WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes $536.3 million for Louisiana military projects.
“This year’s defense bill is investing heavily in our national defense because America’s strength is the best way to deter our enemies. Louisiana is home to patriots who produce the ships and train the troops that keep the homeland safe. That’s why I made sure that more than $530 million in defense investments could head to our communities very soon,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy supported authorizing the following:
- $200 million to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chasse, La. for the purchase of two KC-130J aircrafts.
- $116 million to the Fort Johnson Army Base in Vernon Parish for the construction of a Joint Operations Center.
- $105 million to the Fort Johnson Army Base to build new housing for troops.
- $33 million to the National Guard Readiness Center in Lafayette, La. for administrative, training and material storage spaces.
- $30 million to the U.S. Navy to purchase Yard, Repair, Berthing, Messing (YRBM) vessels, some of which are produced by Conrad Shipyards in Morgan City, La. YRBMs house sailors while their ships are being repaired.
- $22 million to the Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier Parish to improve and expand its day care facility.
- $12 million to the U.S. Navy for the purchase of 40-foot patrol boats, many of which are made by Metal Shark Boats in Jeanerette, La.
- $5.7 million to the U.S. Navy for the purchase of a ship-to-shore connector vessel, many of which are made by Textron in Slidell, La.
This year’s NDAA also helps ensure that the sole maker of large, medium-speed marine diesel engines, Fairbanks Morse, which has operations in Shreveport, La., continues to operate and provide Louisiana jobs.
The bill also:
- Bans transgender medical treatments for service members’ children.
- Provides a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay raise for all other service members.
- Requires that the Department of Defense partners with Israel to beat back Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations by developing technology and anti-tunnel cooperation programs.
WASHINGTON – The Senate today passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 to authorize funding for Louisiana priorities that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) championed. The bill now moves to the president’s desk.
“Louisiana depends on crucial water projects to help keep our communities safe. This year’s WRDA will ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers can complete projects quickly and efficiently,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy helped secure a provision into this year’s WRDA that would ensure Louisiana does not pay interest on the construction costs of the Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS). The provision could save Louisiana millions of dollars.
The senator also helped secure the following wins, which would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to:
- Make channel improvements to Mile Branch in Covington, La. as part of the St. Tammany Flood Risk Management Project.
- Install closure gates in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin as part of the Lake Pontchartrain Storm Surge Reduction Project.
- Expand the Alexandria to the Gulf Project to address flood damage in the region.
- Raise levees to keep Louisianians’ communities safe from flood waters.
- Make improvements to the Pointe Celeste Pump Station in Plaquemines Parish.
- Investigate geotechnical data on the Larose and Golden Meadow levee to reduce the cost of flood control design throughout coastal Louisiana.
- Operate and restore all features of the West Bank and Vicinity, New Orleans and Louisiana Hurricane Protection Project.
- Connect the Morganza to the Gulf and Upper Barataria Basin Projects to protect the area from storm surge and backwater flooding.
- Extend the Non-Federal Project Implementation Pilot Program to 2030 so that the Corps can work with local partners to complete flood protection projects quickly and efficiently.
- Prioritize the engineering and designing of the Upper Barataria Risk Reduction System.
- Authorize Port Fourchon to study the deepening of federal water channels to more than 30 feet so that large vessels can access the port.
- Allow for more dredging as part of the Port Fourchon Belle Pass Deepening Project so that the port becomes deep enough for large ships.
- Modify the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project to include the lower 63 miles of the east bank of the Ouachita River Levee System.
This year’s WRDA also includes a provision that directs the Comptroller General to conduct a Government Accountability Office study on the Army Corps’ policies in order to prevent delays in water resource projects.
Kennedy condemns systemwide failure after New Orleans homicide: Accused murderer “had on an ankle monitor”
Dec 18 2024
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) questioned how a New Orleans man who had violated the terms of his at-home arrest more than 40 times remained on the streets long enough to participate in a shooting that killed one New Orleans woman and wounded three others. In a speech on the Senate floor, Kennedy criticized the systemwide failure that allowed this senseless crime to happen.
