I hope that you and your families had a great carnival season and are ready to enjoy a beautiful spring. Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been doing on Capitol Hill lately. Recently, I’ve been working on legislation to lower prescription drug prices, to protect your private data and to reduce fraud in government assistance programs. Be sure to follow me on social media and keep reading to find out more about initiatives and projects that I’m pursuing on Capitol Hill.
Turn out the lights. The party’s over. After 2,800 subpoenas, 500 witness interviews, 19 lawyers, 40 FBI agents and 500 search warrants, the Mueller investigation is over and the Special Counsel found no evidence of collusion, and they declined to pursue an obstruction of justice indictment. Now I hope that the report will be released to the public because the American people deserve to draw their own conclusions. Click here or the photo below to listen to my reaction to Attorney General William Barr’s report on the conclusions of Robert Mueller’s investigation:
One of the highest honors of my job as a U.S. Senator is nominating promising young Louisiana high school students for appointment to military academies. So far, Wesley Launey of Ville Platte and Harlan Perez Jerro of Baton Rouge have been invited to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. Gabriella “Gabby” Berger of Mandeville and Annabel Powers of New Orleans have received acceptances from the U.S. Naval Academy, and Michael Roddy of Clinton has been invited to attend West Point. What talented, public service-driven students! I am so proud of them for pursuing this noble and impressive collegiate path.
Earlier, this month I introduced the Income Verification Act, which will reduce waste in taxpayer-funded government assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Too much money is being misspent on ineligible recipients. They’re able to enroll in programs and receive benefits simply because government workers aren’t verifying income eligibility. In fact, the state of Louisiana wasted as much as $85 million on Medicaid patients who made too much money to qualify for the program. My legislation will force states to use federal tax information to verify income eligibility for these programs.
For three years, many Louisiana families have been trying to rebuild after the devastating floods in 2016, but many have run into roadblocks attempting to get federal aid because of an administrative issue at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Earlier this month, Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., and I met with HUD Secretary Ben Carson to discuss a long-delayed resolution to this duplication of benefits issue that is keeping Louisiana families from receiving much-needed federal aid to rebuild their homes. If Secretary Carson can’t take the proper steps to solve this issue, my next meeting will be with the president of the United States. I’ll keep fighting for Louisiana families to receive the proper relief that they deserve.
One year ago this month, the news broke that Cambridge Analytica gained access to 50 million Facebook users’ private information. Since then, I have fought for legislation that will prioritize user privacy and put social media companies back in their place. The information you share on social media is your own data. You create that content. You should own it. I introduced the Own Your Own Data Act last week, which transfers data property rights back into the hands of the users. Click here or the photo below to learn more about my bill.
I had the pleasure of meeting with Louisiana’s U.S. Senate Youth Program representatives, Sarah Katherine and Allen. At such a young age, they both exhibit impressive leadership skills. You’ve made Louisiana proud!
On a visit to Monroe, I had the honor of meeting World War II veteran Johnny Willard (left). He is a true American hero.
A few weeks ago, Tony Simmons, CEO of McIhenny Company, stopped by my office in D.C. The McIlhenny Company is the producer of Tabasco sauce!
Students from Metairie Park County Day School, St. Amant High School and St. Mary’s Dominican High School stopped by the Capitol on a freezing winter day in D.C. I want to applaud them for braving the cold and taking the time to visit and learn about our nation’s capital.
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Washington, DC SR-416, Russell Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4623 Fax: (202) 228-0447
