WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that he has co-sponsored the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017. This bill invests in the long-term educational success of our nation’s veterans by eliminating the 15-year period a veteran has to use the G.I. Bill, giving them more time to use their benefits in their professional career. It also provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists undergoing medical care and full G.I. benefits for Purple Heart recipients regardless of their length of service.
“This bill invests in members of our military who have made countless sacrifices for our country by allowing a long term commitment for the education and well-being of our veterans,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Our veterans deserve the best experience they can get after their service, and I believe that eliminating the 15-year period in the original G.I. Bill from 1944 is essential in getting our veterans back into the workforce.”
For more information on the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 please click the following link here. If signed into law, the elimination of the 15-year limit on G.I. Bill usage would apply to members of the military whose separation date is January 1, 2013 or after. Separation dates before January 1, 2013 would still be subject to the 15-year delimiting date.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) issued the following statement after the latest vote on Obamacare repeal:
“The vote last night is not a loss for the Republican Party. It’s a loss for the American people. Obamacare has not worked. I made a promise to the people of Louisiana, and I kept that promise last night when I voted to repeal and replace Obamacare,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Forty-eight other Republicans stood with me, and I want you to know I will not quit until all Louisianans and all Americans have access to affordable health insurance through a health care delivery system that looks like somebody designed it on purpose.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) voted today in favor of a bill that adequately funds law enforcement, NASA and fisheries management while saving taxpayers more than $3 billion. The bill includes important provisions for Louisiana’s recreational fishing industries, the enforcement of immigration laws and southeast Louisiana’s role in space exploration.
The Fiscal Year 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is $3.2 billion less than current spending levels.
“Nothing is more important to me than setting priorities and ending the government spending sprees,” said Sen. Kennedy. “This bill focuses on what is important, including strengthening our border security, investing in our fisheries and preserving Louisiana jobs vital to helping us delve into the pockets of deep space.”
Bill Highlights:
- $5 million for a multi-state partnership with the National Marine Fisheries Service to examine red snapper fisheries management in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana plays an important role in this partnership.
- Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve red snapper stock assessments and increase recreational catch limits for recreational anglers. While all sectors have faced challenges in the Gulf, red snapper fisheries and recreational anglers have been especially impacted.
- Healthy funding for NASA that prioritizes important programs that support jobs in Louisiana. NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans will continue to work on the core stage of the rocket for the Space Launch Systems, as well as Orion, the crew capsule for the next generation of space flight. Michoud is integral to the broader mission of eventually sending astronauts to Mars.
- Puts an additional 65 immigration judges on the bench in order to cut through the backlog in pending cases due to heightened border enforcement efforts.
- Increases funding, by $5 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. Local law enforcement officers are essential to ensuring the safety of the public and play a critical role in preventing and responding to terrorist threats.
- Includes a provision that requires all current and potential recipients of grant funding through the Department of Justice to be compliant with all federal laws, which include adhering to our nation’s immigration laws.
- Includes a provision to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the first opportunity to take into custody and remove criminal illegal aliens. This will ensure that these dangerous individuals are not improperly released into our communities.
- $48.34 million to investigate and prosecute the sexual exploitation of children across the U.S.
- An additional $2 million to investigate trade law violations that are hurting American businesses.
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Sen. Kennedy (R-La.) Speaks On The Senate Floor About The Rising Costs Of Health Care Across The Nation
Jul 27 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate this afternoon to talk about the rising costs of health insurance. Full video of his remarks are below.
“Obamacare was sold as something that would solve America’s health care problems. Instead, we’ve seen costs soar more than 25%, and fewer and fewer insurance options available in the marketplace,” said Sen. Kennedy. “It is now clearer than ever that Obamacare has failed to live up to its promises. Americans should not be forced to buy insurance they don’t like at prices they can’t afford. We need more choice, more competition, less fraud, and a health care delivery system that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not Washington politicians and bureaucrats. Americans deserve better than Obamacare.”
