WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and colleagues in reintroducing the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. The bill would exempt state rebates for Americans who harden their homes in preparation for natural disasters and floods from federal taxation.
“Louisianians invest their hard-earned money in protecting their homes from hurricanes and flooding. When states provide a rebate for this disaster mitigation, it’s foolish and unfair to tax it,” said Kennedy.
Louisiana is one of several states that incentivize citizens to fortify their homes against natural disasters by offering rebates for protection measures. Current law requires Louisianians to pay federal taxes on rebates that come from a source other than the federal government. The Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act would make sure Americans do not have to pay federal taxes on state-provided rebates.
“This commonsense legislation takes a critical step toward empowering individuals and communities to better protect themselves from the devastating effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene. By excluding qualified catastrophe mitigation payments from income tax, we are incentivizing property owners to make the necessary improvements that reduce damage and save lives. This proactive approach to disaster preparedness not only helps families rebuild faster but strengthens our resilience in the face of future disasters,” said Tillis.
“The devastating fires in Southern California underscored the urgent need to empower homeowners to take proactive steps to keep their families and homes safe. As these disasters become more frequent and more extreme due to the climate crisis, we should incentivize—not penalize—taxpayers for protecting their homes. That’s why the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act would provide a tax exemption on payments from state-based programs for homeowner investments in critical disaster-related improvements,” said Padilla.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy leads resolution to reverse Biden DHS rule automatically extending immigrant work permits
Jan 30 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures for the Biden administration’s rule that automatically extended the renewal period for an immigrant employment authorization document (EAD) to almost a year-and-a-half before officials could review those permits.
On Jan. 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized a rule that permanently increased the period for renewing automatic employment authorizations from 180 days to 540 days.
“The Biden administration’s dangerous rule automatically extended work permits for immigrants to 540 days. Giving immigrants more time to avoid reporting to U.S. officials hampers the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce our immigration laws and keep Americans safe,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) joined the resolution.
“The Biden-Harris administration worked for four years straight to dismantle our nation’s immigration system and open our southern border, allowing millions of illegal aliens to come across our border unvetted and unchecked. Then, in a last-minute move, former President Biden passed a ridiculous rule that allows illegal aliens to keep jobs in the United States for over a year without authorization. That’s insane, and it undermines President Trump’s mandate and efforts to secure the border and put Americans’ interests first. I’m proud to work with my colleagues to reverse this dangerous rule,” said Scott.
The Biden administration’s rule applies broadly to immigrants, refugees, green card holders, aliens with temporary protected status, aliens who file for deportation suspensions, spouses of H-1B visa holders and more.
If Congress fails to reverse the Biden administration’s rule, the Trump administration may face more difficulty detecting those who live and work illegally in the U.S.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) in introducing the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which would permanently list fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
“Americans know the carnage of fentanyl all too well. The HALT Fentanyl Act would save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement to seek justice against dealers who work with cartels to profit off feeding poison to Americans,” said Kennedy.
Fentanyl is a scheduled substance, but Mexican drug cartels make small chemical tweaks to fentanyl to produce drugs—fentanyl-related substances—with similar dangerous effects that are not controlled.
In response to this crisis, the DEA exercised its authority to temporarily classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. That temporary scheduling order will expire on March 31, 2025 if Congress does not act.
Under the HALT Fentanyl Act, fentanyl-related substances would remain Schedule I. In addition, the bill clarifies that the mandatory minimum penalties that apply to fentanyl also apply to the trafficking of fentanyl-related substances.
“Today, roughly 150 Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning. Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills. They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs. Congress closed that loophole by temporarily classifying fentanyl related substances under Schedule 1. The HALT Fentanyl Act would make permanent fentanyl related substances’ Schedule 1 classification and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat these deadly drugs,” said Grassley.
“The Biden administration’s open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic. Law enforcement must have the tools necessary to combat this trend. We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse,” said Cassidy.
“We’re losing more than 100,000 Americans each year to illicit fentanyl overdoses. I refuse to accept this reality, and that’s why I’m working to deliver tools law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and out of our communities. Permanently scheduling fentanyl and its analogues will help federal and local law enforcement crack down on illegal trafficking and allow prosecutors to build stronger, longer-term criminal cases. Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives,” said Heinrich.