“One person was killed; three others were injured. Some people, particularly back home, are probably thinking, Mr. President, okay, what else is new? Another mass shooting in Louisiana and in New Orleans. But this one was preventable.”
. . .
“He had on an ankle monitor, and the monitor company reported to the district attorney and to Judge [Leon] Roche that Mr. [Nicholas] Miorana is violating the terms of his house arrest and ankle monitoring [for] 45 days. Do you know what the district attorney did? Do you know what Judge Roche did? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.”
. . .
“This was a system failure, Mr. President. . . . I love New Orleans, but New Orleans deserves better.”
Background:
- Nicholas Miorana is one of three suspects who allegedly killed one woman and wounded three others in a shooting in New Orleans on Nov. 21, 2024. Yasmeen Webb, the woman who died in the shooting, was 27 years old.
- In 2023, law enforcement arrested Miorana on charges related to domestic battery, child endangerment and several gun charges, which included the charge of felon in possession of a firearm. He had previously served seven years in prison for armed robbery.
- In January, Miorana entered a plea deal related to those charges, and a judge placed him on probation. Miorana allegedly violated that probation a few months later by committing a misdemeanor offense. On Aug. 16, Miorana’s probation officer requested that Criminal District Judge Leon Roche revoke Miorana’s probation. Judge Roche instead placed Miorana on house arrest and required him to wear an ankle monitor.
- Miorana violated the terms of his house arrest more than 40 times in 60 days by traveling to restricted locations or staying out beyond his curfew. An official from the Assured Supervision Accountability Program reported the violations to Judge Roche. Miorana was wearing his ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.
- Law enforcement officers are still searching for Daniel Miorana and Darrell Adams, the two other suspects who allegedly participated in the shooting.
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
Kennedy-backed bill to bring transparency to Louisianians about grants process becomes law
Dec 12 2024
WASHINGTON – The president signed the Grant Transparency Act, a bill that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) cosponsored, into law.
The Grant Transparency Act would require government agencies to give Americans who apply for competitive grant applications more information about the selection process.
“Louisianians deserve to know how the government chooses competitive grant recipients. I’m glad to see the Grant Transparency Act become law so our people have more information about how their organizations can access this crucial funding,” said Kennedy.
“Grant applicants often don’t have enough information to know why they are not awarded a competitive grant despite meeting the criteria. The Grant Transparency Act will require government agencies to shine a light on how they decide between applicants behind closed doors, and I’m glad to see it become law,” said Cornyn, who introduced the bill.
The legislation would require a Notice of Funding Opportunities for competitive grants to include a description of selection criteria, a statement from the agency about whether it used a weighted scoring method for the competitive grant and any other approach the agency used to evaluate the applicants.
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) also cosponsored the bill.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy highlights simple way to save taxpayer dollars: “Stop sending the money to dead people”
Dec 12 2024
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained how much money the federal government has wasted in payments to dead Americans in a speech on the Senate floor. Kennedy called on his colleagues to support his bill, the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased Americans Act, to help the federal government prevent improper payments to dead Americans.
Key excerpts from the speech are below:
“I want to talk about dead people and the fact that they're getting money from the federal government. In fiscal year 2023 alone—this is just one year—our government sent $1.3 billion—not $1.3 million—we sent $1.3 billion in checks to dead people.”
. . .
“We need to go pass this bill. I mean, this makes no sense whatsoever. . . . You don't have to be Euclid to figure out that this is just fraud. It's abuse. It's low-hanging fruit, and it's so easily solved.
“All we have to do is direct the Social Security Administration on a permanent basis—not a three-year trial basis, on a permanent basis—to start sharing the list of dead people with the Department of Treasury and everybody else in the federal government who wants it. And then everybody's on the same page, and we know who's deceased, and we can stop sending the money to dead people who cash the checks.”
