Kennedy, Rubio, Casey urge Panama officials to investigate possible Iranian oil sanction violations
Jan 11 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) in urging the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) to investigate potential instances of Iranian oil sanction violations.
According to open-source data, Iran and buyers, such as China, use vessels known as “ghost fleets” to conceal illegal Iranian oil exports. These vessels use tactics to evade detection including disabling GPS trackers, transferring oil between tankers mid-journey and “flag hopping” between different national registries.
“As you know, it has been bipartisan U.S. policy for decades to deprive Iran of the financing and resources it uses to fund international terrorism. In addition to threatening regional security in the Middle East, Iran has been credibly linked to transnational criminal activity and terrorism in our own hemisphere. We therefore request that you cooperate with the United States and conduct investigations into a significant number of ships registered in Panama which are alleged to transport Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions,” the senators wrote.
“As of December 2023, the nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has identified 383 vessels suspected as belonging to the ‘ghost fleet,’ of which 189 (49 percent) are flagged in Panama. The specific ships are listed in the appendix to this letter. AMP has so far de-flagged just 28 of 217 vessels of concern,” they continued.
The senators also raised concerns that AMP is not exercising its due diligence when it comes to flagging potential ghost vessels, and that such practices could potentially be used to evade U.S. sanctions on Russian oil.
“We respectfully ask that you thoroughly investigate the alleged involvement of these 189 ships in transporting sanctioned Iranian oil and follow your established procedures to de-flag ships whose involvement is corroborated by available evidence, decline to flag such vessels again in the future, and extend similar scrutiny to vessels under suspicion of evading sanctions on other countries,” they concluded.
The full letter is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today explained on the Senate floor how Washington’s out-of-control spending under President Joe Biden has left Americans with lower real wages, soaring credit card debt and shrinking savings accounts.
“As a result of Bidenomics and inflation, in my state, the average family making $80,000 a year is going to have to pay an extra $800 a month because of inflation. That’s an extra $10,000 a year. . . . That’s happening right now to millions of Louisianians and millions of Americans. What are you going to do?”
. . .
“A pay raise doesn't work. It’s great to have, but inflation eats it up and then some. Well, ok, that family’s still got to find $10,000. What do you do? Well, you go borrow the money, and that’s what’s happening: Credit card debt. Buy now, pay later. Or other types of loans. Don’t just take my word for it. On the last numbers we have in the third quarter of this year, credit card spending was up 9% at Chase Bank. It was up 15% at Wells Fargo.”
. . .
“People are using credit cards. They are charging more and more, and they’re paying less and less on those credit cards. They’re getting deeper, deeper into the hole.
“What else are people doing in my state and every other state? They’re raiding their savings. If you look at the numbers, personal deposits are down 3% year-over-year at Chase Bank. What does that mean? It means people are raiding their savings accounts to deal with this inflation.”
. . .
“My point, Madam President, is that these actions that are taken in Washington, D.C. have real-life consequences for average, everyday American families on fixed incomes. . . . People are having to borrow, and people are having to raid their savings, and it is clearly a cancer on the American dream.”
Kennedy’s full remarks are available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) in introducing the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act to reaffirm parents’ right to raise their children according to their values.
“Far too often, woke officials treat American parents like second-class citizens for making decisions about their own kids’ upbringing and education. Congress must protect moms’ and dads’ basic rights under the law, and that is what this bill would do,” said Kennedy.
The bill would prevent the federal government from infringing on the fundamental rights of parents without first passing the strict scrutiny test—the highest level of judicial review. It also allows parents to raise a violation of the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act in judicial or administrative proceedings on the federal and state levels. This could apply to Title IX cases, gender-transition cases and other areas where public officials may try to usurp parental rights.
“Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it’s in the classroom or at home. Yet, far too often, parents are being pushed out of their child’s lives, and kids are paying the price. I’m fighting to put parents back in the driver’s seat and ensure they remain the lead decision maker in their child’s life,” said Scott.
