History of Jim Inhofe in Timeline

James Mountain Inhofe was a prominent American politician who represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2023. As a Republican, he held the distinction of being Oklahoma's longest-serving U.S. Senator. His career in Oklahoma politics spanned nearly six decades, beginning in 1966 and continuing until his retirement in 2023. He held various elected positions within the state government before ascending to the national stage.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Controversies & Scandals

November 17, 1934: Jim Inhofe Born

On November 17, 1934, James Mountain Inhofe was born. He later became a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma.

1934: Inhofe Born in Des Moines, Iowa

In 1934, Jim Inhofe was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

August 1942: Inhofe Family Moved to Tulsa After Father's Job Change

In August 1942, Jim Inhofe's family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, after his father became president of the National Mutual Casualty company.

1942: Inhofe Family Moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1942, Inhofe and his parents moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1949: Inhofe's Father's Company Ordered to Cease Discouraging Union Membership

In 1949, Tri-State, Jim Inhofe's father's company, was ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to cease discouraging union membership.

1950: Inhofe's Father Sponsored Miss Tulsa and Miss Oklahoma Winner

In 1950, Jim Inhofe's father was the official sponsor of Miss Tulsa and Miss Oklahoma winner Louise O'Brien.

1952: Inhofe's Relay Team Broke School Record

In 1952, Jim Inhofe's mile relay quartet team broke a school record with a 3:32.6 time.

January 1953: Inhofe Elected Treasurer of Social Club

In January 1953, Jim Inhofe was elected treasurer of the Brones social club.

1954: Inhofe's Father Served on Executive Committee for Gary's Campaign

In 1954, Perry Inhofe, Jim Inhofe's father, served on the executive committee for Democratic governor Raymond D. Gary's successful campaign.

1956: Inhofe Received Draft Letter from the United States Army

In 1956, Jim Inhofe received a draft letter from the United States Army.

1956: Inhofe Drafted to the United States Army

In 1956, Jim Inhofe was drafted into the United States Army.

1957: Inhofe Served in the Army

From 1957 to 1958, Jim Inhofe served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Specialist 4.

1957: Inhofe Served in the United States Army

In 1957, Jim Inhofe served in the United States Army.

1958: Inhofe Served in the Army

From 1957 to 1958, Jim Inhofe served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Specialist 4.

1958: Inhofe Continued to Serve in the United States Army

In 1958, Jim Inhofe continued to serve in the United States Army.

1958: Inhofe's Brother Unsuccessfully Ran for Oklahoma House of Representatives

In 1958, Perry Inhofe Jr., Jim Inhofe's brother, ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Oklahoma House of Representatives as a Democrat.

December 19, 1959: Marriage to Kay Kirkpatrick

On December 19, 1959, Jim Inhofe married Kay Kirkpatrick, with whom he had four children.

1959: Inhofe Allowed to Participate in Graduation Ceremonies

In 1959, Jim Inhofe was allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies, though he was a few credits short of completing his degree.

1961: Inhofe Appointed Vice-President of Father's Insurance Company

In 1961, Jim Inhofe became vice-president of his father's insurance company, Quaker Insurance.

1961: Inhofe Appointed Vice President of Quaker Insurance

In 1961, Jim Inhofe was appointed vice president of Quaker Insurance, a new life insurance company formed by his father.

February 1966: Inhofe Launched First Campaign for Office

In February 1966, Jim Inhofe launched his first campaign for office as a Republican, running for the Oklahoma House of Representatives's 71st district.

November 1966: Inhofe Announced Campaign for McGraw's Former House Seat

In November 1966, after Joseph McGraw resigned, Jim Inhofe was the first to announce his campaign for McGraw's former Oklahoma House of Representatives seat.