Background:
- Kennedy and Carper's Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act became law in December 2020. The bill mandates the sharing of the Social Security Administration's Death Master File with the Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay working system for three years. The three-year exchange runs from December 27, 2023 to December 27, 2026.
- The federal government sent $1.3 billion to dead people in fiscal year 2023 alone, according to the Office of Management and Budget. From 2004 to 2022, the federal government spent roughly $2.9 trillion on improper payments, including payments to deceased Americans.
- In 2021, Kennedy wrote this op-ed for CNBC sounding the alarm on billions of dollars in erroneous payments made by the government to deceased Americans.
- In 2019, Kennedy questioned U.S. Government Accountability Office Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro about improper payments to deceased people.
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
Full text of the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today introduced the Support Our Educators Act of 2024 to reduce the income tax burden on teachers and eligible home educators.
Kennedy’s bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to increase income tax deductions for certain expenses that elementary and secondary school teachers can claim. The bill would also create an identical expense deduction for eligible home educators.
“Louisiana’s educators often spend their own money on supplies to help our kids learn. The Support Our Educators Act would make sure that classroom teachers and homeschool families pay less in taxes when they take on more expenses to teach the next generation,” said Kennedy.
Purchases that qualify for educator expense deductions include classroom supplies and resources, such as books, computers and software. The Support Our Educators Act would:
- Increase the educator expense deduction from $300 to $600 for an individual and from $600 to $1,200 for married couples who are filing jointly when each spouse is eligible as an educator or as a home educator.
- Create a home educator expense deduction of $600 for an individual and $1,200 for married couples who are filing jointly when each spouse is eligible as an educator or as a home educator.
Kennedy’s bill would also ensure that educators both in the traditional classroom and at home receive the tax breaks they deserve.
Full text of the bill is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Preventing Unnecessary Resource Expenditures (PURE) Act to remove the outdated distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine in federal criminal law.
“The meth on the streets today is far purer and more dangerous than it was 40 years ago because Mexican drug cartels and their Chinese chemical suppliers want to profit off of poisoning Americans. The PURE Act would keep Louisianians’ communities safe by making it easier to prosecute meth dealers,” said Kennedy.
Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) cosponsored the bill.
“The drug overdose epidemic is devastating communities across the United States. The PURE Act closes an antiquated loophole that burdens drug testing laboratories and delays justice. I’m pleased to support this effort to empower our prosecutors and hold methamphetamine dealers accountable,” said Hagerty.
“I am proud to join Sen. Kennedy in introducing the PURE Act to cut through outdated bureaucracy and ensure our criminal laws reflect modern science. The distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine is an unnecessary relic that complicates enforcement and hampers justice. This bill will give law enforcement the tools they need to go after dangerous drug traffickers while ensuring our legal system is fair, clear, and effective in protecting communities across America,” said Cruz.
Under current law, the mandatory minimum sentence that applies to a meth offense depends on the purity of the confiscated meth. Congress created the disparity in mandatory minimum thresholds for pure and impure meth because defendants in possession of purer meth were thought to be higher in the distribution chain and thus more culpable.
However, the purity of meth is no longer a useful measure. In 1988, the average purity of meth was rarely greater than 50%. Today, however, meth samples rarely test below 90% pure. In 2022, meth samples had an average purity of 93.2% and a median purity of 98.0%. This shift toward purer meth coincided with the growing market share of Mexican drug cartels.
In addition to no longer being a useful measure, the requirement to establish purity for confiscated meth places a substantial burden on prosecutors and crime laboratories, which wastes valuable resources. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) conducts more than 8,000 hours of purity testing on meth samples each year. To do that, the DEA must also buy and maintain special equipment that it uses to test meth samples.
