Kennedy, Crapo reintroduce Hearing Protection Act to remove regulatory burden for lawful gun owners
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and colleagues in reintroducing the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) to help law-abiding gun owners better access suppressors to preserve their hearing and safety. The HPA would reclassify suppressors so that they receive the same regulation as traditional firearms, removing regulatory burdens.
“Big government shouldn’t stand in the way of protecting lawful gun owners’ hearing. I’m proud to help introduce this bill to make it easier for Louisianians and all Americans to practice their Second Amendment rights safely,” said Kennedy.
“Federal red tape continues to follow the false Hollywood narrative that suppressors are silent, and ignores the reality that they serve a genuine purpose in protecting the hearing of law-abiding American citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights. It is past time Congress removes the burdensome barriers to accessing this equipment for the safety of Idaho’s hunters and sportsmen,” said Crapo.
Suppressors are currently subject to additional regulatory burdens under the National Firearms Act (NFA). The HPA would remove suppressors from regulation under the NFA and replace the overly burdensome federal transfer process with an instantaneous background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This process would make the purchasing and transfer process for suppressors equal to that for a rifle or shotgun.
By taxing suppressors under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, rather than the NFA, the bill would also generate funding for state wildlife conservation agencies.
The legislation does not impact any state laws that prevent suppressors, and it does not eliminate background check requirements.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy, Schmitt introduce bill to add work requirements to Medicaid, reduce reliance on government
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) today introduced the Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act. The bill would require able-bodied adults without dependents who receive Medicaid benefits to work or volunteer for at least 20 hours per week. This change could save taxpayers more than $100 billion over 10 years.
“Medicaid doesn’t work the way it should. Able-bodied adults without dependents are better off with jobs than with hand-outs, and so are their communities and American taxpayers. My Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act would help pave a path out of poverty for millions of Americans,” said Kennedy.
“By incorporating work requirements for able-bodied adults, Medicaid can serve as a bridge to self-sufficiency, fostering pathways to employment, job training, and community engagement. This not only helps recipients gain financial independence but also preserves resources for the most vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities,” said Schmitt.
“The goal of this bill is straightforward: if you’re a healthy adult on Medicaid, we want to make sure you have every opportunity to find employment that leads to better health coverage. Welfare programs shouldn’t incentivize people against working. This is about empowering Americans—helping them become independent, thrive in the workforce, and reach their highest potential,” said Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
Background:
- As the United States has seen a decrease in the labor force participation rate since 2000, the number of able-bodied adults enrolled in Medicaid has rapidly grown. Per a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate, approximately 15 million Medicaid recipients would be subject to work requirements under a similar policy.
- The CBO estimates that Medicaid work requirements would save $109 billion over 10 years.
- A 2023 Axios-Ipsos survey revealed that 63% of Americans, including 49% of Democrats, supported work requirements for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits.
- Kennedy also penned this op-ed in the National Review explaining the need for Medicaid work requirements.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy in National Review: Work requirements would improve Medicaid—and the lives of those on the program
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today penned this op-ed in National Review arguing that adding a work requirement to Medicaid would save taxpayers money and improve the health of those on the program.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“Medicaid is supposed to be an investment in our country’s health and well-being. So why doesn’t the program encourage more Americans to enter the workforce and improve their physical, mental, and financial health?
“Numerous studies have shown that human beings are happier and healthier when they are employed. Long-term joblessness is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety. One study even recommended employment as a 'critical mental health intervention.'
“Still, taxpayers today are footing the bill for an estimated 15 million able-bodied adults without children or other dependents to receive health-care coverage under Medicaid without any obligation to get a job. Many of them are simply choosing not to work. Both the taxpayer and the Medicaid recipients themselves would be better off if the program had a work requirement.”
. . .
“Nearly one in four Americans is on Medicaid today. Federal and state spending on the program has nearly doubled since 2020. COVID-19 was responsible for some of the spending surge, but there has been no effort to return Medicaid spending back to pre-pandemic levels.
“This is unsustainable. Medicaid is well on its way to costing taxpayers $1 trillion per year. Congress must find a way to get able-bodied Americans back on their feet and off Medicaid. With the right incentives in place, these Americans can leave this life of poverty and dependency to set out on a pathway toward success.
“A person without a job is not healthy. He’s not happy. He’s not free. Who really wants to be a slave to some government entitlement program?”
. . .
