Kennedy on Fox News: Why SCOTUS should seize opportunity to eliminate universal injunctions
May 15 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, penned this op-ed on Fox News urging the Supreme Court to address the problem of universal injunctions ahead of oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc. on Thursday.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“The universal injunction gives individual judges extraordinary power. Don’t like a law passed by Congress? Gone. Don’t like an agency’s regulation? Dead. Don’t like one of the president’s policies? Sayonara.”
. . .
“One rogue judge shouldn’t be able to force the Supreme Court to rush on complex legal issues because he or she assumed the power to enjoin a federal policy nationwide.
“This isn’t an ideological issue. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Elena Kagan have all expressed concerns about universal injunctions short-circuiting the American judicial system. Nor is this a partisan issue. Solicitor Generals for both Presidents Biden and Trump have asked the Supreme Court to put an end to universal injunctions.
“These individuals understand better than anyone that the rampant use of universal injunctions by district court judges is threatening to destabilize the judiciary, and indeed, our entire system of government. I hope the court will take advantage of the opportunity to end this unlawful practice once and for all.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and 78 bipartisan senators in introducing a resolution to designate the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025, as National Police Week. The Senate unanimously adopted the resolution.
“One of the toughest jobs in the world is being a police officer, especially when so many officers don’t get the recognition they deserve. I can’t thank Louisiana’s law enforcement community enough for the good work they do to keep our communities strong, safe and free, and I am proud of the Senate for honoring our heroes,” said Kennedy.
“Law enforcement officers in Iowa and across the nation work tirelessly to protect and serve our communities. This week, and every week, we should give our thanks to the brave men and women in blue, who have sacrificed so much to ensure our safety. As always, I’m proud to back the blue and will continue my efforts in Congress to protect and support our courageous officers,” said Grassley.
“Every day, our country’s law enforcement officers put their lives at risk to keep us safe. Officers and their families make great sacrifices in the name of service, including the tragic cases of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. We’re grateful for their heroism, and we must make sure that officers serving with dignity and integrity have the support and resources they need to do their jobs,” said Durbin.
The resolution:
- Designates the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025, as “National Police Week.”
- Honors the 234 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2024 and the 18 officers reportedly killed in the line of duty so far in 2025.
- Expresses unwavering support for law enforcement officers across the U.S. in the pursuit of preserving safe and secure communities.
- Recognizes the need to ensure that law enforcement officers have the equipment, training and resources they need to protect the health and safety of the officers while they protect the public.
- Encourages the American people to observe National Police Week by honoring law enforcement personnel and promoting awareness of the essential mission they undertake in service to their communities and the U.S.
Background:
- In Aug. 2023, the Senate passed the Kennedy-backed Recruit and Retain Act to address the nation-wide shortage of law enforcement officers, increase recruitment and address workforce challenges.
- In Feb. 2024, Kennedy helped introduce the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act to establish a grant program at the Department of Justice to help state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies solve more crimes and improve clearance rates for homicides and firearm related violent crimes.
- In Jan. 2025, Kennedy joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and colleagues in introducing the Thin Blue Line Act to make the targeting, killing or attempted killing of a law enforcement officer, firefighter or other first responder an aggravating factor when determining whether capital punishment is appropriate.
- In Feb. 2025, Kennedy reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Reform Act to expand the concealed-carry rights of qualified law enforcement officers.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Thomas Tillis (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Margaret Hassan (D-N.H.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) joined Kennedy, Grassley and Durbin in introducing the resolution.
Full text of the resolution is available here.
Kennedy, Ricketts, colleagues applaud President Trump’s push to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program
May 14 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and 50 Republican colleagues in sending a letter to President Donald Trump applauding the president’s efforts to secure a deal with Iran that dismantles its nuclear program.
Key excerpts of the letter are below:
“During your first term you withdrew the United States from the deeply broken Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and imposed maximum pressure on the regime. As you said then, a fatal flaw of the deal was that it ‘allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.’ The JCPOA allowed Iran to sell oil, provided waivers allowing third countries to help Iran build out its nuclear program, and included the termination of United Nations sanctions on the regime.”
. . .
“Tragically, the Biden administration systematically undid that pressure, functionally re-implementing the nuclear deal. They immediately rescinded your decision to reimpose U.N. sanctions, allowed Iran to sell oil at JCPOA-levels, and even re-issued waivers allowing Iran to build out its nuclear program. As you predicted, those policies indeed allowed Iran to reach the brink of nuclear breakout, which is where they are today.”
. . .
“We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did. The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated.
“As always we stand ready to provide you and your administration whatever resources you need to advance American national security interests.”
