Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.): Democrats Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves For Shutting Down Federal Government
Jan 20 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) issued the following statement today after Democrats blocked the government funding bill and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reauthorization:
“This is an embarrassment to Congress, democracy and the United States of America. If you shut down government, you’d better have a good reason for doing it. I defy any Democrat to explain why it was so important to ask our military to sacrifice their pay, furlough hundreds of thousands of workers and reject a long-term renewal of the Children’s Health Insurance Program,” said Sen. Kennedy. “They need to get their heads out of the sand and do what’s best for this country.”
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Sen. Kennedy: Gov. Edwards Should Push Fellow Democrats To Embrace Long-term CHIP Renewal
Jan 19 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged Gov. John Bel Edwards today to rally support among his fellow Democratic governors and leaders for the continuing resolution that includes six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
“The Democrats are threatening to shut down government at the expense of a program that ensures more than 120,000 children in Louisiana receive basic medical care. This is petty politics that is pitting long-term health insurance for kids against a silly political squabble,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Gov. Edwards and I agree on the importance of CHIP, and I urge him to make the case to his fellow Democrats.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act today to make it illegal to abort an unborn child because of gender. The bill introduction coincides with the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
“All human life is a blessing from God,” said Sen. Kennedy. “It is simply unconscionable that anyone would abort a child simply because they didn’t get the gender they wanted. That’s why I introduced the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act to put a stop to sex-selective abortions. All life is precious, and it needs to be protected.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) issued the following statement today in honor of the 45th annual March for Life:
“As you all may know, the 45th annual March for Life is taking place tomorrow here in Washington, D.C. The right to life is our most basic right, and I firmly believe that every life is a precious gift from God, whether it is 84 years old or 84 seconds old,” said Sen. Kennedy. “It’s not always easy or comfortable to stand up for what is right, and I want to thank everyone who marches for those who can’t stand up for themselves, just yet.”
Sen. Kennedy’s full remarks can be viewed by clicking here or the image below:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced today that the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board will receive $6.3 million in funding to repair school buildings and equipment damaged by the 2016 flooding.
“The floods were devastating, and the school system needs help to recover,” said Sen. Kennedy. “The flooding was especially bad at Glen Oaks High School. This money will help the high school repair multiple damaged buildings.”
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board will receive:
- $4.4 million to repair damaged buildings at Glen Oaks High School.
- $1.9 million to replace damaged information technology equipment at 12 flood-damaged facilities.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) sent a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards today requesting a meeting with him and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to help expedite a waiver to institute work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients.
“I am encouraged that Gov. Edwards is considering work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients,” said Sen. Kennedy. “With the Legislature’s leaders taking a strong stand in support of requirements, coupled with the governor’s willingness to consider them, we are closer than ever. But we have to work together to get it across the finish line. I look forward to meeting with Gov. Edwards and Administrator Verma soon to help smooth and expedite the process. ”
Sen. Kennedy introduced a bill last year, the Medicaid Reform and Personal Responsibility Act, which would require adults between the ages of 18 and 55, who have no dependents and are not disabled, to spend 20 hours a week working in a job, going to school or doing community service in order to continue to receive free health care through Medicaid.
The text of Sen. Kennedy’s letter to Gov. Edwards can be found below:
January 16, 2018
The Honorable John Bel Edwards
Governor
State of Louisiana
P.O. Box 94004
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804
By email, fax, and U.S. mail
Dear Governor Edwards:
It is my understanding that your administration is actively working to impose work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Louisiana needs to quickly impose this work requirement. In fact, Louisiana needs to have a proposal on the table well before Easter.
As you know, Kentucky recently became the first state to adopt Medicaid work requirements after its application was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 12. To date, CMS has received proposals from nine other states: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.
To further your administration’s progress and to expedite the waiver approval process, I respectfully request a meeting with you, CMS Administrator Seema Verma, and myself. The consultant the state recently hired is also welcome to join the meeting. My hope is that, together, we can get Louisiana’s waiver approved within 60 days of our meeting.
I can work with your office to identify possible dates for a meeting in Washington, D.C. If you are unable to meet, my hope is that you will consider putting this issue into your call for a special session.
Thank you, Governor, for your consideration of this request. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
John Kennedy
United States Senator
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) today issued a statement in reaction to the House of Representatives passing Rep. Clay Higgins’ bill, H.R. 4564 the Post Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017. His bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence to issue a detailed report of terrorist movements to Congress.
“I would like to thank Rep. Higgins for his tireless work in defending our country against terrorism,” said Sen. John Kennedy. “His legislation will put the United States one step closer towards winning the war on terrorism.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest nearly $300,000 into Louisiana’s Kisatchie National Forest. The money will be used to restore longleaf pine and other native ecosystems and trees.
“Kisatchie is Louisiana’s only national forest, making it a true treasure. Its longleaf pine trees are a big part of the natural serenity of that place,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Lewis and Clark marveled at the beauty of the pines in their writings. This is an important asset, and we need to be a diligent caretaker of it.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) are calling for a federal investigation into Intel Corp. CEO Brian Krzanich’s sale of $20 million in company stock shortly before the public learned of cybersecurity concerns involving the company’s computer chips.
