Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) issued the following statement regarding the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security:
“Here’s a cold dish of truth, folks: We’ve got 260,000 people who work at the Department of Homeland Security, and they have gone without pay for more than a month because my Democratic colleagues refuse to work with us to reopen the department. It’s unconscionable. It’s inexcusable.
“Meanwhile, members of Congress have been receiving their pay as normal. Now, when fair-minded Americans hear that members of Congress haven’t missed a paycheck while more than a quarter of a million DHS employees go without, it triggers their gag reflexes.
“And that’s why I have drafted a resolution. It’s been before all senators for some time. A resolution that bans members of the Senate from collecting their pay during government shutdowns until the shutdown is over. My resolution would require the Secretary of the Senate to place each member’s paycheck in a vault until the government reopens. It’s very simple. You don’t have to be an astrophysicist to figure it out.
“Now, the resolution that I authored has already passed the Senate Rules Committee. Every single Republican voted for it. And every single Democrat on the Rules Committee voted for it. But now, my Democratic colleagues have shut down a portion of the government yet again, and they won’t support my resolution. They blocked it.
“But look, I’m like the Terminator. I’ll be back again, and again, and again, to try to pass this resolution. I’m not trying to be a hero. I’m not trying to put anybody down. This is about shared sacrifice.
“Senators shouldn’t be able to use a federal employee’s paycheck as a political pawn without sacrificing their own paychecks. In America, we call that fairness. We call that common sense. If the employees of the Department of Homeland Security aren’t being paid, senators shouldn’t be paid, either. And that’s just the bottom line.”
Watch Kennedy’s remarks here.
Full text of the resolution is available here.
Kennedy calls for shared sacrifice, asks Senate Financial Clerk to withhold his pay until DHS shutdown ends
Mar 26 2026
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to the Financial Clerk of the U.S. Senate requesting that they withhold his salary until the ongoing shutdown at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ends. The funding lapse has left DHS personnel, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, working through the shutdown without pay as travel disruptions and staffing strains continue to worsen.
“If TSA officers, Border Patrol agents, and other DHS personnel are not getting paid, neither should senators. That’s what my letter is about. It’s about shared sacrifice. I’m asking the Senate Financial Clerk to withhold my paycheck until DHS is open again. We should not be cashing checks while the hardworking men and women protecting our homeland go without pay,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy’s letter builds on his long-standing efforts to ensure senators feel the consequences of a government shutdown. Most recently, on March 23, 2026, Kennedy attempted to pass his resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns via unanimous consent, but Senate Democrats objected and blocked the resolution. In making his case, Kennedy said the resolution was about “shared sacrifice” and sending a message to the American people.
Kennedy first introduced early versions of this legislation in November 2025 during the historic 43-day government shutdown and fought for passage on the U.S. Senate floor.
Kennedy’s resolution received unanimous, bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate Rules Committee in December 2025.
Full text of the letter is here.
Full text of the resolution is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s speech on the U.S. Senate floor on his resolution here.
Kennedy, Collins, Shaheen, Warnock introduce bill to cap cost of insulin at $35 per month
Mar 25 2026
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) today introduced the Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act. The legislation would cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for Americans on private and employer insurance and create a pilot program to provide insulin at the same cost to Americans without insurance.
“When moms and dads lie down to sleep at night and can’t, they’re usually worried about the cost of living—and for a whole lot of families in Louisiana, one of the biggest worries is how they’re going to pay for life-saving medication like insulin. I’ve been working for years on legislation capping insulin prices and making it easier for folks living with diabetes to get the essential medication they need without going broke. Our bipartisan INSULIN Act would save Americans money, help them avoid life-threatening diabetes complications, and make our health care system look a bit more like we designed it on purpose,” said Kennedy.
“Tens of millions of Americans rely on insulin as part of their daily treatment, and for many, it is literally a matter of life and death. I have heard far too many stories from people in Maine and across the country who have been forced to ration their insulin because of the cost, and that is simply unacceptable. This bipartisan legislation would cap the cost of insulin at $35 and address underlying issues in the insulin market so that more patients—both insured and uninsured—can afford the medication they need,” said Collins.