Click the photo below to watch the floor speech:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) is now a co-sponsor of The Wounded Officers Recovery Act, S. 1608. This bill will allow Capitol Police officers injured in the line of duty to receive benefits from the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund. Under the current rules, only families of officers who are killed can access that fund.
“The U.S. Capitol Police are critical to the safety of everyone who visits and works at the U.S. Capitol. They risk their lives simply by showing up for work,” said Sen. Kennedy. “This past June it was a godsend that they were there when a gunman decided to open fire on my friend and colleague Congressman Steve Scalise and others. Without those brave officers, a massacre would have occurred. We need to do everything we can for brave police officers, including Crystal Griner and David Bailey who stepped into the pathway of flying bullets that day.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) filed a series of amendments today to the Senate health care bill. Sen. Kennedy released the following statement along with a brief summary of the amendments.
“The American people need a health care system that looks like someone designed it on purpose,” said Sen. Kennedy. “The Senate health care bill as it stands today is far from perfect. However, it is better than the unmitigated disaster that is Obamacare. I submitted a series of amendments to the health care bill that will help provide better, more affordable and accessible care to all Americans.”
Senator Kennedy filed the following amendments:
- An amendment that reflects the spirit of the Medicaid Reform and Personal Responsibility Act of 2017 by requiring all states to implement a work requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents who receive Medicaid funds. Exemptions from the work requirement include:
- pregnant women
- an individual who is under 19 years of age
- an individual who is a regular participant in a drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program
- an individual who is the sole parent or caretaker for a child under the age of 6 or a disabled child.
- an individual who is married or a head of household and has not attained 20 years of age and who
- (i) maintains satisfactory attendance at a secondary school or the equivalent; or
- (ii) participates in a job training program.
- An amendment to require emergency room doctors to be in the same network as their hospital so that patients do not wind up with unexpected, exorbitant medical bills.
- An amendment to require a better explanation in writing of the medical services that a patient received. Making the process more transparent will help patients verify the accuracy of their bills.
- An amendment to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national strategy for reducing fraud, waste, abuse, and other improper payments in the Medicaid program.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today voted on a key procedural vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Sen. Kennedy released the following statement about his vote:
“Obamacare is a dismal failure. In the past eight years under the ‘Affordable’ Care Act, we have seen premiums around the country skyrocket. In Louisiana alone we have seen premiums increase 123%. Obamacare as we know it is not sustainable, it is not accessible, and it is nowhere near affordable. I made a promise to the people of Louisiana that I would repeal Obamacare given the chance. Today, I worked to fulfill that promise,” said Sen. Kennedy. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver a health care system to the American people that looks like it was designed on purpose.”
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WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that Louisiana will receive more than $6.8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for cancer prevention and control programs as well as maternal and child health services.
“I want to thank the U .S. Department of Health and Human Services for these funds,” said Sen. Kennedy. “This money plays a vital role in ensuring that doctors and health care providers have access to necessary tools to both prevent and treat cancer in Louisiana. I am also grateful for the funds directed towards medical programs that help mothers and children across our state.”
The grants are as followed:
- Louisianan State University HSC: $2,994,553.00
- Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations
- Louisiana Departments of Health and Hospitals: $3,887,393.00
- Maternal and Child Health Services
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U.S. Sen. Kennedy (R-La.) Announces More Than $6 Million For Louisiana’s Capital Region
Jul 20 2017
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that Denham Springs, the East Baton Rouge School Board, and Baton Rouge will receive more than $6 million from FEMA for public assistance after the August floods.
“The August floods damaged thousands of homes, schools, and businesses across the Capital Region. Many Louisianans are still struggling to rebuild almost a year after the disaster,” said Sen. Kennedy. “I want to thank FEMA for helping our communities rebuild.”
According to FEMA, the grants are:
- Denham Springs: $1,467,847.21
- The award provides federal funding to Denham Springs, for the replacement of gas meters damaged as a result of the 2016 August Floods.
