to try to make our government more efficient, cut out that waste, fraud, and abuse.”

One key issue making its way through the Oklahoma legislature is health care reform, with a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs for patients.

“Our bill together allows people to use that [cash] price, and it goes against their deductible rather than having to pay the contracted price,” Schreiber explained. She cited her own experience with an angiogram, where the cash price was significantly lower than the insured price.

The legislative session is also seeing major structural changes, including leadership shifts and new processes for moving bills through committees. Frix highlighted a growing appetite for a tax cut in the Senate, an issue that has been heavily debated in recent years.

“As I go out and talk to folks in my district, we hear from folks that are hurting from inflation,” Frix said. “We know that times are tough, and they need some relief. And this is one way that we can do it.”

Schreiber also pointed to the state’s childcare crisis as a major issue under discussion.

“We passed a bill off the floor with great majority this week with very good bipartisan support,” she said. “We will continue to work on that child care issue for our businesses, our employers, and our families who really need that.”

As the session moves forward, lawmakers are balancing tax cut discussions with the need to invest in essential services such as health care and education.

“There’s robust conversations about the tax cut, and I think there’s also some conversations about what we need to invest in,” Schreiber said. “Do we have the money to do a tax cut and that?”

With national politics continuing to overshadow state affairs, Oklahoma lawmakers remain focused on local solutions while keeping an eye on Washington’s impact.