“The security vulnerabilities in Intel’s chips give hackers another window into our homes and businesses,” said Sen. Kennedy. “I don’t know if Mr. Krzanich did anything wrong in selling his stock, but it certainly needs to be investigated in order to remove the stench of suspicion.”
Sens. Kennedy and Reed sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission requesting an investigation.
Text of the letter:
Dear Chairman Clayton and Attorney General Sessions:
We write to request that the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice investigate the alarming reports that Intel’s Chief Executive Officer sold more than $20 million of his Intel securities on November 29, 2017. While news reports suggest that these securities were sold pursuant to an automatic trading plan, known as a Rule 10b5-1 plan, we are disturbed by additional reports that the instructions for these securities transactions were adopted on October 30, 2017, which is before the public was made aware of serious cybersecurity flaws in Intel’s chips but months after Google informed Intel in June of these security vulnerabilities.
These reports are troubling not only because of the risk to nearly all phones and computers, but also because these reports raise concerns of potential insider trading. We request that you conduct a thorough examination of whether any insider trading laws were violated. Furthermore, if you uncover such violations through your examination, we expect you to enforce our laws to the fullest extent possible.
We thank you for your consideration, and we request periodic updates on your progress.
Sincerely,
John Kennedy
U.S. Senator
Jack Reed
U.S. Senator
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) Holds Press Conference To Express Opposition To Senate Gun Control Bill
Jan 09 2018
“I don’t think we need more gun control. I think we need more idiot control.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) held a press conference today expressing his opposition to S.2135, the Fix National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act. Under this bill, federal agencies and states would be asked to do a better job of reporting criminal offenses and other information into the NICS database, designed to control who can purchase a gun. The bill would threaten federal employees with loss of bonus pay for noncompliance and offer states greater access to federal grants in exchange for full compliance for following the law.
Sen. Kennedy joined his colleagues Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) in sending a letter to their colleagues in the Senate urging that there be vast improvements made to fix the NICS. The full text of the letter can be viewed below.
“I support background checks. What I don’t support is federal bureaucrats’ inability or unwillingness to do their job,” said Sen. Kennedy. “We don’t need a law to try to get federal workers to do their jobs. We shouldn’t be asking government workers to ‘pretty please with sugar on top, can you do your job?’ They already get an incentive for loading records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It’s called a paycheck. If that’s not a good enough incentive, then they need to be fired.”
Sen. Kennedy spoke with Fox Business’s Stuart Varney this morning about his opposition to the Fix NICS Act. Click here or click the photo below to watch Sen. Kennedy’s interview.
January 09, 2017
Dear Republican Colleague:
We are writing regarding efforts to fix the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). We agree improvements need to be made to the system. Any legislative solution must ensure both completeness of records and basic due process protections.
We agree that individuals who are convicted of violent crimes in an Article III court or under the Uniform Code of Military Justice have been afforded constitutional due process. However, the continued use of administrative decision-making leaves non-violent individuals without the same due process protections afforded to violent criminals. And the solution contemplated by S. 2135—to leave nonviolent citizens to work their way through a Byzantine system of administrative appeal—is really no solution at all.
We are concerned that legislation currently under discussion in the Judiciary Committee falls short of ensuring these two necessities and may lead to the denial of constitutional rights without due process. As written, S. 2135 would require some veterans to be automatically reported to NICS. In addition, S. 2135 would allow the Social Security Administration (and other federal agencies) to revive Obama-era administrative regulations that required NICS reporting of seniors and other vulnerable populations dependent upon fiduciaries to manage their finances. Lastly, S. 2135 provides quantitative incentives to state and federal agencies, which might lead to an increase in the likelihood of abuse and administrative error. In short, we are concerned about S. 2135’s lack of robust due process protections.
Chairman Grassley penned a March 16, 2016 letter to then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert A. McDonald. There, Chairman Grassley forcefully stated, “…it is essential to ensure that the process by which the VA reports names to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for placement on the NICS list recognizes and protects the fundamental nature of veterans’ rights under the Second Amendment.” Consistent with that view, we believe a more reasonable solution to the existing problems with NICS would be to ensure that due process protections are afforded to individuals prior to NICS reporting. S. 2135 could be improved by simply including due process protections before an individual is included on NICS.
In February of this year, the House and Senate passed H.J.Res. 40. This measure overturned a rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007. During debate of H.J.Res. 40, supporters agreed due process must be provided before the denial of an individual’s constitutional rights, not after. It is our view that passing S. 2135 as written would undermine this earlier vote and would encourage future administrative agencies to encroach upon constitutionally guaranteed rights without affording robust due process protections.
If Republican Leadership wishes to move forward, S. 2135 will need to be amended to include and reaffirm due process rights in an Article III Court prior to any denial of Second Amendment rights.
Sincerely,
_______________________________ _______________________________
RAND PAUL, MD. MIKE LEE
UNITED STATES SENATE UNITED STATES SENATE
_______________________________
JOHN KENNEDY
UNITED STATES SENATE
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