December 29, 1966: Inhofe Sworn into Oklahoma House of Representatives

On December 29, 1966, Jim Inhofe was sworn into the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

1966: Inhofe Represented Tulsa in the Oklahoma House of Representatives

In 1966, Jim Inhofe began representing parts of Tulsa in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

1969: Inhofe Represented Tulsa in the Oklahoma Senate

In 1969, Jim Inhofe began representing parts of Tulsa in the Oklahoma Senate.

1969: Inhofe Sponsored Bill to Bring Submarine to Oklahoma

In 1969, Jim Inhofe sponsored a successful bill to bring a retired U.S. Navy submarine to Oklahoma.

1969: Chairman of Tulsa County Republican Convention

In 1969, Jim Inhofe was the chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Convention and supported efforts to liberalize abortion laws in Oklahoma.

June 17, 1970: Perry Inhofe Died

On June 17, 1970, Perry Inhofe, Jim Inhofe's father, died of a heart attack.

September 1970: USS Batfish Considered

In September 1970, the USS Batfish was considered as an alternative to the USS Piranha.

1970: Inhofe Appointed to Oklahoma Narcotics and Drug Abuse Council

In 1970, Governor Dewey Bartlett created the Oklahoma Narcotics and Drug Abuse Council and appointed Jim Inhofe as an inaugural member. He was also elected minority caucus chair of the Oklahoma Senate.

1970: Inhofe Became President of Insurance Company After Father's Death

In 1970, after his father's death, Jim Inhofe became president of Quaker Life Insurance.

1970: Randle Enters Politics

In 1978, the Tulsa Daily World heralded Inhofe's mayoral race as Randle's first election loss since he entered politics in 1970.

December 9, 1971: USS Batfish Given to State of Oklahoma

On December 9, 1971, the USS Batfish was officially given to the State of Oklahoma.

1971: Chairman of Oklahoma Republican Party's State Convention

In 1971, Jim Inhofe served as the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party's State Convention.

July 4, 1972: USS Batfish Unofficially Opened to Public

On July 4, 1972, the USS Batfish was unofficially opened to the public.

1972: Inhofe Retracted Support for Equal Rights Amendment

In 1972, Jim Inhofe initially filed a resolution for Oklahoma to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment but retracted his support later that year.

1972: Inhofe Co-Chaired Nixon's Presidential Campaign in Oklahoma

In 1972, Jim Inhofe was appointed to serve as co-chair for Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign in Oklahoma with Ralph Gordon Thompson.

1972: Floated as Potential Gubernatorial Candidate

Since 1972, Jim Inhofe had been floated as a potential gubernatorial candidate for Oklahoma.

May 1973: Inhofe Campaigning for Governor

By May 1973, Jim Inhofe was openly campaigning for Governor of Oklahoma, but had yet to officially announce his campaign.

1973: Inhofe Received B.A. in Economics

In 1973, Jim Inhofe received a B.A. in economics from the University of Tulsa.

1973: Official Opening of the USS Batfish

In 1973, the official opening of the USS Batfish to the public occurred on Memorial Day.

May 1974: Inhofe Officially Launched Campaign for Governor

In May 1974, Jim Inhofe officially launched his campaign for Governor of Oklahoma.

1974: Inhofe Unsuccessfully Ran for Governor of Oklahoma

In 1974, Jim Inhofe ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Oklahoma.

April 1975: Inhofe Appointed First Blind Page in Oklahoma History

In April 1975, Jim Inhofe appointed Angela Keele, a 15-year-old, as the first blind page in Oklahoma history.

1975: Death of Mother, Blanche M. Inhofe

In 1975, Jim Inhofe's mother, Blanche M. Inhofe, passed away.

February 19, 1976: Inhofe Officially Announced Candidacy

On February 19, 1976, Jim Inhofe officially announced his candidacy for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district.

1976: Inhofe Unsuccessfully Ran for the U.S. House

In 1976, Jim Inhofe ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House.

1977: Inhofe Represented Tulsa in the Oklahoma Senate until 1977

In 1977, Jim Inhofe ended his time representing parts of Tulsa in the Oklahoma Senate.