Background:
- Over recent decades, domestic production of illicit meth in the United States has decreased significantly. At the same time, Mexican drug cartels—relying on chemical precursors from China—have obtained a greater market share and begun distributing increasingly pure meth.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2002 and 2022, the rate of overdose deaths involving psychostimulants, primarily meth, increased more than 34 times, with 0.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2002 and 10.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2022.
- In 2020, meth became the second most common drug involved in overdose deaths (after fentanyl). According to the CDC, from 2021 through 2023, meth was associated with 95,063 overdose deaths.
The full bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $4,775,507 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“When a hurricane hits south Louisiana, it can take power lines down, causing Louisianians to rely on backup electricity sources. This $4.8 million will fund the purchase of 18 emergency generators for St. Bernard Parish,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $4,524,165 to St. Bernard Parish to fund the purchase and installation of 18 permanent generators.
- $251,342 to St. Bernard Parish for management costs associated with the purchase of 18 permanent, emergency backup generators.
Kennedy announces $5.5 million in Hurricanes Laura, Ida, saltwater intrusion aid for Louisiana
Dec 09 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $5,494,688 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane damage and saltwater intrusion pose major threats to Louisianians’ safety and property. This $5.5 million will help Lake Charles and other parts of our state recover from Hurricanes Laura and Ida, and cover the costs Plaquemines Parish faced because of saltwater intrusion,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $1,656,558 to the Office of Risk Management for repairs to 14 state agency buildings due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,309,318 to Lake Charles, La. for the demolition of residential buildings in danger of collapse due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $1,282,648 to Plaquemines Parish for emergency protective measures at the Boothville Water Treatment Plant due to saltwater intrusion.
- $1,246,164 to Plaquemines Parish for emergency protective measures at the Port Sulphur Water Treatment Plant due to saltwater intrusion.
Kennedy raises concerns with Biden admin over delay in implementing Iranian oil sanctions
Dec 06 2024
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today joined Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and colleagues in raising concerns to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen regarding the Biden administration’s delay in implementing and enforcing sanctions on Iranian oil.
President Biden signed the senators’ Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act into law in April. However, the administration has not implemented the bill, which includes imposing sanctions on foreign ports and refineries that knowingly accept and refine petroleum products from Iran.
“We are writing to express ongoing concerns regarding the implementation and enforcement of sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, particularly as they relate to mandates established under the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act, which was signed into law in April of this year. Congress has consistently identified Iran's oil sector as a critical area for sanctions due to its significant role in financing destabilizing regional terrorism and nuclear development. Unfortunately, delays in fully implementing the SHIP Act remain a concern, as does the need for increased sanctions enforcement,” the senators wrote.
“Lax sanctions enforcement has enabled certain nations, particularly in Southeast Asia, to openly disregard U.S. sanctions and sell Iranian crude to China. For example, trade data show that Malaysia is exporting oil to China in excess of its own production capacity, a clear indication of involvement in Iranian oil trade. To address these deficiencies, it is critical that Treasury deploys all available enforcement tools and fully engages in monitoring and sanctioning illicit oil transactions involving Iran,” they continued.
“Iran’s illicit oil exporting tactics are well known. For example, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) provides valuable public data, such as through its tanker tracker and ‘Ghost Armada’ analysis, monitoring vessels moving Iranian oil, especially to and from Kharg Island. Given the capabilities of the United States Government, we are confident that Treasury has access to additional intelligence sources to further these efforts,” they concluded.
The senators are demanding that the Treasury Department provide comprehensive assessments of all foreign financial institutions facilitating Iranian oil exports and of all vessels listed by UANI in its Tanker Tracker and its Ghost Armada to determine whether they meet the criteria for sanctions.
In addition, the lawmakers are requesting briefings from Treasury to improve sanctions as well as an up-to-date Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) advisory to financial institutions regarding recent tactics and trends in sanctions evasion by Iran by Dec. 20, 2024.
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) also signed the letter.
The full letter is available here.
