U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., flew into Alva's Regional Airport Saturday morning for breakfast and Washington updates with the public. The longtime politician is the state's senior senator, having served since Jan 1, 1994.

Inhofe fashioned his discussion in a more intimate format, taking the time to speak with guests one-on-one rather than addressing the crowd as a whole.

With him he brought a list of state talking points that highlighted current issues, beginning with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2019 fiscal year.

This legislation serves to authorize funding and provide authorities for the U.S. military, one of Congress' more important responsibilities. Fulfilling this responsibility for almost 60 years, legislators recently passed the act overwhelmingly out of the Senate 85-10. Lawmakers bolstered military incentive by providing a 2.6 percent pay raise, the highest in ten years.

The congressman sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, an assembly of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military. A proactive and integral part of the body, Inhofe currently serves as chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, and holds membership on the Airland and Strategic Forces subcommittees.

Bullet points on the state talking point list said this piece of legislation rightfully prioritizes the alignment of the nation's resources with President Trump's National Defense Strategy – prioritizing fight against Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and any global terrorism adversary.

Inhofe placed his personal spotlight on military readiness and modernization, missile defense and making sure the United States is caught up to combative countries such as China and Russia. He said improving long-range precision fire, nuclear updates and hypersonic weapons is top of list.

Stacy Sanborn

Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe takes advantage of the breakfast spread Saturday morning at his fly-in meet and greet.

Senator Inhofe's second talking point centered on the recent fallout between Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Bullet points on this topic broke events down by date, outlining the escalation of tensions between the two presidents. Since July 13, the Department of Justice has indicted 12 Russian government agents for hacking the 2016 DNC. Both Republicans and Democrats criticized President Trump's weak stance against Russian electoral and human rights abuse. Inhofe's notes also included the request Putin recently made at a press conference for the ability to question American citizens, including former Ambassador Michael McFaul. Inhofe said this action would be unprecedented.

Inhofe's notes included several other topics including personnel changes and recent goings-on with NATO, carbon tax legislation, immigration, and the support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.