Background:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in 2023 there were 81,083 overdose deaths in the U.S. that involved opioids.
- In March 2023, Kennedy introduced the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, which would have made sure fentanyl-trafficking sentences reflected the deadliness of the substance. Senate Democrats blocked the bill in May 2023.
- In 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 21,889 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill more than 4.9 billion people (assuming a lethal dose of two milligrams)—or enough to wipe out the entire U.S. population more than 14 times over.
Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) cosponsored the legislation.
The full bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced his roles on the funding panel’s subcommittees in the 119th Congress.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to represent Louisianians on the Senate Appropriations Committee. I will continue to advocate for the needs of our state through my work on subcommittees that cover disasters, energy, defense, flood mitigation projects, health care, education, transportation, commerce and science and other key issues,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy’s Appropriations Committee roles now include:
- Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development,
- Member of the Subcommittee on Defense,
- Member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security,
- Member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies,
- Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies
- and Member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.
Read more information on these subcommittees here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained why Congress must focus on spending cuts over the next six months even as it bolsters America’s national defense, extends its 2017 tax cuts, addresses inflation and grows the country’s economy enough to pay down its national debt in a speech on the Senate floor.
Key excerpts of Kennedy’s speech are below:
“If we don’t extend those tax cuts, it is going to drive our GDP and our economy on a journey to the center of the Earth. Even my Democratic friends know those tax cuts have to be extended, but we have got other things we have to do, too. We are deficit spending. We are spending money around here like it was pond water, like it was ditch water. . . . I don’t want to blame it all on President Biden, but, if the shoe fits, wear it, Cinderella.”
. . .
“We have now got $36 trillion worth of national debt. . . . That is the most debt we have ever had, well over 100% of GDP. So, we have got to renew the tax cuts, . . . and we have got to stop the deficit spending, and we have got to reduce our debt—but there’s more. There’s more.
“We have got to increase defense spending because President Xi is working with President Putin, who is working with the Ayatollah in Iran. . . . I don’t want America to be the world’s policeman, but I don’t want President Xi or President Putin or the Ayatollah in Iran to be the world’s policemen either. Weakness invites the wolves, and we have got to start spending more money on defense.
“Now you don’t have to be Einstein’s cousin to figure out that all the things that I just described that we have to do in the next year-to-six-months could be called ‘competing interests’—tax cuts, stop deficit spending, reduce the debt, but find more money for defense. Something has got to give . . . we are going to have to reduce spending.
“Since 2019, the American population has grown 2%. We are not having babies. Two percent—and that is after all the illegal immigration. Do you know what has happened to our budget? It has gone up [nearly] 55%.”
. . .
“We’re going to have to reduce spending to pre-pandemic levels, and that is what this [Office of Management and Budget] memorandum today—which temporarily held up the spending of some money, consistent with President Trump’s executive orders—was the first baby step toward. That is what this is all about. That is what this is all about. The world is not going to spin off its axis.”
. . .
“So, I hope all the folks today will go home and take off their Batman t-shirts, wash them [because they’re] probably a little sweaty. I hope everybody will go home—those who drink, have a cocktail—take their meds and put this all in perspective. That's what that OMB memorandum was all about.”
. . .
“If you don't believe we're going to have to cut spending substantially in order to get out of this mess that has been created, then you shouldn't be driving.”
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
Kennedy, Booker introduce bill to protect animals from unnecessary drug testing at the FDA
Jan 29 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and colleagues in introducing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act 3.0. The bill would require the FDA to implement the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 (FDAMA 2.0) to update drug testing to meet modern standards.
In 2022, Congress passed the FDAMA 2.0, which Kennedy helped introduce and Pres. Joe Biden signed into law. The law removes a requirement under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for mandatory testing on animals before human clinical trials.
“The Biden administration had two years to implement the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, but it didn’t act. Congress should send this bill to Pres. Trump’s desk to help protect animals from mandatory testing at the FDA,” said Kennedy.
“It’s been over two years since Congress ended the statutory mandate that investigational new drugs (INDs) undergo mandatory animal testing before human clinical trials. We cannot allow the FDA to continue to delay on implementing this critical law. If passed, this bipartisan legislation will require FDA to finally update its regulations and will pave the way for more scientifically reliable and humane methods of drug development,” said Booker.
