In The Know: DOGE-OK recommends health care cuts that are harmful, counterintuitive | U.S. Supreme Court hears case over Planned Parenthood funding | Tell our leaders – Prioritize people over profits

Annie Taylor // April 3, 2025 // Updated: April 3, 2025
In The Know

In The KnowIn The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.

New from OK Policy

Statement: DOGE-OK recommends health care cuts that are harmful, counterintuitive: Taxpayer dollars should be spent wisely, but cutting health care funds is both counterproductive and harmful. Oklahoma already ranks among the worst in health outcomes – cutting dollars that could be used to improve public health will only shift these costs elsewhere. Short-term savings will lead to far greater costs in the future, both in dollars and lives. [OK Policy]

Policy Matters: Tell our leaders – Prioritize people over profits: The governor consistently touts his vision for making Oklahoma the best state for business. The reality is that these plans put businesses first and Oklahomans second. Tax cuts and corporate perks might make CEOs happy, but they don’t solve our economy’s biggest problem: making Oklahoma a place where workers and their families want to call home. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]

Oklahoma News

$157 million in federal grants could be returned, DOGE-OK reports: Oklahoma could be in a position to return to the federal government millions of dollars received through grant funding, according to a report released this week by DOGE-OK, the state’s version of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. [Tulsa World]

State Government News

‘Pulling in opposite directions’: Budget hole triggers Oklahoma mental health system pain points: Despite a decade of progress to advance mental health conversations in Oklahoma, a series of investigations, legal fights and financial concerns has begun to change the narrative among providers and policymakers advocating for better outcomes. [NonDoc]

Stitt renews call for tax cut, wants investigation of wildfire response: Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt doubled down on his call for a personal income tax cut, hinted at an investigation of the state’s forestry division over its operation during recent wildfires and expressed his support for the beleaguered state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services during a briefing with reporters Wednesday at the State Capitol. [The Oklahoman]

‘Religious liberty’ executive order in line with Supreme Court decisions, Gov. Stitt says: Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued a “religious freedom” executive order that includes instructions for “immediate review, suspension of enforcement, repeal, and/or revision” of at least five state statutes and two administrative rules. A closer reading of the order, however, suggests that it goes considerably further than lifting bans on religious organizations’ participation in art and historic preservation programs. [Tulsa World]

Ryan Walters at the nexus of Oklahoma lawsuits over transparency, religious freedom: In a litigious week for Oklahoma’s top education official, state Superintendent Ryan Walters has both sued and been sued by advocacy groups. [Oklahoma Voice]

  • OSDE facing lawsuit seeking records related to appointment of controversial ‘Libs of TikTok’ influencer [KFOR]
  • Lawsuit claims Oklahoma education officials violated open records and meetings laws [Fox 25]
  • Nonprofit sues Ryan Walters over open records, meeting concerns [The Oklahoman]
  • Oklahoma Educators Target ‘Atheists’ in New Lawsuit Over Religious Freedom [Newsweek]

Mobile vendors rally at Capitol in support of Food Truck Freedom Act: Food truck vendors in Oklahoma could soon need only one permit to operate statewide if a House bill is approved by the Senate this session. [The Journal Record]

Federal Government News

Trump administration targets Planned Parenthood’s family-planning grants in Oklahoma: More than 1 million people seeking care such as contraception or testing for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer could be affected by the Trump administration withholding more than $27 million in Title X funding to Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide, according to estimates from the Guttmacher Institute. [Oklahoma Voice]

  • Trump administration freezes federal family planning money in Oklahoma, provides dollars to OSDH [KGOU]

Supreme Court hears case that could see more Planned Parenthood clinics closed: The U.S. Supreme Court seemed closely divided on Wednesday in a case testing whether states can remove Planned Parenthood clinics from state Medicaid programs — even though Medicaid cannot generally be used to fund abortions. [NPR via KOSU]

  • Supreme Court hears case over Planned Parenthood funding [KFOR]
  • Supreme Court to hear South Carolina case cutting Medicaid funding [KOCO]

Consumers, business owners hold their breath waiting for the Trump tariffs: American business owners and consumers are bracing as President Donald Trump teases, with few details, the announcement of sweeping tariffs expected Wednesday afternoon. [Oklahoma Voice]

Tulsa County Commissioners hiring manager for newly formed office that mirrors DOGE: Tulsa County Commissioners are hiring a person to manage the newly formed Office of Government Efficiency and Transparency, or OGET. [Public Radio Tulsa]

Judge orders fired federal probationary workers reinstated in 19 states, D.C.: A federal judge in Maryland late Tuesday ordered federal agencies across 19 states and the District of Columbia to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who were fired as part of White House adviser Elon Musk’s government-slashing agenda. [Oklahoma Voice]

Tribal Nations News

Justice Department surges FBI support for tribal cases in Oklahoma: The FBI is sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country, marking a continuation of efforts by the federal government to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. [AP via The Journal Record]

Cherokee Nation touts more than $3.1 billion economic impact: The Cherokee Nation’s financial impact in Oklahoma was more than $3.1 billion in the last evaluated fiscal year, tribal officials announced Wednesday. [Tulsa World]