January 1978: Courted to Run for Mayor of Tulsa

In January 1978, the Tulsa Daily World reported Republican party officials were courting Inhofe to run for Mayor of Tulsa. He initially denied he would run for any city office and instead insisted he was considering a rematch against Congressman Jones; but, Inhofe announced his mayoral campaign in February.

1978: Inhofe Elected Mayor of Tulsa

In 1978, Jim Inhofe was elected as the Mayor of Tulsa.

January 1979: Attended Swearing-in of Governor Nigh

In January 1979, Inhofe attended the first swearing in of a governor of Oklahoma to occur in Tulsa when George Nigh was sworn in to serve the last five days of David Boren's term after Boren was elected to the U.S. Senate.

December 1979: Announced Re-election Campaign

In December 1979, Inhofe officially announced his re-election campaign for a second term as mayor.

1979: Boren Served in Senate

In 1994, incumbent senator David Boren, who had been serving in the Senate since 1979, agreed to become president of the University of Oklahoma and announced he would resign as soon as a successor was elected.

1982: Re-elected as Mayor

In 1982, Inhofe was reelected with 59% of the vote.

1984: Lost Re-election Campaign

In 1984, Inhofe lost his re-election campaign to Terry Young.

1984: Inhofe Served as Mayor of Tulsa until 1984

In 1984, Jim Inhofe ended his service as the Mayor of Tulsa.

1986: Elected to the 1st District

In 1986, Inhofe ran for the 1st District after James R. Jones retired and won the Republican primary with 54% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Gary Allison 55%–43%.

1987: Voted Against Reagan's Budget

In 1987, Inhofe voted against President Ronald Reagan's budget, which included tax increases and no increase in defense spending.

1987: Inhofe Served in the United States House of Representatives

In 1987, Jim Inhofe began serving in the United States House of Representatives representing Oklahoma's 1st congressional district.

1988: Won Reelection Against Glassco

In 1988, Inhofe won reelection against Democrat Kurt Glassco 53%–47%.

1990: Defeated Glassco Again

In 1990, Inhofe defeated Kurt Glassco again, 56%–44%.

1990: Inhofe Involved in Litigation Over Companies

In 1990, Jim Inhofe ended up in litigation with his brother over the family companies, resulting in Perry paying $3 million to Jim.

1992: Re-elected with 53% of the Vote

In 1992, Inhofe was reelected with 53% of the vote.

1993: Led Effort to Reform House's Discharge Petition Rule

In 1993, Inhofe first came to national attention when he led the effort to reform the House's discharge petition rule, which the House leadership had long used to bottle up bills in committee.

1994: Use of "God, guns, and gays" phrase in Senate campaign

In 1994, Jim Inhofe campaigned for his Senate seat using the phrase "God, guns, and gays."

1994: Inhofe Resigned from the United States House of Representatives

In 1994, Jim Inhofe resigned from the United States House of Representatives after being elected to the United States Senate.

1994: Senate Campaign

In 1994, Jim Inhofe used his plane as a daily campaign vehicle to travel throughout Oklahoma while running for the U.S. Senate, visiting almost every town in the state.

1994: Defeated McCurdy in Special Election

In 1994, incumbent senator David Boren resigned, and Inhofe defeated Congressman Dave McCurdy in the general election for the open seat. 1994 also saw the Republican Party take both houses of the U.S. Congress and the Oklahoma governorship.

1994: Began Serving as U.S. Senator

Inhofe was the longest-serving U.S. senator from Oklahoma, having served between 1994 and 2023.

1994: Inhofe Campaigned for U.S. Senate

Until his 1994 campaign for the U.S. Senate, Jim Inhofe's biographies indicated he had graduated in 1959, which he initially denied before acknowledging the discrepancy.

1995: Co-sponsorship of Constitutional Amendment on Flag Desecration

In 1995, Jim Inhofe co-sponsored a constitutional amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would give Congress and individual U.S. states the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the American flag. The bill's primary sponsor was Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

1995: Vote to Ban Affirmative Action Hiring

In 1995, Jim Inhofe voted to ban affirmative action hiring with federal funds.