“Moms and dads have the right—and responsibility—to determine what’s best for their kids. Good parents should not live in fear of their own government every day. Whenever parental rights are threatened by federal government overreach, families deserve a fair hearing before a court. The Families' Rights and Responsibilities Act preserves the rights of parents and restricts government overreach into our homes and families,” said Lankford.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.
“In America today, the rights of millions of parents are under siege—this moment calls for a targeted course correction so that these proud men and women can raise their children without government infringement. The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act serves not only as a reinforced bulwark for parental rights, but also as a fundamental check against the government whenever it decides to enforce policies that fail to extend due deference to parental decision-making. I am immensely proud to introduce this legislation alongside Senators Scott and Lankford to further safeguard the rights of parents,” said Foxx.
The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act would:
- Affirm parents have the fundamental right to raise their children and direct their education according to their values.
- Prevent the federal government from substantially burdening this fundamental right without first passing the strict scrutiny test.
- Allow parents to raise a violation of the legislation as a claim or defense in judicial or administrative proceedings at the federal and state levels.
Full text of the bill is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s full comments here.
WASHINGTON – The Senate today attempted to overcome President Joe Biden’s veto of Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval. The resolution would prohibit the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from enforcing its Dodd Frank Section 1071 small business data collection rule. The attempted veto-override earned 54 votes, failing to reach the two-thirds majority needed to advance.
The Senate originally passed Kennedy’s resolution of disapproval in October, and the House of Representatives passed it in December.
“Common sense is illegal at the CFPB, yet some of my colleagues failed to protect the privacy of small business owners across America from the Biden administration’s woke, invasive rule. Congress has already passed this common-sense resolution to safeguard the personal information of small business owners, and it’s wrong for a minority of senators to allow Pres. Biden to keep putting sensitive personal information at risk,” said Kennedy.
Section 1071 requires covered financial institutions to collect certain personal information on small business loan applicants and report that to the CFPB. This information includes an applicant’s race, ethnicity and sex and whether the business is minority-owned, woman-owned or LGBT-owned. The CFPB may then make certain parts of that information public, including data that could be used to publicly identify the small business credit applicant.
Background:
- In June 2023, Kennedy introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval of the CFPB rule to implement Dodd Frank Section 1071, which amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
- Kennedy introduced the Transparency in CFPB Cost-Benefit Analysis Act to ensure that the CFPB does not establish regulations that would foist unreasonable costs or harms onto taxpayers, financial entities or consumers.
- Kennedy introduced the Small LENDER Act to protect Louisiana’s small businesses’ access to capital. The legislation would block the Biden administration’s CFPB from requiring community banks and small lenders to collect and report social data—such as race, gender and ethnicity—from borrowers.
The legislation is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $1,000,413 in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant for Louisiana disaster aid.
“The Audubon Zoo is one of the top attractions in New Orleans. I’m grateful to see that this $1 million will help restore facilities at the park so that families from around the country can continue to enjoy animal encounters,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $1,000,413 to the Audubon Commission for permanent zoo repairs needed as a result of Hurricane Ida.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to purchase $36 million of shrimp to help alleviate food insecurity. The USDA made the purchase under the Agriculture Act of 1935, which provides for national food assistance during emergencies.
“High inflation is hindering Americans’ ability to put food on the table, and many families are relying on national food assistance programs to get by. I’m thankful for the USDA’s purchase of $36 million of gulf shrimp, which will not only benefit Louisiana shrimpers, but will also help those in need during this holiday season,” said Kennedy.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $24,078,966 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Laura battered southwest Louisiana. I’m grateful to see Lake Charles and other communities receive this $24.1 million to rebuild,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $12,825,813 to the Cameron School Board Office to replace the South Cameron High School gymnasium due to damage from Hurricane Laura.
- $6,162,038 to the Office of Risk Management to restore McNeese State University’s Quadrant D building due to damage from Hurricane Laura.
- $3,944,438 to the Office of Risk Management for repairs to the main campus of McNeese State University resulting from Hurricane Laura.
- $1,146,677 to Lake Charles, La. to repair damages to Buddy Prejean Park resulting from Hurricane Laura.
