WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and all other Republican members of the committee in urging Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to hold a hearing regarding civil rights violations of Jewish students and the growing support for terrorist ideology on college campuses.
“The right to protest peacefully and the right to freely express one’s views—no matter how controversial—are enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These rights are proud American traditions. Violent mobs and the intimidation of individuals because of their faith, however, are not,” the senators wrote.
The senators highlighted how an increase in anti-Israel activism is threatening the safety and rights of Jewish students at federally funded universities.
“Jewish students are being actively targeted, harassed, intimidated, threatened, and in some cases assaulted for one reason: their heritage and religion. This is fundamentally un-American. It is also a federal crime. . . . Equally disturbing are the prominent displays of symbols, flags, and slogans of terrorist groups at these campuses,” the senators expressed.
The lawmakers also highlighted that since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, the Judiciary Committee has held hearings concerning other civil rights issues in the U.S. but has not held any hearings regarding the blatant violations of Jewish students’ rights or the proliferation of terrorist ideology on campuses.
“. . . our Committee should examine why more is not being done to protect the civil rights of innocent students across America. We must also examine the threat to national security posed by the proliferation of radical Islamist ideology in the academy. These pressing issues demand our immediate attention,” the senators concluded.
The full letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and 33 other colleagues in urging the Biden administration not to bring Gazan refugees to the U.S. and to focus instead on bringing American hostages back home.
Earlier this week, reports revealed the White House is considering welcoming Gazans to the U.S.
“Your administration’s reported plan to accept Gazan refugees poses a national security risk to the United States. With more than a third of Gazans supporting the Hamas militants, we are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States,” wrote the lawmakers.
“We are also frustrated that your administration is pushing ahead with a plan to evacuate Gazans from the Strip when there are still American citizens held hostage by Hamas. We demand that your administration cease planning for accepting Gazan refugees until you adequately answer our concerns and focus your attention instead on securing the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas,” the senators explained.
Recent polling found that more than 70% of Gazans support Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack against civilians in Israel.
“We must ensure Gazans with terrorist ties or sympathies are denied admission into the United States—no easy feat, given the fact that the Gazans were the ones who voted Hamas into power in 2006. Without thorough vetting, your administration may inadvertently accept terrorists posing as refugees into the interior. This is especially the case as Hamas terrorists have a long track record of co-mingling with civilian populations in Gaza,” they continued.
“Unfortunately, the risk of terrorists entering our homeland is no hypothetical matter. Border officials have arrested 169 people on the FBI terror watch lists in Fiscal Year 2023, a record-setting number that exceeds the total of the last six fiscal years combined. Apprehended terrorists include a Hezbollah fighter who intended ‘to make a bomb’ and was headed for New York. Given your administration’s abject failure at countering the flow of potential terrorists at our border, how can Congress trust your administration to adequately vet the refugees crossing the Egypt-Gaza border, located nearly 6,000 miles away from Washington, D.C.?” the senators concluded.
Background:
- Kennedy authored a bill to ban U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) permanently due to employees of the refugee agency support for Hamas.
- Kennedy introduced the Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act to address reports indicating that Palestinian students are being taught inaccurate or racist content about Israel and the Jewish people.
The full letter is available here.
Kennedy confirms future of LNG center with Buttigieg: “It’s going to be placed in Lake Charles”
May 02 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today confirmed with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg that the National Center of Excellence for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Safety will be located in Lake Charles, La. The exchange occurred during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
“We have directed the GSA [General Services Administration] to provide options in Lake Charles for that LNG Center of Excellence. Of course, we need to make sure we follow the procurement process, and we need to make sure that there are adequate resources coming in from the Center, and we’re working with you on that,” Buttigieg said.
“But we certainly recognize the importance and the potential of this facility and the value that it could bring, making sure that we have the safest and most environmentally responsible LNG processes in the world,” the secretary concluded.
Buttigieg confirmed that the Center would be located in Louisiana in partnership with Louisiana colleges, including McNeese State University.
“Within Louisiana, it’s going to be placed in Lake Charles, is that right?” asked Kennedy.
“That’s what we’ve directed the GSA to do: to find sites in Lake Charles that would meet the mission,” Buttigieg confirmed.