1996: Won First Full Senate Term

After serving the last two years of Boren's term, Inhofe won his first full term in 1996.

December 1997: Called Kyoto Protocol a "Political, Economic, and National Security Fiasco"

In December 1997, Inhofe called the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, a "political, economic, and national security fiasco."

1997: Vote to End Special Funding for Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses

In 1997, Jim Inhofe voted to end special funding for minority- and women-owned businesses. The bill he voted for would have abolished a program that helps businesses owned by women and minorities to compete for federally funded transportation; it did not pass.

February 12, 1999: Vote on Bill Clinton's Impeachment

On February 12, 1999, Jim Inhofe was one of 50 senators who voted to convict and remove Bill Clinton from office.

June 1999: Retaliation for Appointment of James Hormel

In June 1999, Jim Inhofe held up seven more Clinton appointees in retaliation after President Bill Clinton appointed James Hormel, a gay man, as US Ambassador to Luxembourg in a recess appointment. Inhofe had stalled Hormel's nomination for over 20 months due to Hormel's sexual orientation.

2001: Vote to Loosen Restrictions on Cell Phone Wiretapping

In 2001, Jim Inhofe voted to loosen restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. The bill, which passed, removed the requirement that a person or party implementing an order to wiretap a private citizen's cellphone must ascertain that the target of the surveillance is present in the house or using the phone that has been tapped.

November 2002: Compared EPA to Gestapo Bureaucracy

Before the Republicans regained control of the Senate in the November 2002 elections, Inhofe had compared the United States Environmental Protection Agency to a Gestapo bureaucracy, and EPA Administrator Carol Browner to Tokyo Rose.

2002: ACLU Rating of Jim Inhofe

In 2002, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) rated Jim Inhofe at 20%, indicating that he held an anti-racial civil rights record.

2002: Re-elected to the Senate

Inhofe was re-elected in 2002.

January 2003: Became Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

In January 2003, Inhofe became Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and continued challenging mainstream science in favor of what he called "sound science", in accordance with the Luntz memo.

July 28, 2003: Senate Floor Speech on Climate Change

As Environment and Public Works chairman, Inhofe gave a two-hour Senate floor speech on July 28, 2003, in the context of discussions on the McCain-Lieberman Bill. He said he was "going to expose the most powerful, most highly financed lobby in Washington, the far left environmental extremists", and laid out in detail his opposition to attribution of recent climate change to humans.

December 2003: Distributed Climate Change Brochure in Milan

In December 2003, Inhofe distributed copies of a 20-page brochure reiterating his "hoax" statement in Milan at a meeting about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

2003: Promoting Climate Change Denial

Beginning in 2003, when he was first elected Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Inhofe was the foremost Republican promoting climate change denial.

October 2004: Senate Speech on Global Warming Hoax

In an October 2004 Senate speech Inhofe said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."

2004: Addressed Abu Ghraib Prisoner Abuse

In 2004, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, Inhofe was among the panelists questioning witnesses about the 2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, saying he was "outraged by the outrage" over the revelations of abuse.

January 2005: Global Warming "Second-Largest Hoax"

In January 2005 Inhofe told Bloomberg News that global warming was "the second-largest hoax ever played on the American people, after the separation of church and state".

August 28, 2005: Crichton Appeared as Expert Witness

On August 28, 2005, at Inhofe's invitation, Michael Crichton appeared as an expert witness at a hearing on climate change, disputing Mann's work.

2005: Environmental Regulation Prevention

In 2005, Jim Inhofe included a midnight rider in that year's transportation bill preventing federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma from administering Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

2005: Detainee Treatment Act of 2005

In 2006, Inhofe was one of only nine senators to vote against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, which prohibits "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of individuals in U.S. Government custody.