“The cost of insulin is getting more expensive year after year, forcing one in five Americans with diabetes to ration their insulin. That is completely unacceptable, and it’s particularly galling at a time when costs for Americans—including health care prices—are going up across the board. Our legislation maps out a comprehensive, commonsense plan that will finally lower the cost of insulin for diabetic patients, regardless of their insurance status. In the greatest country in the world, patients shouldn’t have to go bankrupt for medication they need to live,” said Shaheen.
“I’m proud this bipartisan coalition of Senators agrees insulin should be affordable for everyone, including uninsured Americans. Our legislation finally caps the cost of insulin for everyone and provides a pathway of funding to community health centers so they can continue reaching uninsured people who need affordable insulin. No one should be forced to put their health or life in danger because they can’t afford insulin or don’t know where to get it,” said Warnock.
Background:
The average insulin-dependent diabetic pays $4,800 in out-of-pocket expenses each year related to medical appointments, supplies and medications.
These high costs often result in diabetics rationing or going without necessary medication. One in six nonelderly Americans with diabetes admitted to rationing their prescribed insulin doses due to financial concerns.
In response, the INSULIN Act would:
- Ensure that group and individual market health plans waive any deductible and limit cost-sharing to no more than $35 or 25% of list price per month for at least one insulin of each type and dosage form.
- Mandate pharmacy benefit managers pass through 100% of insulin rebates and other discounts received from manufacturers to plan sponsors.
- Promote generic and biosimilar competition to lower costs to patients.
- Create a pilot grant program for 10 states to implement programs to identify people with diabetes who are uninsured and provide them with insulin at $35 per month.
- Establish an insulin resource center and hotline for people with diabetes who are uninsured to connect them with resources about diabetes and programs to help them secure insulin.
In addition to the INSULIN Act, Kennedy and Warnock have also championed their Affordable Insulin Now Act. This legislation, which Kennedy and Warnock first introduced in 2023, would ensure that every American—with or without health insurance—has access to a 30-day supply of insulin for no more than $35 per month.
View full text of the INSULIN Act here.
Democrats block Kennedy resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns
Mar 23 2026
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) attempted to pass his resolution to withhold senators’ pay during government shutdowns via unanimous consent on Sunday, but Senate Democrats objected and blocked the resolution.
“And here is what my resolution would do: It would change Senate rules to provide that, when we are in a shutdown, that Senators cannot be paid, cannot receive their salaries. Their checks would be—think of it this way, Mr. President—locked in a vault. And once the shutdown is over, the Senators could pick them up,” Kennedy explained.
“This resolution—again, it is not a bill—is about shared sacrifice. And I am not doing it to punish anybody. I am not doing it to try to embarrass anybody,” Kennedy said, later adding, “It is about shared sacrifice and sending a message. We have about a squillion employees at the Department of Homeland Security that aren’t being paid, and there is no prospect of them being paid.”
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) then objected to Kennedy’s unanimous consent request without being recognized by the Chair or stepping forward to explain his objection.
“Can you opine on why my colleague objected and then immediately left, and whether he is coming back?” Kennedy asked. The parliamentarian then claimed that Sen. Schatz did not need to be recognized to block Kennedy’s resolution from passing through unanimous consent.
“All right. I am coming back, Mr. President,” Kennedy said. “And I am coming back, and I am coming back, and I am coming back. Did I mention I will be back? And if a Member of this body disagrees with what I am doing, then, by God, they ought to come down here and stand up in front of the U.S. Senate and stand up in front of the American people and stand up in front of God and stand up in front of country and stand up in front of all these people—these good people that aren’t being paid—and say: Here is why.”
Kennedy first introduced early versions of this legislation in November 2025 during the historic 43-day government shutdown and fought for their passage on the U.S. Senate floor.
Kennedy’s resolution received unanimous, bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate Rules Committee in December 2025.
