Oklahoma City, OK – Though Tom Coburn claims to understand the importance of protecting our borders from terrorists, his votes in Washington paint a different story, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Todd Goodman said today.

“Tom Coburn can talk all he wants – if he doesn’t vote to fund national security, then we’re going to let more terrorists through our borders, such as the Christmas day airline bomber,” Goodman stated.  “All talk and no action?  Sounds like Sen. Coburn is playing politics as usual.”

In 2007, Coburn was one of eight Senators to vote against the Improving America’s Security Act of 2007, which set aside $250 million for improved airport screenings and bomb detection equipment.  The legislation also required the Department of Homeland Security to “submit a strategic plan to Congress that describes the system to be utilized for comparing [airline] passenger information to watch lists [and] explains the integration with international flights.”

On Christmas day, a passenger aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit set off explosives in an apparent attempt to take down the plane.  The man accused of the incident was on a U.S. terrorism watch list.

Coburn’s campaign website cites national security as a main issue and states, “Threats to our national security are much more likely to come as a domestic terrorist attack or a rogue bomb or missile. I continue to support robust funding for a national missile defense capability, and for increased intelligence capabilities to allow our federal, state, and local law enforcement to prevent a terrorist attack before it occurs.”

“That statement is completely untrue given Sen. Coburn’s opposition to supplying federal agencies with the manpower and equipment they need to prevent further attacks on our country,” Goodman noted.  “Sen. Coburn’s false statement is an insult to our men and women in law enforcement, to the passengers put in danger on that Christmas day flight and to all of us who truly back anti-terrorism efforts.

“He opposed the exact security measures he claims to support, and he needs to retract that statement immediately or apologize for his vote,” continued Goodman.

Goodman added that Sen. Jim Inhofe also voted against the funding, but that “Sen. Inhofe is well known for saying one thing and doing another.  However, Sen. Coburn claims to be a man of strong principle, yet his actions say something else.  Oklahoma families need to start asking questions about Sen. Coburn – I don’t think his political posturing will stand up under close scrutiny.”