- East Baton Rouge School Boards: $1,646,402
- The award provides federal funding to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for remediation activities at Glen Oaks Park High School as a result of the 2016 August Floods.
- Baton Rouge: $2,910,406.39
- The award provides federal funding to East Baton Rouge Parish for work associated with replacing Baton Rouge Police Department vehicles which were damaged beyond repair as a result of the 2016 August Floods.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA.) announced today that the FY2018 agriculture appropriations bill saves American taxpayers $7.9 billion while still funding critical programs, including helping Louisiana fight an epidemic that is rapidly eroding the state’s coastline.
Discretionary and mandatory funding in the Fiscal Year 2018 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill is more than $7 billion below current funding levels.
The bill directs federal agencies to develop a plan for eradicating the Roseau cane mealy bug that is threatening Louisiana’s coast. The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved the bill today
“I cannot stress enough the importance of destroying this bug. It is gobbling up our marshes faster than Pac-Man, and I’m not being flippant. This little bug is decimating all the progress we’ve made on slowing coastal erosion,” said Sen. Kennedy. “Anyone who lives in Louisiana knows that we have been in a battle to save our disappearing coastline. This bug threatens every single advancement we’ve made.”
Sen. Kennedy also voted in favor of an amendment that forbids the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using taxpayer funds to inspect horse slaughter factories. This amendment will curtail the horrific slaughter of horses. Louisiana is home to wild horses in the Kisatchie National Forest and other areas of central Louisiana.
Bill Highlights:
Agricultural Research –$2.55 billion to support agricultural research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Cottonseed - Language is included to make cottonseed eligible for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage payments beginning with the 2018 crop year and the Dairy Margin Protection Program would receive adjusted production margins.
- Cottonseed is a valuable commodity for Louisiana cotton farmers, and now it will be eligible for loss coverage. This will help our Louisiana farming families from devastating losses.
National Finance Center – Language directing Congressional support of the recovery efforts related to the tornado that destroyed the National Finance Center located in New Orleans, which displaced nearly 1,300 USDA employees. It also reassures our commitment to keeping those jobs in New Orleans by restricting the USDA from relocating the National Finance Center without congressional approval.
- This Louisiana-based center is an important part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It handles payroll and human resources for employees across more than 100 federal agencies.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – $953.2 million to continue programs that control or eradicate plant and animal pests and diseases threatening U.S. agriculture production.
- An estimated 225,000 acres of wetlands in the Mississippi River’s Delta region along the Gulf of Mexico have been impacted by an invasive bug that is destroying marshland. The Committee has agreed to direct work to begin on the development of an integrated management program for control of the Roseau cane scale insect pest infestation.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) – $1.521 billion for FSA for various farm, conservation, and emergency loan programs important to the nation’s farmers and ranchers. It prohibits the closure of FSA county offices, and provides resources for personnel and physical security programs across county offices.
- The Farm Service Agency has an office in Alexandria, LA. This agency granted nearly $500 million in assistance to our Louisiana farmers and ranchers in Fiscal Year 2016.
Rural Development – $675.3 million for Rural Development salaries and expenses, the same level as FY2017. Louisiana is a major recipient of these funds each year from various accounts within the Rural Development program.
- Business and Industry Loans – The legislation supports $1 billion in grants and loans for rural business and industry programs that promote small business growth in rural areas. The bill includes funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative to improve access to affordable, healthy foods in underserved areas.
- Rural Utilities – $1.25 billion for rural water and waste program loans, the same as the FY2017 enacted level; $394 million for water and waste grants, and $18 million for the Circuit Rider program. The bill also provides $6.94 billion for rural electric and telephone infrastructure loans and $30 million for broadband grants.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – $2.8 billion in discretionary funding for the FDA, $1 million over the FY2017 enacted level. Overall, total FDA funding, including user fee revenues, is $5.2 billion, which is $491 million above FY2017. The bill does not support new user fees or the associated cuts to budget authority as proposed in the budget request. Food safety activities are fully supported, and the bill provides $60 million as authorized in the 21st Century Cures Act.
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