May 2006: Introduction and Debate of Inhofe Amendment

In May 2006, Jim Inhofe wrote the Inhofe Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was debated in Congress. The amendment would make English the national language of the United States and require new citizens to take an English proficiency test.

May 18, 2006: Passage of the Inhofe Amendment

On May 18, 2006, the Inhofe Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 passed. The amendment, which aimed to make English the national language of the United States and require new citizens to take an English proficiency test, passed with 32 Democrats, one independent, and one Republican dissenting.

September 2006: Senate Speech on Global Warming

In September 2006, during a Senate speech, Jim Inhofe argued that the threat of global warming was exaggerated by "the media, Hollywood elites and our pop culture". He stated that the media had previously warned of global cooling in the 1960s and then switched back to warming in the 1970s to promote "climate change fears".

2006: Voted Against the Detainee Treatment Act

In 2006, Inhofe was one of only nine senators to vote against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, which prohibits "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of individuals in U.S. Government custody.

2006: Introduction of Senate Amendment 4682

In 2006, Jim Inhofe introduced Senate Amendment 4682 with Kit Bond (R-MO), which aimed to modify oversight responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers. This action drew criticism from the League of Conservation Voters, who claimed that analyses for corps projects were manipulated to favor large-scale projects that harm the environment.

2006: "The Republican War on Science" Written

In his 2006 book The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney wrote that Inhofe "politicizes and misuses the science of climate change".

The Republican War on Science

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December 31, 2006: NAACP Rating of Jim Inhofe

On December 31, 2006, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rated Jim Inhofe at 7%, indicating that he held an anti-civil rights and anti-affirmative action record.

February 2007: Fox News Interview on Climate Change

In February 2007, Jim Inhofe stated on Fox News that mainstream science increasingly attributed climate change to natural causes, and that only "those individuals on the far left, such as Hollywood liberals and the United Nations", disagreed.

2007: Receipt of Funds from Fossil Fuel Industry

In 2007, Jim Inhofe received $20,500 from the fossil fuel industry, according to the Dirty Energy Money database maintained by Oil Change International.

June 2008: Vote to Enact Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act

In June 2008, Jim Inhofe voted to enact Jim Webb's Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, after initially withdrawing support for it to support a competing bill.

2008: Statement on Hiring Gay Staffers

In 2008, Jim Inhofe stated that his office "does not hire openly gay staffers due to the possibility of a conflict of agenda."

2008: Campaign Ad with Anti-Gay Overtone

In 2008, Jim Inhofe's campaign was noted by the Associated Press for running an ad with "anti-gay overtones" featuring a wedding cake with two male figures on top, fading into his opponent's face.

2008: Campaign Donors Represented Oil, Gas and Utilities

In the 2008 election cycle, Inhofe's largest campaign donors represented the oil and gas ($446,900 in donations), leadership PACs ($316,720), and electric utilities ($221,654) industries/categories.

2008: Re-elected to the Senate

Inhofe was re-elected in 2008.

May 2009: Support for Black Carbon Theory

In May 2009, Jim Inhofe expressed support for the idea that black carbon is a significant contributor to global warming.

November 23, 2009: Response to Climatic Research Unit Email Controversy

On November 23, 2009, following the emergence of the Climatic Research Unit email controversy, Jim Inhofe stated that the emails confirmed his belief that scientists were "cooking the science".

February 2010: Release of Report on CRU Controversy

In February 2010, the minority group of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works prepared a report on "the CRU Controversy", which listed 17 scientists as "Key Players". Inhofe stated that the report showed unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some of the world's leading climate scientists.

July 2010: Statement on a Cold Period

In July 2010, Jim Inhofe stated, "I don't think that anyone disagrees with the fact that we actually are in a cold period that started about nine years ago. Now, that's not me talking, those are the scientists that say that."

2010: Largest Donors Represented Oil, Gas and Utilities

In 2010, Inhofe's largest donors represented the oil and gas ($429,950) and electric ($206,654) utilities.

