WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) announced today a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expedite the funding process for the U.S. Virgin Islands to pay Louisiana contractors who provided immediate aid after hurricanes Irma and Maria.

After two hurricanes devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017, Louisiana businesses were hired to provide relief and repairs to families who experienced home damage.  Their work provided families with safe, clean homes immediately after the disaster. 

Many of these Louisiana contractors are still waiting on millions in past due payments for their work and have begun laying off Louisiana employees.  Some of these companies have even filed for bankruptcy.  Earlier this year, Sen. Kennedy joined the Louisiana delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan requesting the continuation of work towards a solution to paying the contractors and the scheduling of a second “strike team” meeting to iron out bureaucratic hurdles that have impeded payment.

New FEMA funds are expected to be released in the coming weeks, but there is a growing concern that significant bureaucratic hurdles remain and will, again, delay payments to Louisiana businesses.

“Louisiana businesses have waited long enough and are dying on the vine as a result of all of this,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “Now it’s up to Gov. Bryan to ensure that this funding is directed towards Louisiana contractors who badly need these funds to pay their workers before Christmas and keep their doors open.  We’ve left these contractors in the lurch for far too long, and enough is enough.  I’m optimistic that Gov. Bryan is aware of our dire situation and will remove any remaining obstacles in the coming days.”

“Louisiana contractors rushed to help the U.S. Virgin Islands recover in the aftermath of Irma and Maria.  Two years later, they have not been paid,” said Dr. Cassidy.  “This funding is intended for Louisiana contractors.  Gov. Bryan making these payments is vital for these firms to remain open and able to aid in future disasters.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) spoke with reporters Tuesday to provide an update on the latest developments in the impeachment process.

Click here or the photo below to watch Sen. Kennedy’s statement on impeachment.

Highlights from Statement:

Senate impeachment trial: “There will be a trial conducted in the Senate.  That trial will begin either Jan. 2 or Jan. 6.  I don’t know how long the trial will take.  My guess is a minimum of two weeks.  It could last four, five or six weeks.”

Rules for the trial: “The rules will be set either by negotiated agreement, on which all senators have to vote, or just a straight up Senate vote in terms of the rules on how we will proceed.  I can tell you right now that I will vote to allow both sides – the House managers of the impeachment articles and the President – to have virtually unfettered discretion to cross examine all witnesses, to call any witness that they want to and to offer any rebuttal evidence that they want to. And I will vote that way because I think that no one is above the law, but nobody is beneath the law.  And I’ve been very disappointed at the absence of due process in the House of Representatives.”

Future impeachment trials: “This will be the first purely partisan impeachment in the United States.  And I worry that Speaker Pelosi, in her decision to do this, is normalizing impeachment as a routine political weapon.”  

Impeachment corruption: “The second concern I have about the House proceedings is that they’re rigged.  They’re as rigged as a carnival ring toss, as I’ve said before.  The president has not been allowed to cross examine any of the witnesses against him.  He’s not been allowed to call witnesses.  He’s not been allowed to offer rebuttal evidence.  Toward the end, Speaker Pelosi and some of the other leadership said now, after all the damage has been done, you can come participate.  But at this juncture it’s pretty clear that the cow is out the barn … We will do it differently in the Senate, and we will afford both sides due process.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor today thanking Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), for fighting for the American people and recommending a public auction of the C-band spectrum needed for 5G.

The FCC was considering a closed-door private sale instead of the public auctions it typically conducts.  Two weeks ago Chairman Pai announced the FCC will conduct a public auction of the valuable C-band spectrum. The private auction would have allowed foreign companies to profit from the spectrum sale and lacked transparency. 

Click here or the photo below to watch Sen. Kennedy’s floor speech.

Highlights from the Speech:

Benefit of a Public Auction: “Doing a public auction is nothing new for the FCC.  The FCC auctions off different airwaves all the time. In fact, the FCC in the last 25 years has held right around 100 public auctions … The good people at the FCC have brought in to the American taxpayers about $123 billion in the last 25 years by auctioning off these airwaves and giving everybody a fair chance, in a fully transparent way, in front of God and country.”

Fighting for a Public Auction:  “A lot of swamp creatures were pushing hard for a private sale.  The American taxpayers would not only have lost $60 billion, we would have lost control of the C-band … We can’t let our guard down.  I’ve learned in my short three years that those swamp creatures, if they can’t get in the front door, they’re going to try to get in the side door.  And if they can’t make it through the side door, they’re going to try the back door. We’ve got a lot of money at stake here, so we’ve got to remain vigilant.”

Chairman Pai’s Leadership:  “I want to thank Ajit Pai for standing up.  He made the right people mad.  That’s easy to talk about, but hard to do.  It takes courage.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced today a $5.5 million Department of Transportation grant to construct a terminal building at Lafayette Regional Airport. 

Since taking office in 2017, Sen. Kennedy has helped secure more than $54 million in grants for repairs, renovations and additions at Lafayette Regional Airport. 

“Lafayette is a growing city, and the airport needs to grow with it,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “The Lafayette Regional Airport is used by people from all over the world, and this grant will help the airport continue to serve all the folks flying to and from Lafayette.”

“The robust economy is enabling more passengers to travel by air so this Administration is investing billions of dollars in America’s airports which will address safer operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

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