In 2020, Kennedy advocated for the creation of a new National Center of Excellence for LNG and drafted legislation to guarantee it would be built in Louisiana. He later secured funding to build and operate the Center. Kennedy also fought to ensure that Lake Charles would overcome the efforts of several competing sites along the Gulf Coast to become the Center’s home.
Kennedy then worked to secure a partnership between the Center, McNeese State and other Louisiana colleges to create opportunities for students to get hands-on experience with industrial-grade LNG equipment. Once completed, the Center will promote and facilitate training, education and research and development within the LNG sector.
Kennedy told Buttigieg that Louisianians have been waiting for years for this project to move forward.
“We’re trying to get this built. It’s frustrating, of course. It’s not, altogether, your fault. Some days it seems like it takes longer than medical school to get something done around here,” Kennedy explained.
Watch Kennedy’s full exchange with Buttigieg here.
Kennedy on antisemitic campus protests: “President Biden could stop this stuff on a dime”
May 01 2024
View Kennedy’s full remarks here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and colleagues in calling on officials to end the antisemitic protests and violence that continue to infect on college campuses.
Key remarks from the senator are below:
“What we're seeing at some of our college campuses is a rule by the mob. That's what many of you—not all of you, but many [members of the press]—would call a ‘threat to democracy’ if it were being perpetuated by Republicans. Democrats seem to be able to do it without consequence.”
“We shouldn't paint with too broad a brush. Some of our universities have done a good job. I'll mention three: Vanderbilt, Tulane and the University of Florida. They have done a good job in dealing with this rule by the mob because of their leadership. The presidents of those three universities are passionate advocates of free speech. They understand that the Constitution protects free speech against government, but it does not protect disruptive behavior.
“And they understand the First Amendment to the Constitution makes a distinction between speech and behavior, and it's not complicated. . . . I want to thank them. I think the president of Columbia could learn a lot from them.
“I think much of the problem comes from members—some members, not all, but some members—of these universities’ faculty. There are members of the faculty at some of these universities who believe in diversity, equity, inclusion and the right to kill Jews.”
. . .
“And many of these professors—not all of them, and not at all universities—but many of these professors, instead of celebrating their universities as a diverse place of diversity and ideas, they are convinced they are right, and they want to punish people who disagree with them—and that's a big part of the problem.
“President Biden could stop this stuff on a dime. . . . All he would have to do is pick up the phone and call the president of Columbia University quietly and say, ‘Madam President . . . You’ve got 14 days to get control of your campus, or you’re not getting any more federal money.’ And she will pounce on that like a ninja.
“But Joe Biden hasn't done that, and President Biden is not going to do that. . . . He's not going to do that because of the raw, gut politics.”
View Kennedy’s full remarks here.
Kennedy calls on Biden admin to end burdensome regulations destroying energy production in the Gulf
May 01 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today joined Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and colleagues in urging the Biden administration’s Commerce and Interior Departments not to move forward with proposed regulations that would destroy offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico.
In July 2023, the Biden administration entered an agreement with environmental organizations to restrict the use of oil and gas carrier vessels in certain parts of the Gulf due to unfounded claims that the ships interfere with the Rice’s whale species in the area.
“The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), have actively pursued unnecessary measures for the Rice’s whale at the expense of communities along the Gulf of Mexico. While we appreciate that NOAA denied the petition to establish vessel speed measures in the Gulf and that BOEM removed Rice’s whale stipulations from Lease Sale 261, we strongly urge that NOAA, NMFS, and BOEM refrain from advancing regulations that lack sound scientific backing,” the senators wrote.
“While NOAA and BOEM’s data is incomplete, we do have a robust understanding of the economic impact of the Gulf of Mexico. Our ports provide a clear view of commercial activity in and out of the Gulf. In Texas, the Port of Houston generated $439 billion in statewide economic value in 2022. Ports across the state of Louisiana generated $182 billion in statewide economic impact, which includes nine ports located directly on the coast. In Alabama, the Port of Mobile generated more than $85 billion in total economic activity in 2021. Imposing restrictions on development in the Gulf of Mexico would directly harm the economic activity and jobs across coastal communities,” they continued.
“When issuing regulations with such significant impacts to our economy and national security, it is imperative to rely on the best available science. We agree with the importance of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act but caution you to avoid moving forward with regulations without verifiable scientific data. Just yesterday, NOAA announced supposed sightings that ‘could be used to improve the Rice’s whale abundance estimate,’ clearly highlighting that more work is needed before any agency action. Rather than depending on centuries-old whaling records and non-peer reviewed claims for rulemaking, NOAA and BOEM should gather new, verified data on the species in question,” the senators concluded.