2011: Testimony on Global Warming

During a House committee hearing in 2011, Jim Inhofe testified, "I have to admit—and, you know, confession is good for the soul ... I, too, once thought that catastrophic global warming was caused by anthropogenic gases—because everyone said it was."

2011: Inhofe Claimed Boren and He Were Upset with Hall

In a 2011 interview, Jim Inhofe claimed that he and David Boren were both upset with Hall, so the pair decided to both campaign against him.

2011: Inhofe Credited Primary Win to the "Kasten Plan"

In a 2011 interview, Jim Inhofe credited his primary win to the use of the "Kasten Plan", a system of precinct organization.

2012: Published "The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future"

In 2012, Inhofe's The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future was published by WorldNetDaily Books, presenting his global warming conspiracy theory.

The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future

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2012: Pilot's Bill of Rights

In 2012, Jim Inhofe authored the Pilot's Bill of Rights bill.

2012: Receipt of Funds from Oil and Gas Industry

Since 2012, Jim Inhofe had received over $529,000 from the oil and gas industry, according to OpenSecrets.

May 2013: Oklahoma Tornado Relief

In May 2013, Jim Inhofe argued for and voted for federal aid after tornadoes ravaged Oklahoma, defending his differing stance from Hurricane Sandy relief by claiming the situations were "totally different".

November 10, 2013: Death of Son, Perry Inhofe

On November 10, 2013, Jim Inhofe's son, Perry Inhofe, died in a plane crash in Owasso, Oklahoma.

2014: Response to reports of warmest year

In 2014, after reports from NOAA and NASA indicated it had been the warmest year globally in the temperature record, Jim Inhofe responded by saying, "we had the coldest in the western hemisphere in the same time frame", and attributed changes to a 30-year cycle, not human activities.

2014: Re-elected to the Senate

Inhofe was re-elected in 2014.

January 21, 2015: Return to Chairing Senate Committee and Climate Change Remarks

On January 21, 2015, Jim Inhofe returned to chairing the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. In response to reports about 2014 being the warmest year globally, he attributed changes to a 30-year cycle, not human activities. He also endorsed an amendment stating "Climate change is real and not a hoax", which passed 98–1, clarifying his view that climate is always changing but disputing human influence.

February 26, 2015: Snowball on Senate Floor

On February 26, 2015, Jim Inhofe brought a snowball to the Senate floor and tossed it while arguing that environmentalists continued to discuss global warming despite the cold weather.

March 19, 2015: Introduction of the FRESH Act

On March 19, 2015, Jim Inhofe introduced S.828, "The Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands (FRESH) Act." The bill aimed to transfer regulatory power over hydraulic fracturing from the federal government to state governments. In announcing the bill, Inhofe stated that hydraulic fracturing had never contaminated groundwater in Oklahoma.

2015: Condemnation of Obergefell v. Hodges Ruling

In 2015, Jim Inhofe condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the Constitution.

March 2016: Supreme Court Nominee Argument

In March 2016, Jim Inhofe argued that the Senate should not consider Obama's Supreme Court nominee.

2016: Endorsement of John Kasich

Early during the Republican Party presidential primaries in 2016, Jim Inhofe endorsed fellow Republican John Kasich.

October 2017: Co-sponsorship of Israel Anti-Boycott Act

In October 2017, Jim Inhofe co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720), which aimed to make it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.

2017: Support for Polisario Front and Blocking Nomination

In 2017, Jim Inhofe blocked the Trump administration's nomination of J. Peter Pham for Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, citing a disagreement over Western Sahara. Inhofe supported the Polisario Front and had traveled to Algeria to meet with its leaders, urging Morocco to hold a referendum on independence for Western Sahara.

2017: Blaming Sanctuary Cities for Las Vegas Shooting

In the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Jim Inhofe blamed the "culture of sanctuary cities" for the shootings.

2017: Ranked Most Conservative Member of Congress

Inhofe was ranked the most conservative member of Congress on the 2017 GovTrack report card.

