WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), members of the Senate Banking Committee, today reintroduced the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act to hold executives of foreign companies that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges to the same disclosure requirements that U.S.-based firms are required to follow.
“Insiders at companies in Beijing and Moscow have been able to avoid billions in losses on the U.S. stock exchange by playing by a different set of rules than Americans do. This insider trading comes at a cost to American investors. The Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act will help stop opportunistic insider trading by requiring foreign executives to disclose trades immediately,” said Kennedy.
“When corporate insiders sell their stocks, investors and the public have a right to know. U.S. firms are required to disclose these trades and provide this information to the public, but foreign companies don’t have to play by the same rules. Our legislation will ensure all corporate insiders are held to the same standard and prevent foreign executives from insider trading at the expense of American investors,” said Van Hollen.
Currently, executives of U.S. publicly traded companies must disclose any trades they make of their own company’s stocks to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) within two business days. Meanwhile, executives of foreign firms are not required to make such timely disclosures and are required to file by paper. The lag this system creates means that foreign executives can keep trades private for a longer period of time, which promotes insider trading at the expense of everyday American investors.
The legislation would amend Section 16 (a) of the Securities Exchange Act to require executives of public companies based outside the U.S. to make electronic disclosures of trades in their company’s stocks to the SEC within two business days. The SEC would then make that information available to the public, as they currently do with U.S.-based firms.
Background:
- In April 2023, Kennedy and Van Hollen outlined their bill in the Wall Street Journal.
- In Aug. 2022, reports uncovered that Chinese investors of corporations listed on U.S. exchanges avoided billions of dollars in losses by making seemingly informed sock sales ahead of declines.
- In May 2022, Kennedy first introduced the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act.
Text of the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sent a letter to President Trump to applaud his administration for restoring pro-energy policies in America and recognizing Louisiana as one of the nation’s leaders in energy production.
Key excerpts of the letter are below:
“We are writing to highlight the critical role that Louisiana plays in securing America’s position as the world’s leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. LNG will play a key role in restoring American energy dominance, and our state is ready to increase supply. We appreciate your decision on Day One to reverse the pause on non-FTA [free trade agreement] LNG export permitting, and we applaud your administration’s decision for Interior Secretary [Doug] Burgum and Energy Secretary [Chris] Wright to visit a Louisiana LNG facility as one of their first energy trips.
“Louisiana is the backbone of America’s LNG export industry, accounting for more than 60% of all U.S. LNG exports last year. . . . Under your leadership, the U.S. is positioned to achieve record-breaking LNG exports, reinforcing energy dominance and providing allies with reliable, affordable, and cleaner-burning natural gas.”
. . .
“We look forward to working with you on policies to allow the LNG sector to thrive. Ensuring consistent, predictable policies from the administration and Congress will bolster U.S. competitiveness and reinforce our nation’s energy leadership.”
Read the full letter here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that his office will host a passport acceptance event with the New Orleans Passport Agency for constituents to obtain or renew their passports.
Date: March 26, 2025
Time: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: 7932 Wrenwood Blvd., Suites A and B, Baton Rouge, La.
“My staff is working with our local passport agency to help Louisianians apply for and renew their passports. I hope this event will help Louisiana families enjoy their summer travel plans without any last-minute delays,” said Kennedy.
Although appointments are not required, applicants can contact Kathy Manuel at (337) 541-7990 or Christy Tate at (337) 541-7991 to schedule an appointment ahead of the event.
Applicants must bring the following items with them:
- Completed passport application
- Passport photo
- Government-issued I.D. or driver’s license
- Proof of U.S. citizenship
- Payment by check, credit card or money order only
Kennedy: Congress must start putting America’s land assets to use to pay down the national debt
Mar 18 2025
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained how the federal government has failed to put America’s public land assets to use to help pay down the debt in a speech on the Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“I have seen an estimate from the private sector—there are several of these—that our public land, our 620 million [acres], if we managed that land properly, could generate $90 million in revenue. So, $90 million could be generated by our public land. How? Through mineral harvesting, natural gas production, oil drilling, grazing for agriculture, hunting licenses, fishing licenses [and] camping permits. Do you know what our federal lands actually generate in money? We know the potential: $90 billion a year. That would help us pay down this debt.
“In 2023, our federal lands actually lost money. They lost $13 billion. We went from a potential of $90 billion—according to land-use experts, that is what they ought to be generating—to a loss of $13 billion. It’s embarrassing.”
. . .
“Under President Biden . . . they banned offshore drilling for most of America’s coastlines. They prohibited mining on over a million acres of lands. They canceled leases for oil and natural gas production. They paused all new permits for [liquified natural gas] LNG, which Europe is hungry for. They restricted hunting. They restricted fishing. They restricted hiking, and they buried our federal lands in red tape. That is why we lost $13 billion instead of gaining $90 billion a year.”
. . .
“We need to do better. I know that the focus right now, Madam President, is on spending—and it should be—and it is on designing a tax code that looks like somebody designed it on purpose, and it should be. All those things are important, but, at some point, we need to recognize the enormous amount of assets that the American people own through their federal government and the fact that we are actually losing money by the way we are managing them instead of generating money.”