Under the FDAMA 2.0, the FDA would be required to use other methods of testing, such as organ chips, computer modeling and bioprinting, before human trials. The FDA Modernization Act 3.0 would mandate the FDA to update its regulations for testing within 12 months of enactment.
Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Angus King (I-Maine), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) also cosponsored the legislation.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy, Peters champion bipartisan bill to end government payments to deceased Americans
Jan 28 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act to save billions of federal dollars by curbing erroneous payments to individuals who have passed away.
Kennedy’s original bipartisan legislation set up provisions to save federal taxpayer dollars by curbing erroneous government payments to deceased individuals for a temporary three-year period, and the new bill would make the temporary provisions permanent.
“In 2023 alone, the federal government sent $1.3 billion to dead people. The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would permanently correct bureaucratic errors so that Americans’ tax dollars don’t get wasted or stolen,” said Kennedy.
“This bill would help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring that the Social Security Administration can permanently share important data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I have long supported this legislation because I believe it is a vital step in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of our payment systems,” said Peters.
Earlier this month, the Treasury Department announced that it recovered $31 million in fraud and improper payments during the first five months of the implementation of Kennedy’s Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act in which the Social Security Administration shared its Death Master File with the Treasury Department in order to avoid erroneous payments on a temporary basis.
The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would permanently amend the Social Security Act to allow the Social Security Administration to share the Death Master File—a record of deceased individuals—with the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system. This change would rein in the government’s ability to make improper payments to deceased people into the future.
The bill would also allow Treasury’s Do Not Pay working system to compare death information from the Social Security Administration with personal information from other federal entities and to share this information with any paying or administering agency that is authorized to use the Do Not Pay system.
Background:
- In Dec. 2024, Kennedy urged his colleagues to save taxpayer dollars and support the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased Americans Act on the Senate floor.
- In May 2024, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously passed Kennedy’s Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act.
- Kennedy’s Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act became law in December 2020. The bill mandates the sharing of the Social Security Administration's Death Master File with the Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay working system within three years after enactment. The three-year exchange runs from December 27, 2023 to December 27, 2026.
- In 2021, Kennedy wrote this op-ed sounding the alarm on the government’s sending more than $1 billion to deceased Americans.
- In 2019, Kennedy questioned U.S. Government Accountability Office Comptroller General Hon. Gene L. Dodaro about improper payments sent to deceased people.
Full bill text is available here.
Kennedy calls for FCC to review partisan decision to approve Soros-backed takeover of 200 radio stations
Jan 27 2025
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its decision to allow a company backed in part by foreign money and billionaire Democratic donor George Soros to obtain licenses for more than 200 American radio stations. The requested review by the FCC would include making certain that all required steps were followed according to FCC procedures and taking a closer look at the national security ramifications of the sale.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“Mr. George Soros is buying WWL AM radio in New Orleans. WWL AM radio is practically an institution in my state.”
. . .
“Any time a broadcast license—as is the case with Audacy—is transferred, the FCC has to approve it. So, Mr. Soros’s purchase of WWL Radio and the 219 other radio stations had to go before the FCC, and it did. And it went—the approval for Mr. Soros—went through the FCC like green grass through a goose. It was a party-line vote. It was last September. All three Democrats—there are five people on the FCC—all three Democrats said let it go, and [it has been alleged that] they short-circuited the normal process. . . . What happened was what some members of the media have called the ‘Soros shortcut.’ They just got together and rammed it through.”
. . .
“Mr. Soros—both George and [his son] Alex—believe that America would be better off if we had open borders. They believe that America would be better off, in my opinion—this is how I read their writings—if we ended jails and if we ran our government like the Communist Party of China. I don’t agree with that, but Mr. Soros—both of them—are entitled to their opinion. But my people in Louisiana are entitled to know whose opinion they are hearing on the radio.”
. . .
“I hope the new FCC revisits this issue. These licenses and these airwaves do not belong to me or to the FCC or to Audacy or to WWL. They belong to you and you and you—the American people. We are supposed to make sure through our FCC—that is why God created the FCC—that these licenses are not just given to anybody.”
Background:
- Audacy is the second-largest owner of radio stations in the U.S. In total, Audacy owns roughly 220 stations in more than 45 media markets throughout the country.