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also signed the letter.
Read the full letter here.
Kennedy touts Louisiana successes in education, backs Pres. Trump’s call to return power to states
May 14 2025
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) welcomed President Trump’s plan to return the issue of education to the states and argued that Louisiana provides a strong example of how states can improve education throughout the country in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“I am not saying Louisiana’s scores are perfect. I am not saying that, but it is undeniable that we are on the right track. We are. We stayed open, for the most part, during the pandemic. We have trained our teachers. We have established standards. You can’t go to the fourth grade until you can read. We have implemented parental choice.”
. . .
“The key to Louisiana’s future is not the price of oil. It is not what the unemployment rate is. It is not who the senator is or who the governor is. It is education.
“The status quo in America isn’t working. We didn’t make it any better as a result of our behavior with respect to the pandemic, and we are behind, but we can catch up if we just do the right things. One of those things is returning education to the states.
“I hope we do dismantle the Department of Education. It is basically a conduit for money—except that money goes through the Department of Education and the 4,000 employees there, and they all put a condition on the money as if they knew what was best for each state. They don’t. We ought to dismantle the Department of Education and send that money directly to the states.”
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $19,204,952 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Louisiana is tough as a boot, and our people’s response to hurricanes like Laura, Ida and Francine proves that. This $19.2 million will help our state police and communities across south Louisiana recover from the costs of brutal storm damage and emergency protective measures,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $6,259,500 to Terrebonne Parish for repairs to the parish’s original diesel plant generator building in Houma, La., resulting from Hurricane Ida damage.
- $5,082,285 to the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office for the replacement of the Kirschman Building in Houma, La., due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $2,450,732 to the Jefferson Parish Public School System for repairs to the Bissonet Plaza Elementary School campus resulting from Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,597,661 to the town of Jean Lafitte, La., for the replacement of its town hall building due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,478,937 to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety for emergency protective measures resulting from Hurricane Francine.
- $1,191,141 to the New Rock of Faith Church in Lake Charles, La., for the replacement of its multipurpose building due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $1,144,696 to the Conquering Word Ministries for the restoration of its sanctuary and school building, gates and fencing due to Hurricane Ida damage.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $4,558,831 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida hit southeast Louisiana hard, and cities like Harahan and New Orleans are still working to recover. This $4.6 million will help Louisianians with the costs of replacing and repairing buildings that Ida damaged,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $3,191,438 to the city of Harahan, La. to replace the Fire Station No. 25 building due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,367,393 to the city of New Orleans, La. for repairs to the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts due to Hurricane Ida damage.
Kennedy, Young, Hassan, colleagues champion bipartisan bill to support American innovation
May 09 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in reintroducing the American Innovation and Jobs Act, which would strengthen American research and development (R&D).
Companies and startups investing in R&D have long been able to either claim a tax credit or deduct their investments, which helps them to invest in developing innovative products. In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which included a provision allowing full expensing of R&D that expired in 2022.
The bill would extend and make permanent that expired provision and allow businesses to retroactively take advantage of the deduction for the tax years during which full expensing had expired.
“Americans deserve a tax code that looks like it was designed on purpose, and that includes extending tax policies that encourage innovation. I’m proud to help introduce the American Innovation and Jobs Act to help our small businesses and startups compete against China,” said Kennedy.
“The United States is locked in a competition to ensure we maintain our position as the global leader in scientific and technological innovation. Our legislation would incentivize job-creating R&D activity in the United States—particularly among start-ups—to drive our innovation future, strengthen international competitiveness, and protect our national security. Congress must pass this legislation,” said Young.
“As many small businesses struggle with rising costs, this bipartisan legislation cuts taxes for small businesses that invest in innovation, which will also help the United States continue to outcompete our adversaries like China,” said Hassan.
Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) also cosponsored the bill.
Full text of the American Innovation and Jobs Act can be found here.
Senate passes Kennedy, Cassidy’s resolution commemorating 100 years of Southeastern Louisiana University
May 09 2025
WASHINGTON – This week, the U.S. Senate passed Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) resolution commemorating 100 years of Southeastern Louisiana University and its impacts on students across Louisiana and the region. Southeastern will continue to celebrate its centennial through December 2025.
“I’ve seen firsthand how a quality education has the power to change lives, and Southeastern Louisiana University has certainly done so by making countless life-changing impacts on our state, its students and the region over the past 100 years. I’m proud to see the Senate pass this resolution honoring its centennial and look forward to seeing this great institution continue to achieve even greater success as we look to the future,” said Kennedy.
The full text of the resolution is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – The Senate passed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) joint resolution of disapproval under Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures to block an Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) rule that delays the bank merger approval process by adding more red tape that could lead to consumer uncertainty.