August 2018: McCain Died

John McCain died in August 2018, and Inhofe lauded him as his "hero". Inhofe also said that McCain was "partially to blame for" the White House's controversial decision to raise flags back to full mast after less than two days.

December 2018: Raytheon Stock Purchase

In December 2018, Jim Inhofe bought $50,000 to $100,000 worth of stock in Raytheon, a major defense contractor, and later sold the stock after conflict of interest concerns were raised.

2018: Ranked Most Conservative Member of Congress

Inhofe received the same ranking for 2018 as being the most conservative member of Congress.

March 6, 2019: Intention to Reinforce Trump's Decision on Iran Nuclear Agreement

On March 6, 2019, Inhofe said he intended to put language in the next defense authorization act to reinforce President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and reintroduce severe sanctions on Tehran.

2019: Ranked Fifth-Most Conservative Member of U.S. Senate

For 2019, Inhofe was ranked as the fifth-most conservative member of the U.S. Senate with a score of 0.91 out of 1.

2019: Helped Secure Passage of National Defense Authorization Act

When chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain was absent seeking medical treatment for brain cancer, Inhofe became acting chairman of the committee. During this time, Inhofe helped secure the passage of the record $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.

February 5, 2020: Vote on Donald Trump's First Impeachment

On February 5, 2020, Jim Inhofe voted to acquit Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial.

September 2020: Supreme Court Immediate Vote Support

In September 2020, Jim Inhofe supported an immediate vote on Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.

December 2020: Criticism of Trump Administration's Recognition of Morocco's Claim over Western Sahara

In December 2020, following the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement, Jim Inhofe sharply criticized the Trump administration for recognizing Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, calling the decision "shocking and deeply disappointing" and stating he was "saddened that the rights of the Western Sahara people have been traded away".

2020: Refusal to Delay Election Certification

In 2020, Jim Inhofe refused to support delaying the certification of the 2020 United States presidential election, stating it would violate his oath of office.

2020: Remarks on troop presence in Afghanistan

In 2020, Jim Inhofe suggested maintaining a relatively small troop presence in Afghanistan until the conditions outlined in the 2020 U.S.-Taliban Agreement are fully implemented.

2020: Re-elected to the Senate

Inhofe was re-elected in 2020.

February 13, 2021: Vote on Donald Trump's Second Impeachment

On February 13, 2021, Jim Inhofe voted to acquit Donald Trump for the second time during his second impeachment trial.

April 2021: Support for Earmarks

In April 2021, Jim Inhofe expressed support for bringing back earmarks to the United States Senate, with the Tulsa World recognizing his efforts in securing federal investment for Oklahoma's highways, aviation, and military bases.

May 28, 2021: Abstention from Capitol Attack Commission Vote

On May 28, 2021, Jim Inhofe abstained from voting on the creation of an independent commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

July 15, 2021: Inhofe Planned Retirement

On July 15, 2021, Inhofe told Tulsa World he planned to retire at the end of his current term, in 2027.

2021: Opposition to Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan

In 2021, Jim Inhofe opposed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan under President Biden, arguing that Biden should maintain "a relatively small troop presence until the conditions outlined in the 2020 U.S.-Taliban Agreement are fully implemented."

2021: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Attendance

In 2021, Jim Inhofe, who has had his pilot's license since he was 28, mentioned having attended the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for 20 years and sleeping in the same tent.

February 2022: Report of Inhofe's Planned Resignation

In February 2022, The New York Times reported that Inhofe was planning to resign at the end of the 117th Congress.

January 3, 2023: Inhofe Resigned

Inhofe resigned on January 3, 2023.

February 2023: Reports on Inhofe's Retirement Reason

It was reported in February 2023 that the primary reason for Inhofe's retirement was related to him suffering symptoms of long COVID, which had severely limited his capacity to do day-to-day activities, after an initial infection he had described as "very mild".