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
President Trump signs Kennedy resolution repealing rule targeting offshore energy production into law
Mar 17 2025
MADISONVILLE, La. – President Donald Trump signed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval to reverse the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) rule that targeted oil and gas production in the outer continental shelf into law.
“Burdensome regulations hurt oil and gas producers’ ability to provide affordable energy and jobs to Americans. I’m thankful to President Trump for taking handcuffs off energy producers by signing my resolution into law,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) cosponsored the resolution.
“President Trump promised to restore America’s energy might and by signing these resolutions of disapproval he helps Congress reset policy in a way that encourages offshore oil and gas production. This action also has greater staying power, as any future administration would find it more difficult to reinstate the misguided regulations imposed during the Biden years. I commend President Trump for signing this important congressional resolution of disapproval, and really appreciate the opportunity to be part of the signing ceremony,” said Hyde-Smith.
Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) introduced the companion resolution in the House of Representatives.
“This is a great day for American energy independence and for the hardworking men and women who power our nation. The Biden administration’s misguided rule was a disaster for our energy producers, driving up costs for families and making us more reliant on foreign adversaries. By overturning this rule, we are unleashing American energy and ensuring a stronger, more secure future. Mississippi’s energy workers and consumers deserve policies that support economic growth and energy security—not unnecessary government overreach. I thank President Trump for his strong leadership in signing this today and reaffirming our commitment to affordable and reliable American energy,” said Ezell.
Background:
- On Sept. 3, 2024, the Biden administration published a rule requiring all new oil and gas leaseholders on the outer continental shelf to submit an archaeological report to the BOEM before drilling or laying pipelines. The rule burdens lessees with conducting costly surveys for marine archaeological resources, such as shipwrecks or “cultural resources.”
- This rule replaces BOEM’s long-standing policy of requiring oil and gas operators to conduct archaeological surveys only when there was a “reason to believe” that an archaeological resource may be present.
- The Biden administration admitted that this rule would harm small oil and gas producers most, writing, “100 percent of the increased Gulf of [America] compliance cost . . . would be borne by operators that are small entities.” Small and independent operators account for one-third of all oil production in the Gulf of America.
- On Feb. 4, 2025, Kennedy introduced his CRA joint resolution of disapproval to repeal the rule. This is one of more than 225 harmful regulations that the Biden administration levied against the oil and natural gas industry.
- On Feb. 25, 2025, the Senate passed Kennedy’s resolution. On March 6, 2025, the House passed the resolution.
The full resolution is available here.
Senate passes Kennedy-backed bill to crack down on fentanyl, help law enforcement tackle opioid crisis
Mar 14 2025
WASHINGTON – The Senate today passed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped introduce. The bill was led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and would permanently list fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
“The HALT Fentanyl Act would help save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement with tools to combat the trafficking of this deadly drug. I’m proud to see the Senate pass this critical legislation, and I look forward to it becoming law,” said Kennedy.
Fentanyl is a scheduled substance, but Mexican drug cartels have made small chemical tweaks to fentanyl to produce drugs with similar dangerous effects—fentanyl-related substances—that were not scheduled.
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.
“74,000 people died in 2023 from fentanyl overdoses. Law enforcement needs every tool. This gives them another tool and makes that tool permanent. We must continue to work until 74,000 becomes 0. I am proud to have led the effort to get this bill to the president’s desk,” said Cassidy.
“The HALT Fentanyl Act is a critical step towards ending the crisis that’s killing hundreds of thousands of precious American lives. I thank my Senate colleagues for passing this bill with broad, overwhelming support. I urge my House colleagues to swiftly pass the Senate version of this battle-tested, bipartisan bill to save lives, advance research and support our brave men and women in blue,” said Grassley.
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.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy on Maine lawmaker censured after defending women’s sports: “A lot of Americans agree with her”
Mar 13 2025
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) argued that the American people largely agree that it is unfair to allow biological males to compete against women in sports in a speech on the Senate floor.
Kennedy highlighted the story of Rep. Laurel Libby, a Maine lawmaker whose state legislature recently censured her after she spoke out against the state high school league for allowing a transgender athlete to compete in women’s pole vault.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“I am not here to try to meddle in the Maine state legislature. Let me say it again, I love Maine. I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and the way they handle their local politics is none of my business. That is not why I am here, but I am here to say . . . Ms. Libby’s belief about the fairness of transgender women participating in women’s sports is based on science. It is.
“You may disagree with the science, and you may disagree with her. If you do, you are entitled to do that, but Ms. Libby didn’t just pluck this point of view out of thin air. A lot of Americans agree with her.”
. . .
“So, I can’t say whether her constitutional rights are being violated or not, but I can tell you this: Common sense and the laws of nature—or the laws of God, if you please—are certainly being violated because female young women are fundamentally different from male young boys, and that is just a natural fact.”
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
Kennedy, Hyde-Smith champion bill to block government from using aborted babies’ tissue for research
Mar 12 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in reintroducing the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act.