- In Jan. 2024, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and offered to trade shares of the company to lenders who would take on debt. George Soros took on $400 million in Audacy’s debt for 50 cents on the dollar and became the largest shareholder in the restructured company. Several foreign entities also took on some of Audacy’s debt, leaving the company with more than 20% foreign ownership.
- The FCC restricts the ability of companies with significant foreign ownership to obtain radio licenses. The agency is supposed to investigate foreign-backed companies to make sure they would operate in the American people’s interests before approving the transfer of any radio licenses.
- According to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the Democrat-led FCC rushed the approval process to allow the transfer of licenses to the Soros-backed Audacy without conducting the standard investigations. Carr said the FCC had never previously used the “Soros-shortcut” procedure to approve licenses to a firm with significant foreign ownership.
- Carr—who is now chairman of the FCC—has said he would take “a very hard look” at a petition to reconsider the license transfer to the Soros-backed company.
- Soros has donated billions of dollars to leftist causes in recent years. Soros has called the U.S. “the main obstacle to a stable and just world,” and claimed that China has a “better functioning government than the United States.”
- Shortly before leaving office, President Biden gave Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in The Telegraph arguing that the United Kingdom was right to consult the Trump administration before ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the key U.S.-U.K. military base on Deigo Garcia, to Mauritius.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“Sir Keir Starmer appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to working with the Trump administration—and that’s a good thing.
“Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister was poised to sign away the fate of a joint U.K.-U.S. military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
“According to reports, Starmer and members of the outgoing Biden administration wanted to finali[z]e the agreement to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands—including Diego Garcia—to Mauritius before President Trump could take his oath.
“Fortunately, cooler—and perhaps wiser—heads prevailed. Prime Minister Starmer agreed to welcome President Trump to the negotiating table. This is great news. Friends don’t strike deals behind each other’s backs, especially when our shared security is on the line.”
. . .
“The idea that the U.K. must hand over the islands to atone for whatever perceived wrongs Britain’s forefathers may have committed is nonsense. The [United Nations] does not care about what is best for the Chagossian, British or American people. They only care about furthering a misguided anti-Western agenda.
“The U.K. is our ally, and Mauritius is our friend, but this is a matter of national security for the U.S. Anyone who expects the Trump administration to elevate the sensitivities of U.N. militants above the best interests of America and our allies is writing a [check] that can’t be cashed.
“The Chagossian, American and British people would all be safer if this deal with Mauritius found its way into the shredder for good.”
Background
- On Jan. 15, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he wanted President Trump and his administration to weigh in on any deal struck between the U.K. and Mauritius regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands, including the transfer of the U.S.-U.K. shared military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
- The U.K. had previously announced on Oct. 3, 2024, that it had reached a deal with Mauritius to cede the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. The decision to consider ceding sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius followed a years-long pressure campaign from the United Nations.
- The Biden administration had reportedly pressured the U.K. to enter the deal with Mauritius before the American and Mauritian elections took place—an idea Starmer initially endorsed.
- On Oct. 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking answers about the Biden administration’s involvement in the deal between the U.K. and Mauritius.
- Kennedy also penned this op-ed in Oct. arguing that the Biden administration owes the American people an explanation for its decision to allow this deal between the U.K. and Mauritius to move forward.
- Former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President Trump’s nominee for National Security Advisor, has criticized the deal, saying, “Should the U.K. cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly condemned the deal and said it “poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical U.S. military posture in the region.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
Watch Kennedy’s full message here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today released the following message addressing this year’s March for Life in Washington, D.C., which many Louisianians and Americans attend:
“I want to thank everybody—each and every one of you—who came here to Washington today to celebrate God's greatest gift: life.”
. . .
“Here in the Senate, I've been able to question a number of witnesses and officials who—believe it or not—support abortion up until the moment of birth.”
. . .
“In my judgment, that's just a barbaric position, and I don't think the American people support it.”
. . .
“When radicals push hard for these indefensible positions, we just have to have good people like you to stand up in front of God and country and speak up for innocent life.
“I know it's not easy, but it's the right thing to do, and I thank you for doing it.”
. . .
“[T]his is what I believe: Every life is precious . . . and everybody deserves a shot at life—no matter where they come from.
“I am praying that this year's march is as successful as ever, and that it spreads this message far and wide.”
. . .
“God bless all of you and God bless the mothers and the unborn babies you are working so hard to protect.”
View Kennedy’s full remarks here.