“Medicaid is an investment in our public health. Congress should treat it that way. Adding a work requirement to Medicaid will make the United States a stronger, healthier country and remind the world that America respects the dignity of hard work.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
View Kennedy’s full remarks here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025. The bill would lower the threshold required for mandatory minimum sentencing for fentanyl possession to better reflect the drug’s deadliness.
“The sentencing rules for fentanyl don’t reflect the drug’s extreme deadliness. My bill would stop treating the ghouls who deal fentanyl with kid gloves and start using fair and realistic sentencing rules,” said Kennedy.
Currently, it would take 400 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill roughly 200,000 people—to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. This is inconsistent with fentanyl’s capacity to end lives.
In addition to lowering these thresholds for sentencing fentanyl dealers, the bill would improve the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to screen and intercept fentanyl and other substances imported into the U.S.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) cosponsored the bill.
“Current federal mandatory minimums are drastically out of step with the deadly threat fentanyl poses to American lives. Fentanyl-related overdoses kill 70,000 Americans each year and cause a new 9/11 every two weeks. We know that even a minuscule amount of fentanyl can be lethal. It’s time the federal code treats fentanyl for what it is: a weapon of mass destruction,” said Graham.
“The time is now to stop fentanyl from flowing freely into America and ravaging families and communities around the country. With Senator Kennedy’s and my Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, we are ensuring that the federal sentencing regime for this deadly substance is better aligned with the threat it poses to the public. It also requires the U.S. Postal Service to increase its chemical screening and dedicate more personnel to interdicting fentanyl. Congress has a duty to act in order to prevent American families from experiencing the deadly destruction of fentanyl firsthand,” said Britt.
Background:
- Fentanyl is the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-45.
- In fiscal year 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.
- Kennedy first introduced the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act in March 2023. Senate Democrats blockedthe bill in May 2023.
- Also in May 2023, Kennedy penned this op-ed in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser on the importance of Congress’s acting to combat fentanyl trafficking, including by passing his Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act.
- In Jan. 2025, Kennedy backed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would permanently list fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
- In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Kennedy highlighted how the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act would punish fentanyl dealers more appropriately and thus save American lives.
The full bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today introduced the No Red and Blue Banks Act to stop the federal government from awarding contracts to financial institutions that discriminate against companies based on the customers’ social policy.
“The government shouldn’t reward banks for discriminating against businesses because of their industry or politics. The No Red and Blue Banks Act would fight political bias among banks by refusing to reward bad actors with government contracts,”said Kennedy.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) cosponsored the bill.
The No Red and Blue Banks Act would prohibit the General Services Administration from giving government contracts to insured depository institutions that refuse business to lawful companies because of the companies’ social policy.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy introduces resolution to undo Biden admin bureaucracy that leads to consumer uncertainty
Feb 04 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures for the Office of Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) rule that delays the bank merger approval process by adding more red tape that could lead to consumer uncertainty.
The Biden administration’s rule, 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 hard working Americans.
“Big government shouldn’t stand in the way of healthy bank mergers that occur in the free market and serve consumers and job creators. In order to stabilize the banking industry and protect the Americans who depend on strong banks, Congress should quickly reverse the Biden administration’s bureaucratic rule,” said Kennedy.
Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) joined the resolution.
Background:
- Historically, federal bank regulators assumed that a potential merger passed muster. The burden of showing that a merger would harm business and consumers fell on the OCC and bank regulators.
- The Biden administration’s rule shifted the burden to individual banks, making it harder for them to fulfill their obligations by making smart, strategic mergers.
Text of the resolution is available here.
Kennedy introduces resolution to repeal Biden admin rule targeting offshore oil and gas production
Feb 04 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval to reverse the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) rule that targets oil and gas production on the outer continental shelf.
On Sept. 3, 2024, the Biden administration published its rule requiring all new oil and gas leaseholders on the outer continental shelf to submit an archeological report to the BOEM before production can begin. The rule burdens lessees with conducting costly surveys for marine archaeological resources, such as shipwrecks or “cultural resources.”
“By handcuffing Louisiana and America’s energy production, Pres. Biden hurt our national security and sent prices soaring. Congress must act quickly to reverse his lame-duck move to burden oil and gas producers with even more regulations,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) joined the resolution.
“The Biden administration was in hyperdrive to finalize regulatory strangleholds on U.S. oil and gas production, one of which is this BOEM cultural survey requirement. With the new Congress, I truly hope we can effectively use the Congressional Review Act to overturn this Biden rule and return some commonsense to our nation’s energy policies,” said Hyde-Smith.
