WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) set to expire in less than two weeks, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced an emergency six-month reauthorization in the U.S. Senate this week. 

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Senate passed a Farm Bill that contains Sen. Kennedy’s amendment to prevent the NFIP from expiring on July 31.  However, the House and Senate must work out differences on a final version of the Farm Bill, putting the NFIP in real danger of expiring in the middle of hurricane season.  Sen. Kennedy’s emergency reauthorization eliminates that concern.

“I’m going to be blunt.  Allowing the National Flood Insurance Program to expire in the middle of hurricane season would create absolute chaos for Louisiana families.  A lapse would paralyze the real estate market, prevent homeowners from renewing their policies and break promises to hard-working families who faithfully pay their premiums every year,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “My reauthorization is a short-term solution that will give us time to work on reforms.  This is so important that I included the reauthorization in the Farm Bill and filed a standalone bill to get this done before July 31 arrives.  We need to step on the gas.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced a resolution today denouncing the radical calls for the dissolution of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  Sen. Kennedy was joined by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Boozman (R-Ark.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.) and Todd Young (R-Ind). 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement performs vital functions that protect American families.  Last year, agents worked tirelessly around the clock to rescue 1,422 victims of human trafficking.  More than 900 of those victims were children.  ICE agents also removed a million pounds of narcotics and more than 4,800 gang members from the streets of this country.  Those numbers are just a small fraction of the nearly 127,000 arrests made by ICE agents last year against people who came here and committed violent crimes against law-abiding Americans.  Those criminals were responsible for more than 50,000 assaults, 2,000 kidnappings and 1,800 homicides.

“I am deeply troubled by the Democrats’ reckless calls to abolish ICE.  Eliminating ICE shows a blatant disregard for the welfare of the American people and our nation’s immigration laws,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “With the ever present threat of MS-13 and international terrorism, along with an opioid crisis being fought at our border, abolishing ICE is unthinkable.  ICE officers are in the trenches fighting those threats and protecting American families from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that endanger our families.  ICE deserves our gratitude and respect, not scorn and ridicule.”

“ICE agents are the front line when it comes to enforcing our immigration laws. They risk their lives on a daily basis to protect American citizens and immigrants from violent criminals, drug cartels, and human traffickers. Calls to abolish ICE not only disregard our immigration laws and give implicit license to those who want to enter our country illegally, they also smear the heroic sacrifices of ICE agents and put people at risk, especially in border states like Texas. I will continue to support the brave men and women who serve as ICE agents, and urge my colleagues to stand by ICE and honor the key role it plays in keeping our country safe,” said Sen. Cruz.

“ICE plays a critical role in ensuring our nation has a lawful immigration system. Calls to abolish ICE are misguided and dangerous. They ignore the valuable role ICE officers play in keeping Americans safe. Every day, ICE officers remove dangerous criminals who threaten our communities, including sex offenders, murderers and gang members. This country was founded on the principles of the rule of law and equal justice. Their public service deserves our thanks,” Sen. Grassley said.

“Every United States Senator should support this effort to recognize the brave women and men who wear the ICE uniform,” said Sen. Perdue. “ICE is a critical component of our country’s national security strategy created after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Since then, our ICE law enforcement officers have dedicated their lives to arresting human traffickers, protecting communities from gangs, combating terrorism, and keeping drugs off the street. We don’t say it enough - thank you to all of our ICE officers.”

“The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is an essential federal law enforcement agency,” Sen. Lee said. “Without internal federal immigration law enforcement, illegal immigrants would be free to stay in our country forever once they snuck in the border or illegally overstayed their legally issued visa. We would no longer be a sovereign if we stopped governing who could and could not be in our country."

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents play a vital role in the defense of our country,” said Sen. Rounds. “Not only do they work to safeguard our borders, they keep our communities safe and help rescue vulnerable children and human trafficking victims. Without the brave men and women of ICE, our borders would be essentially wide open for terrorists and other criminals who are intent on doing harm to Americans. Last year alone, ICE agents made approximately 5,000 gang arrests, seized nearly a million pounds of narcotics and rescued over 1,000 human trafficking victims and children subject to exploitation. I support our law enforcement officers at ICE who put themselves in danger every day to defend our borders and keep our communities safe.”