“Bureaucrats inside government agencies are using tax dollars to fund research on fetal tissue taken from aborted babies. Our Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act would stop the federal government from funneling Americans’ hard-earned money to experiments that depend on taking innocent life,” said Kennedy.
The bill would prohibit federal departments, agencies and offices from conducting, funding or approving research involving aborted human fetal tissue. It would further ban anyone from soliciting or knowingly accepting human fetal tissue taken from an induced abortion.
The bill would not block the development of new, high-efficiency cell lines, as long as those lines do not derive from fetal tissue researchers gain access to because of an abortion.
“There are ethical and scientifically valid ways to conduct fetal tissue research without relying on the body parts of aborted babies. Yet, the federal government currently spends millions of our taxpayer dollars each year funding research that uses tissue from abortions, furthering the dehumanizing practice of fetal tissue trafficking. It’s time to stop funding this inhumane practice that is an affront to the sanctity of life,” said Hyde-Smith.
“The creation of a taxpayer-funded marketplace for babies lost to abortion is a monstrous, barbaric practice from the start. Every baby, even those lost to abortion, deserves to be treated with human decency and respect—not like science experiments. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to put that practice to an end,” said Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
Background:
- Kennedy is a cosponsor of a number of pro-life bills in the 119th Congress, including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
- Kennedy cosponsored the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act in the 117th and 118th Congresses.
- During the 118th Congress, Kennedy also defended pro-life states and highlighted the horrors of abortion in his roles on the Judiciary and Budget Committees.
Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) also cosponsored the legislation.
Text of the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act is available here.
Kennedy, Daines, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill that would protect Louisiana hydropower plants
Mar 12 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today joined Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in introducing bipartisan legislation to increase hydropower production.
The bill would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve six-year extensions for hydropower projects licensed before 2020, including two in Louisiana in the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway on the Red River.
“Louisianians and all Americans depend on reliable energy sources to keep the lights on. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill to unleash hydropower production and provide jobs,” said Kennedy.
“Energy security is national security, and hydropower delivers a reliable energy source for many Montanans. Many of our hydropower projects have been held up due to supply chain shortages and this bipartisan bill will revive projects that support Montana jobs and keep costs low for our families. I’ll continue to support an all-of-the-above energy portfolio and fight for ways to increase our domestic energy production,” said Daines.
“I’m an all-of-the-above energy guy. The federal government should enable all projects. The Red River and Overton Lock projects are pro-job and pro-American energy,” said Cassidy.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Background:
- In the U.S., companies must secure a permit from FERC to begin construction on dams and other hydropower facilities. FERC’s hydropower construction permits expire after just 10 years. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many unforeseen delays due to supply chain issues and high labor costs. In turn, many projects will require more than 10 years to reach completion.
- Hydropower is an affordable, reliable and clean energy source that can strengthen the power grids in Louisiana and beyond. Without legislation allowing FERC to extend their construction permits, Louisiana project managers would not be able to bring these facilities online to power the surrounding communities.
- As the top Republican on the Senate’s Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Kennedy has expanded America’s hydropower capabilities. The FY 2024 Energy and Water appropriation package included $440 million in investments for the nation’s dam and levee infrastructure, including $36.5 million Kennedy secured to reinforce the Boggs Lock and Dam on the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway.
Full text of the bill is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) today introduced the Crucial Communism Teaching Act to help educate students about the history and dangers of communism.
“Communism is a cancer, and it always produces the same results: oppression, suffering and death. We must teach the next generation of Americans the threat communism poses to liberty and justice for innocent people around the world,” said Kennedy.
“For families across America, particularly many in Florida, America shines as a beacon of freedom and democracy, standing in stark contrast to the communist regimes that once stripped them of their basic freedoms and liberties. For decades, the left has worked to promote failed socialist and communist ideologies that go against the very values we and President Trump are fighting so hard to protect. Our bill, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, will provide schools with necessary resources to educate our future generations about the dangers of communism, helping to preserve the freedoms and principles that define our nation,” said Scott.
“At a time when nearly one-third of Gen Z hold a ‘favorable opinion” of communism, it is clear our education system has fallen short educating young people about the dangers of communism and its long dark history of oppression, persecution, and violence. That’s why I am proud to be co-sponsoring Senator Kennedy’s Crucial Communism Teaching Act,” said Schmitt.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives.
“By passing my Crucial Communism Teaching Act, the House of Representatives will ensure future generations will remember the pain and suffering caused by the brutal communist ideology. My community in Miami understands the evils of communism very well, and we must ensure all Americans are aware of the death and misery it has caused. Their stories and memories will now live on in the minds of our youth,” said Salazar.
100 million people have died worldwide as a result of Communism. Today, more than 1.5 billion people still suffer under communist rule. A 2020 poll by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation showed that more than one in four Millennials and nearly one in three members of Generation Z view communism favorably
The Crucial Communism Teaching Act would make educational materials available through the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to help teach high school students about the dangers of communism and totalitarianism. The bill would also require high schools to teach students the history of communism and how this ideology undermines America’s founding principles of freedom and democracy.
During the 118th Congress, the House of Representatives passed the bill.
The bill text is available here.