Previously, the BOEM regional director only required leaseholders to issue an archeological report if a project had the potential to impact archeological resources. The Biden administration’s rule, which went into effect on Oct. 3, 2024, now requires all new oil and gas leaseholders to conduct reports. Existing leaseholders on the outer continental shelf have 11 months to comply with the regulation.
Kennedy’s resolution to reverse the Biden administration’s rule would help make sure that BOEM does not handicap oil and gas producers’ ability to provide affordable energy to Americans.
Text of the resolution is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today penned this op-ed in the New York Post arguing that Congress must stop federal regulators from pressuring banks to remove the accounts of their political adversaries.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“It’s not a crime to dissent from the woke agenda, but that didn’t stop the Biden administration’s financial regulators from treating people who disagree with it like terrorists.
“For the past four years, the federal government has placed major banks under immense pressure to close accounts owned by conservative individuals and businesses with little notice or transparency.
“This practice—known as debanking—used to be reserved for crime organizations and money launderers.
“Under President Biden, though, debanking became one of the federal government's most effective censorship tools.
“Without a bank account, Americans cannot receive direct deposits, pay many bills or securely transfer money.
“In an increasingly cashless world, debanking doesn’t just shut a person out of his bank account—it shuts him out of society.
“On Wednesday, the Senate Banking Committee is holding a hearing so Congress can begin to understand how widespread this abusive practice has become.”
. . .
“Fair-minded Americans know the federal government should not be enticing major banks to treat law-abiding citizens like terrorists.
“That’s why I’ve introduced the No Red and Blue Banks Act, which would prohibit the federal government from contracting with banks that refuse to do business with companies solely because of political differences.”
. . .
“In America, you can believe what you want.
“Congress must protect all law-abiding citizens from religious and political discrimination, including their ability to bank.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
The full text of the No Red and Blue Banks Act is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Banking Committees, today joined Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing the Small Business Disaster Damage Fairness Act of 2025. The bill would allow borrowers to get a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster assistance loan for up to $50,000, rather than the current $14,000, without pledging collateral.
“Too many small business owners can’t put up collateral for a loan when disaster strikes. As a result, they can’t re-open their doors. My bill would make sure small businesses can get back to serving their communities after disasters hit,” said Kennedy.
The SBA’s Disaster Loan Program is designed to help homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits repair, rebuild and recover from disaster-related losses. In 2024, there were 27 weather-related disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage.
“New Jerseyans are unfortunately too familiar with the impacts of extreme weather, from hurricanes to major flooding events. The last thing homeowners and small businesses should need to worry about is how they will access the funding they need to rebuild after a storm. This bill will help ensure small businesses everywhere have the support they need to recover in the wake of a disaster,” said Booker.
The bill also codifies the Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s recommendation to distinguish between rural and urban communities for outreach and instructs the GAO to further report the Disaster Loan Program’s default rate.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) cosponsored the bill.
The full bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and 23 other senators in introducing a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden administration’s proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to implement a fee on methane emissions.
“Americans want our country to ‘drill, baby, drill’ to lower their energy costs. To restore American energy dominance, we need to beat back the anti-energy policies and taxes the Biden administration shackled us with,” said Kennedy.
The EPA’s proposed methane fee would effectively create a new tax on key parts of the American oil and gas business, including both onshore and offshore natural gas production and liquefied natural gas import, export and storage.
“When it comes to bringing down prices and making America energy secure again, we have our work cut out for us. The Biden-Harris administration imposed countless policies like the Natural Gas Tax that drive up the cost of production and limit the ability to fully utilize our nation’s abundant energy resources, and it will take real time and effort to undo the effects of their Green New Deal agenda. Through efforts like this CRA resolution, we are working to get our nation back on the right track, providing needed regulatory and tax relief to deliver real cost savings to American energy producers and consumers,” said Hoeven.
The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to overturn certain federal agency regulations and actions through a joint resolution of disapproval. If both houses of Congress approve such a joint resolution and the president signs it, or if Congress successfully overrides a presidential veto, the regulation at issue becomes invalid.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) introduced the resolution in the House.
“As part of his war on energy, former President Biden took radical steps to end fossil fuels during his administration which hurt the hardworking energy producers in my district who have worked diligently to increase production while fueling our allies abroad. Biden’s burdensome natural gas tax has handicapped technological innovation, reduced supplies of affordable energy, and increased both costs and emissions. With President Trump back in office, it is time to restore American energy dominance—which is why I am proud to lead this CRA to rescind this ill-conceived natural gas tax,” said Pfluger.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) cosponsored the resolution.
Text of the resolution is available here.