Education News

Conservative activist Riley Gaines speaks at the University of Oklahoma, draws protest: Conservative activist and former NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines spoke at the University of Oklahoma Wednesday evening, drawing a crowd of hundreds of people to listen to her talk, as well as dozens more who demonstrated against her. [The Oklahoman]

Off-campus religious education courses expand to growing number of Oklahoma schools: Thanks to a new law, schools across the state are now required to allow off-campus religious instruction during elective courses. [KGOU]

Education Watch: Democrats Move to Reject Walters’ Social Studies Standards: Approval of academic standards was historically a pretty boring, non-controversial process. Not this year. House and Senate Democrats this week moved to reject the social studies standards put forth by Superintendent Ryan Walters’ administration. [Oklahoma Watch]

Health News

Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative helps to improve Maternal Health: Combined, Black and Native people are six times more likely to endure pregnancy-related maternal mortalities compared to White people. The Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative has met well over 9,000 clients, conducted 5,000+ in-person visits, and supported over 300 births. [The Black Wall Street Times]

Meet the woman heading an effort to improve access to reproductive care in Oklahoma: Oklahoma has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, one that dates back to 1910. That’s a matter of fact. What is less certain is whether the current state law actually reflects the wishes of the state’s population as a whole, and not just those of a small number of elected officials. What Oklahomans really do believe is something that Janet Levit and her organization, repro46, will be exploring in the coming months. [The Oklahoman]

Criminal Justice News

Tulsa’s surveillance gamble: Police credit Flock cameras with reducing violent crime. But after millions spent, the data tells a murkier story — and the system may violate the law. [The Frontier]

Janet Grigg pleads no contest to Seeworth Academy embezzlement charges: In a short hearing Wednesday morning, former Seeworth Academy charter school Superintendent Janet Grigg pleaded no contest to three embezzlement charges that have been pending against her for more than two years. [NonDoc]

Can drivers fleeing harm in Oklahoma run over protesters without facing charges?: Yes. Oklahoma HB 1674, approved in April 2021, protects drivers who unintentionally harm protestors with their vehicles while fleeing from a riot. [Oklahoma Watch]

Housing & Economic Opportunity News

Transitional living facility for the homeless could be open by late summer: The city of Tulsa expects to have its residential care center for homeless people near Mohawk Park Golf Course operating by mid- to late summer, city councilors were told Wednesday. [Tulsa World]

Boomers outpace millennials in home purchases: Baby boomers are buying more homes in 2025 than any other generation, representing 42% of all home buyers, a new report from the National Association of Realtors reveals. Meanwhile, millennials have fallen to 29% of home buyers, down from 38% one year ago. [The Journal Record]

Economy & Business News

ConocoPhillips eyes sale of Oklahoma assets worth over $1 billion, sources say: ConocoPhillips (COP.N), opens new tab is exploring the sale of oil and gas assets in Oklahoma that it inherited from its $22.5 billion takeover of Marathon Oil last year, people familiar with the matter said. [Reuters]

Community News

100 years of waving in the Oklahoma wind: Historical society celebrates flag birthday: Oklahoma’s state flag celebrated its 100th birthday on Wednesday. To commemorate the centennial, the Oklahoma Historical Society brought together speakers and flag enthusiasts at its headquarters. [KOSU]

ElevateHER Conference Closes Out Women’s History Month with Empowering Event: The spirit of resilience, excellence, and innovation was on full display Saturday, March 29, as The Black Wall Street Times hosted its inaugural ElevateHER conference at the Greenwood Cultural Center. [The Black Wall Street Times]

Quote of the Day

“If we really wanted to give Oklahomans what they deserve, we would figure out a path to reallocate those federal grants to use in areas our state desperately needs, not just sending them back to the federal government. We need affordable housing, accessible healthcare, new roads and bridges, and funding for our public schools—just to name a few.”

– House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson said in her response to the first report released by the Oklahoma Division of Government Efficiency (DOGE-OK) identifying $157 million in “wasteful health grants” it wants returned to the federal government. [KGOU]

Number of the Day

>23%

The average effective tariff rate on U.S. imports under the tariff policies unveiled Wednesday by President Trump. That’s the highest rate since before World War I, posing a more than fourfold increase from the sub-5% tariff rates set for the last three decades. [Forbes]

Policy Note

Tariffs—Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask: This FAQ provides information on the likely effects of historically large and broad-based tariffs and, crucially, the effects that will not occur due to these tariffs. [Economic Policy Institute]

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Taylor // ataylor@okpolicy.org

Annie Taylor joined OK Policy as a Digital Communications Associate/Storybanker in April 2022. She studied journalism and mass communication at the University of Oklahoma, and was a member of the Native American Journalists Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Central Oklahoma. While pursuing her degree, she worked in restaurant and retail management, as well as freelance copywriting and digital content production. Annie is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation, and holds a deep reverence for storytelling in the digital age. She was born and raised in southeast Oklahoma, and now lives in Oklahoma City with her dog, Melvin.