Full resolution text is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in the Center Square arguing that Louisiana energy producers play a vital role in ensuring America’s national security interests. Kennedy’s op-ed also appeared in Shreveport-Bossier’s BIZ Magazine and The Livingston Parish News.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“President Donald Trump did not start a war with Iran. He is trying to stop a war by Iran. Our intelligence showed that Iran had renewed its nuclear weapons program. Our intelligence also showed that Iran had begun manufacturing hundreds of missiles and drones a month so that Iran could threaten to destroy the entire Middle East if we ever attacked it again to stop its development of a nuclear warhead. The Trump administration had no choice but to do what we did.
“One of the reasons the president was able to attack first in order to protect America’s security and interests is because we are no longer dependent on Iran or any other nation for energy. In fact, we can produce enough oil and gas to satisfy America’s energy needs and have some left over to sell to our friends in Europe, for instance.
“Just 10 years ago, Louisiana sent its first cargo export of liquified natural gas (LNG) overseas to our allies. In the decade since, Louisiana energy producers have ramped up LNG shipments to nearly 15 billion cubic feet per day. That’s enough LNG to power 15 London-sized cities every day.”
. . .
“The world has long known that it can count on Louisiana to be the most interesting state in America. But many world leaders now understand that they can count on Louisiana to be something more: The world’s premier energy supplier.”
Read Kennedy’s op-ed here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 15 bipartisan Banking Committee colleagues in pointing out the dangers posed by China-linked firms that hide their corporate structures using variable interest entities (VIEs).
In a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins, the Banking Committee members called for the SEC’s Cross-Border Task Force to Combat Fraud to address concerns about how Chinese corporations can exploit VIE structures to conceal violations of American investors’ privacy and Chinese Communist Party influence.
“We welcome the SEC’s new Cross-Border Task Force to Combat Fraud. As part of that work, the SEC should examine how [VIE] structures are being used, as they may advance Chinese government objectives in ways that undermine investor protection and fair, orderly, and efficient markets,” the senators wrote.
“A VIE is a legal structure where a company is controlled through contractual agreements or arrangements other than a direct equity stake with voting rights associated with equity ownership. American investors in these structures will – sometimes unknowingly – purchase shares in an offshore shell company contractually tied to a PRC-based operating entity,” the lawmakers explained.
“Ultimately, the VIE structure leaves investors without insight into the operating entity’s true ownership structure, with weak contractual claims, no right as shareholders to meaningfully participate in the operating entity’s corporate decision-making, and with little or no meaningful legal protection, including recourse in the event of bankruptcy, and exposure to changes in Chinese law or interpretations of law that harm investors’ rights or value of their investments,” the Banking Committee members cautioned.
“It is critical for the United States to address the threats posed by China and its use of opaque corporate structures, including the risks to U.S. investors and the U.S. financial system,” Kennedy and his colleagues concluded.
Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) joined Kennedy, Scott and Warren in signing the letter.
View the full letter here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in seeking an update from acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner and Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Scott Bessent on the implementation of their Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act.
The bill, which Kennedy helped reintroduce in January 2025, allows the IRS to extend federal tax filing deadlines following a state-declared emergency or disaster.
President Donald Trump signed the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act into law in July 2025, and thanks to Kennedy’s work, this authority was recently used to help Louisianians in the wake of Winter Storm Fern.
In a letter to Bessent, Kennedy and his colleagues requested an update on the implementation of their law, any public notices or guidance the IRS plans to issue, its coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and efforts to inform states and territories of the IRS’s new authority.
“With the April 15, 2026 federal tax filing deadline now just weeks away, it is critical that businesses, individuals, and states understand [the] full scope of how the IRS intends to implement this legislation,” the senators wrote.
“We are pleased to see that IRS has moved swiftly to use this authority in the case of recent winter storms in Louisiana. However, there does not appear to be any guidance, FAQ documents, or other resources for taxpayers, tax practitioners, or states to review to understand how this authority will function,” they continued.