Biden vetoes Kennedy resolution to reverse CFPB rule requiring banks to collect race, ethnicity, sex data
Dec 20 2023
MADISONVILLE, La. – President Joe Biden has vetoed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval, which would have prohibited the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from enforcing its Dodd Frank Section 1071 small business data collection rule.
“Being a small business owner in America is stressful enough without worrying about your personal information being exposed as you grow your business. I’m very disappointed that President Biden chose to veto this simple resolution that could have protected the private information of small business owners from this invasive woke CFPB rule,” said Kennedy.
The Senate passed Kennedy’s resolution in October. The House of Representatives passed the resolution in December, sending it to the president’s desk.
Section 1071 requires covered financial institutions to collect and report certain personal information on small business loan applicants and report that to the CFPB. This information includes an applicant’s race, ethnicity and sex and whether the business is minority-owned, woman-owned or LGBT-owned. The CFPB may then make certain parts of that information public, including data that could be used to publicly identify the small business credit applicant.
In August, Kennedy led a letter to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, urging the bureau to pause its 1071 data collection rule while the courts determine the validity of the Section 1071 rule.
Background
On March 30, 2023, the CFPB promulgated the final rule implementing Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which amends the ECOA. The rule was published in the Federal Register on May 31, 2023.
To comply with the Biden CFPB rule, financial institutions will have to collect information about applicants, including the applicant’s census tract, North American Industry Classification System code and years in business—among other information.
- The rule applies to financial institutions that originated at least 100 small business loans in each of the two preceding calendar years.
- A small business is defined as a company with $5 million or less in revenue from the previous fiscal year.
Among the many concerns about the CFPB’s collecting and storing such personal information is that the agency recently experienced a data breach including the personally identifiable information of 256,000 consumers and failed to properly inform them for two months.
The implementation of this rule may also reduce the availability and accessibility of small business credit by increasing the compliance costs of lenders.
Text of Kennedy’s resolution is available here.
Video of Kennedy’s comments at the resolution’s Senate passage is here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – President Joe Biden signed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (SALE) Act into law. The legislation will require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to release previously auctioned spectrum to expand 5G broadband access to rural communities.
“Louisiana’s job providers depend on wireless communications as they support rural economies. My 5G SALE Act will provide crucial broadband access by giving the FCC the authority to finish transferring previously auctioned spectrum to companies that offer 5G coverage. I’m grateful to see my bill signed into law so that more Americans have the tools they need to do their jobs and grow their businesses,” said Kennedy.
The Senate passed Kennedy’s legislation this September, and the House of Representatives passed Kennedy’s legislation earlier this December.
The 5G SALE Act will temporarily grant the FCC auction authority it needs to complete spectrum transfers, which will allow broadband services to provide greater 5G network coverage to Americans in rural areas.
Background:
In 2022, the FCC auctioned off roughly 8,000 licenses to grant companies access to America’s broadband spectrum. These licenses are the only way companies can legally use the radio waves that deliver 5G to customers. These wavelengths are therefore highly valuable.
During the period between when companies paid for their licenses and when the FCC should have parceled the licenses out, Congress failed to reauthorize the FCC’s ability to auction off licenses altogether. The FCC left each company that bought spectrum in that auction waiting to receive its transfer. Despite payments being complete, the FCC said it no longer had the authority to grant those licenses.
Kennedy’s legislation granted the FCC a one-time, temporary authority to issue licenses purchased in auctions that were held before March 9, 2023 (when the FCC’s Congressional authorization ended).
Prior to the bill’s passage, Kennedy questioned FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing about the commission’s lapsed authority to transfer spectrum licenses already sold at auction.
Full text of the 5G SALE Act is available here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released the following statement upon the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to exclude former president Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot:
“The Colorado Supreme Court has mis-stepped and overstepped. Its ruling reeks of politics and bad faith. It takes agency away from voters and misinterprets the Fourteenth Amendment. The Colorado court claims that it wants to protect democracy, but it clearly doesn’t want people to be able to vote for President Trump.”