Background:
- The Biden administration entered a settlement agreement with the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Turtle Island Restoration Network to block 6 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico from being used for oil and gas production.
- The organizations claim that ship traffic in the region would disturb the habitat of the Rice’s whale, a species native to the Gulf. Yet, the organizations cited a study that uses flawed methodology and lacks scientific evidence.
- BOEM also may impose a 10-knot speed limit for ships and restrict nighttime transit for oil and gas vessels throughout the area, which will disrupt the production of oil and gas in the Gulf. BOEM also intended to enforce its restrictions solely on oil and natural gas companies, which make up only a small portion of the overall ship traffic in the area.
- The administration’s restrictions will hinder America’s energy production and reduce bids for offshore lease sales.
The full letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in announcing that the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act now has support from more than 60 members of the Senate.
The bill would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
“When a hurricane strikes, Louisianians depend on AM radio to get emergency updates. I am proud to see broad support for this commonsense bill, and I hope the Senate moves quickly to protect AM radio,” said Kennedy.
More than 200 members cosponsored the House of Representatives’ companion legislation.
“Democrats and Republicans are tuning in to the millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters, and countless emergency management officials who depend on AM radio in their vehicles. AM radio is a lifeline for people in every corner of the United States to get news, sports, and local updates in times of emergencies. Our commonsense bill makes sure this fundamental, essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial. With a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, Congress should quickly take it up and pass it,” said Markey and Cruz.
Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) also cosponsored the bill.
The full text of the legislation is available here.
Kennedy announces $2.2 million in Hurricanes Laura, Ida aid for Calcasieu, Lafourche Parishes
Apr 30 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $2,191,871 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida hit Lafourche Parish hard, and Hurricane Laura dealt a tough blow to Calcasieu Parish. This $2.2 million will help folks in southern Louisiana restore infrastructure for families,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $1,140,733 to Lafourche Parish to restore the Bayou Blue baseball fields in Houma, La. after Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,051,138 to the Calcasieu Parish School Board for repairs to Saint John Elementary School buildings due to Hurricane Laura damage.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $10,540,171 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida battered southeast Louisiana, and Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes are still working hard to rebuild. This $10.5 million will help Louisianians in our communities recover from the devastation Ida left behind,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $5,232,036 to Terrebonne Parish for management costs resulting from Hurricane Ida.
- $3,074,573 to Lafourche Parish to restore Raceland Park after Hurricane Ida damage.
- $2,233,562 to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office for emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Ida.
WASHINGTON – A new Morning Consult survey reports that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) is one of the 10 most popular U.S. Senators. The survey represents “the industry’s only comprehensive look at the popularity of America’s top statewide federal officials in all 50 states.”
“Our latest definitive ranking of America’s most popular senators, where Wyoming’s John Barrasso remains No. 1 for the fourth quarter in a row. He is joined by three new faces—Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and John Kennedy of Louisiana,” says Morning Consult.
The survey looks to each senator’s own constituents to understand how well the people of each state feel they are being served by their senators.
According to the report, it ranks policymakers by prioritizing the highest approval rating and breaking ties with net approval, the share of constituents who approve minus the share of those who disapprove.
MONROE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke with constituents at the Monroe Chamber and West Monroe-West Ouachita Chambers luncheon about their priorities for northeast Louisiana, including delivering economic wins for the area.
“I sit on the Appropriations Committee. I never ask for a penny more than [Louisiana] needs, but I never, ever accept a penny less than we deserve—and I’ll continue to do that,” said Kennedy.
Since 2022, Kennedy has delivered the following wins for northeast Louisiana through his role as an appropriator:
- $219 million from the Department of Transportation to improve highways, roads and local airports in Monroe and Bastrop.
- $54.5 million in Department of Education grants as well as health and science research grants for post-secondary schools in the area, including Louisiana Tech, Grambling University and Louisiana Delta Community College.
- $10.8 million to the region from the Department of Agriculture for research, conservation and business development.
- $10.7 million to improve economic conditions through the Economic Development Administration and Small Business Administration grants.
- $8 million in Delta Regional Authority investments for road improvement projects and a rail spur at the Port of Columbia.