The Biden administration’srule, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, amended the Bank Merger Act of 1960 to make it harder for the OCC to approve healthy bank mergers quickly. Kennedy’s resolution would reverse the Biden administration’s misguided rule so that banks can stay in business and serve hardworking Americans.
Kennedy spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the resolution’s passage. Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“Well, President Biden’s people at the OCC decided that [the rule] wasn’t broken; so they were going to fix it. Again, I don’t hate anybody, but you have got to call it like you see it.
“I think the folks at President Biden’s OCC got up one day and thought there was an award for being stupid. They took this very simple and effective rule and procedure, and they turned it on its head. What they did was tier-one level moronic.”
. . .
“I am going to ask the Senate to reject President Biden’s cumbersome rule. . . . That doesn’t mean that the OCC can’t revisit it at some point, but let me just be blunt: What President Biden’s OCC people did was put together a plan—a new rule—that looks like it was put together by a heroin addict with a socket wrench. I mean, it is the most convoluted thing you have ever seen.
“If we vote yes today—and I hope we do—then we will reject this rule and go back to doing it the old way.”
Background:
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Historically, the OCC assumed that a potential merger passed muster if the agency took no action on a merger application within 15 days. The burden of showing that a merger would harm business and consumers fell on the OCC and bank regulators.
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The Biden administration’s rule shifted the burden of proof to individual banks, making it harder for banks—particularly community banks—to fulfill their obligations by making smart, strategic mergers.
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In Feb. 2025, Kennedy introduced his resolution to undo the Biden administration’s rule.
Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) cosponsored the resolution.
“The Biden OCC rule restricting bank mergers would lead to less competition in the industry and reduce access to credit and important services for Americans. I’m proud to join Senator Kennedy’s effort to overturn this rule and allow the free market to decide how financial institutions can best serve their customers,” said Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
“The Biden bank merger rule was a solution in search of a problem and embodies the overzealous rulemaking that defined the last Administration. Lacking any basis in sound banking policy, this regulation added more red tape and disproportionally burdened and harmed the competitiveness of small and mid-size banks by deterring beneficial business combinations,” said Daines.
The resolution will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), chairman of the Financial Institutions Subcommittee on the House Financial Services Committee, has introduced the companion resolution.
“With President Trump restoring regulatory sanity in Washington, I’m proud to partner with Senator Kennedy on this effort to overturn the Joe Biden’s OCC’s flawed bank merger rule. This resolution upholds the integrity of our financial system by ensuring that merger applications are evaluated based on clear, consistent standards—not arbitrary political agendas. Community and regional banks deserve a regulatory framework that supports growth, innovation, and expanded access to credit,” said Barr.
The American Bankers Association (ABA) supports Kennedy’s resolution.
“ABA has long believed that bank mergers should be subject to clear and transparent standards, and that regulators should act in a timely and fair manner when considering applications. Unfortunately, the final rule the OCC approved last September created unhelpful and biased new standards—including arbitrary asset thresholds—without providing the clarity and predictability that banks and their customers need. We applaud today’s Senate passage of the Congressional Review Act resolution nullifying the OCC’s merger rule and thank Sen. Kennedy for his leadership on this important issue. We now urge the House to quickly pass the companion resolution introduced by Rep. Andy Barr so regulators can correct this flawed rule and establish a new framework that reflects today's financial services landscape and promotes competition that strengthens our financial system,” said Rob Nichols, President and CEO of the ABA.
Text of the resolution is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained why extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the most important thing Congress can do in the budget reconciliation process to protect the economy in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“So, the first goal of reconciliation is to try to reduce these prices, to try to kill inflation dead. But there is a second equally—some would say more—important reason, as you well know, Mr. President. In 2017, this Congress, during President Trump’s first term, passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We cut taxes by $4.3 trillion. And, boy, did it work. The economy took off like a SpaceX rocket ship.”
. . .
“The bad news is that those tax cuts expire at the end of this year. So, we are going to try to extend them and make them permanent in our reconciliation bill. And if we don’t, then we are going to have a $4.3 trillion tax increase on the American people.
“I want you to think about that, Mr. President, when some of our colleagues try to throw up roadblocks to our reconciliation bill. In effect, what they are saying is, they want to raise taxes on the American people by $4.3 trillion.
“That is the most important thing we want to do in our reconciliation bill. It is not the only important thing, as I mentioned, but it is clearly the most important thing. If we raise taxes right now, $4.3 trillion on the American people, this economy will begin a journey to the center of the Earth. We cannot let it happen.”
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