“Congress passed this legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support because the importance of supporting Americans impacted by natural disasters is beyond dispute,” the lawmakers explained.
“We urge IRS to move swiftly to fully implement this legislation. We appreciate your attention to this matter and remain committed to supporting the agency’s efforts to deliver relief to disaster-affected Americans,” Kennedy and his colleagues concluded.
Watch Kennedy questioning Bessent on using this law to give tax relief to Louisianians in the wake of Winter Storm Fern here.
View the full letter here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today urged his colleagues to consider passing funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the SAVE America Act through reconciliation in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below.
“It is a fact that the Karen wing of the Democratic Party is in ascendency, and it is firmly in control. And any Democrat, we all know this, that agrees to any kind of compromise with respect to ICE is going to be punished the rest of their natural lives. They can’t do it, and they’re not going to.
“Now, we can keep having meetings and discussing it. We’ve been doing it for weeks. Most of these meetings could easily be accomplished with an email. And I’ve been part of the discussions in our conference. I’m convinced that listening to the same thing over and over and over again is lowering my IQ when we know that nothing is going to resolve this because my Democratic friends politically can’t agree to a compromise about ICE.
“So, here’s what I think we ought to do: I think that we should accept the Democrats’ offer to open up TSA and to open up FEMA and to open up the Coast Guard and to open up and fund CISA, and let’s get that done. Let’s shorten these [TSA] lines, and then the day after we do that, Republicans need to file a reconciliation bill—the same way we passed the One Big Beautiful Bill—and on our own, we need to come up with a budget for ICE. It’s the only way to solve this problem.”
. . .
“I would include the SAVE Act as part of that reconciliation bill, as well. We wouldn’t need 60 votes. We wouldn’t need 55 votes. We’d only need 51 votes. We passed the One Big Beautiful Bill with 50 votes and the vice president breaking the tie. . . . I would go get a really smart lawyer and ask them to help us craft a SAVE Act that can survive a Byrd bath. I would do those two things in reconciliation or at least open up ICE through reconciliation.”
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in Fox News Digital urging Democrats to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“My Democratic colleagues have opposed President Donald Trump’s agenda at every turn, and that’s their right. But their decision to shut down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t some harmless act of political gamesmanship; it’s incredibly dangerous.
“In the one month since Democrats voted to deny funding to DHS, the United States has faced at least four apparent terrorist attacks.”
. . .
“We all know some Democrats hate President Trump more than the Devil hates holy water, but we’ve seen four apparent terrorist attacks in two weeks. The Department of Homeland Security isn’t a pawn in a political game. We need these officers focused on spotting sleeper cells, not their missing paychecks.
“To my Democratic colleagues: Don’t wait for another attack to get serious about protecting America’s security. Reopen DHS today.”
Read Kennedy’s op-ed here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today reaffirmed his support for the SAVE America Act and called for the use of another reconciliation bill to pass the legislation in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below.
“Mr. President, I would like to talk for a few minutes about the SAVE [America] Act. I’m a cosponsor. I support it unconditionally. The SAVE [America] Act, as you well know, Mr. President, is really pretty simple. It’s about our sanctity of voting in America.
“It says, ‘If you want to register to vote in America, you have to prove that you're a citizen of America,’ and once you're registered, it says, ‘When you're voting in a federal election, in all instances, you have to prove you are who you say you are in order to vote.’ Very simple."
. . .
“It’s about trying to get the American people to trust our elections every year in light of the fact that President Biden and his team, with the concurrence of many of my colleagues in this chamber, admitted millions and millions and millions of people into our country illegally.”
. . .
“It’s meant to say to the American people, ‘Look, we in Congress hear you. We want you to trust our elections.’”
. . .
“If this bill is as important as we say it is, we should try it through reconciliation. I haven’t convinced Senator Thune of that. I haven’t convinced all of my colleagues on either side of the aisle, but I plan on continuing to chase them like they stole Thanksgiving and Christmas put together.”
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