“Washington Democrats wanting to abolish ICE, our country's immigration law enforcement agency, are essentially demanding open borders,” said Sen. Cassidy, M.D. “Assaults on ICE officers nearly tripled in 2017, so instead of attacking them, we should support them as they work to secure our borders, stop the flow of deadly drugs, break up violent gangs like MS-13, rescue human trafficking victims, and keep our communities safe.”

“The hardworking men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement risk their lives each day to protect our borders and enforce our laws,” Sen. Inhofe said. “I often visit with ICE agents and Border Patrol officers at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. They work diligently, and in difficult conditions, to manage deportations of dangerous criminals and to investigate cybercrime, human trafficking and illicit narcotics trade. Calls to abolish this critical agency are shortsighted and would lead to a proliferation of crime in our communities. I’m proud to support ICE and their important role in our nation’s law enforcement.”   

“ICE agents put their lives on the line to protect our communities,” said Sen. Blunt. “Every day, they work to take violent criminals off the street, seize deadly narcotics, rescue human trafficking victims, and prevent terrorists from carrying out attacks on our shores. They are a vital part of our nation’s law enforcement efforts and we are a safer country because of their service.” 

“ICE agents keep our borders secure and I want to thank them for the important work they are doing. Far too many people are coming into our country illegally and putting the safety and security of American citizens at risk. In Montana, the effects of unsecured borders are personal. All across our state, communities are torn apart by the meth and opioids that are trafficked through the southern border. I am committed to fighting to protect ICE and all the Americans its agents protect,” said Sen. Daines.

“Abolishing ICE means abandoning our borders and leaving them open to anyone. That’s just irresponsible and certainly not in the best interest of the American people and their security.  We are a nation of laws and we must enforce our immigration laws,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.

“The men and women of ICE go out every day and risk their own lives by confronting dangerous gang members and criminals and stopping the flow of illegal drugs," said Sen. Tillis. "The current narrative to abolish ICE is irresponsible, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of aisle to call out these unreasonable demands and the instead show appreciation to ICE agents for the job they do to keep our country safe.”

“The men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement who put their lives on the line every day deserve our support, not our scorn. It’s not their fault our immigration system is horribly broken. Angry rhetoric and reckless proposals directed at ICE will not solve the problems of our unsecured border or legal loopholes that encourage illegal immigration,” said Sen. Johnson.

“As we seek a long-term solution to our border crisis, we need to continue to support the men and women who are risking their lives on the border every day, implementing our immigration laws and supporting national security efforts,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA).

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:

“Judge Kavanaugh is obviously well-educated and has an impressive resume, but I look forward to getting to know him better throughout the confirmation process.  I want someone who’s smart, intellectually curious and willing to test their assumptions against the arguments of those who disagree with them. 

“During the Senate Judiciary hearings, I plan to delve into how he interprets a statute and how he would interpret the Constitution when it’s not clear.  I want to understand how he thinks the judiciary fits in the Madisonian balance of separation of powers.  I want to know if he respects the Bill of Rights and understands why we have a Bill of Rights.  You really can’t tell whether that standard can be reached until you have a confirmation hearing.  That’s why I look forward to a full and fair vetting process.”

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Construction funding includes $343 Million for Comite River Diversion Canal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that Louisiana received nearly $1.4 billion for disaster recovery projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Work Plan.  The funding includes $343 million for the Comite River Diversion Canal.

“The Comite River Diversion Canal has been on the drawing board for decades.  A lot of people have watched their homes flood waiting for the diversion canal to be built.  Families and businesses in multiple parishes desperately need this funding.  The time for meetings and excuses is over, it’s time to get it built,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “I cannot emphasize enough how much this funding will mean for families and business owners who worry every time it rains.”

Also included in construction funding that was enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018:

• East Baton Rouge Parish Flood Control, $255 million
• Grand Isle, $15 million
• West Shore, Lake Ponchartrain, $760 million.