MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and more than 100 other lawmakers in writing to Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Robert Califf to condemn the FDA’s decision to permanently eliminate longstanding patient safeguards associated with the chemical abortion drug mifepristone, and to urge the FDA to rescind this decision.

“Removing the in-person dispensing requirements from the drug’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) and permitting mail-order dispensing of this drug will increase risks to women. This action recklessly ignores the clear data showing the dangers of chemical abortions and abandons FDA’s responsibility for ensuring safety of drugs,” the lawmakers wrote.

“In addition to the loss of the unborn child, chemical abortion drugs present serious risk to the health of the mother, including severe bleeding, infection, the need for surgical intervention, and even death. In fact, chemical abortions are four times more dangerous than surgical abortions. These health risks necessitate, at minimum, in-person screening by a physician,” the lawmakers continued.

“Make no mistake: the relaxation of these requirements will hasten a new regime of mail-order abortion, where women ingest these dangerous medications alone without any meaningful oversight from a doctor. Without physician involvement and the associated quick access to care in the case of adverse events, women are likely to face additional complications from these do-it-yourself chemical abortions,” concluded the lawmakers.

The letter is available here.

WASHINGTON – The Senate passed a resolution to express support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The resolution passed with support from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) led the bipartisan effort.

“More than 10,000 Ukrainians have already perished defending their homes and families from Russian aggression. This resolution honors their noble sacrifice and affirms that America stands with Ukraine and will not ignore Russia’s malicious behavior,” said Kennedy.

The resolution points out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started in 2014, has cost the lives of at least 14,000 Ukrainians and displaced millions more. The resolution also praises the courage of the Ukrainian people, reaffirms America’s political, diplomatic and military support for Ukraine and condemns Russia’s past and current aggression against Ukraine.   

Text of the resolution is available here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined more than 20 fellow senators in urging Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support continued exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The letter comes in the wake of Democrat senators’ asking Granholm to limit American LNG exports.

“. . . the Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported several power plants that burn fuel oil had to be reactivated in January to help meet demand, due to natural gas pipeline constraints. Obstructing new LNG exports could also have the unintended effect of increasing global LNG prices, which would correlate to increased energy costs for customers in the United States,” wrote the senators.

“Geopolitically, NATO member states and countries such as South Korea and Japan rely on the relative certainty associated with the U.S. LNG regulatory model. . . . We encourage your department to issue non-free trade agreement export licenses in a timely manner to ensure the global market continues to view U.S. LNG as a dependable source of energy and a reliable alternative to strategic competitors like Russia,” the senators continued.

“Increased production and export volumes of U.S. natural gas encourage developing nations to use a cleaner fuel source. Investing in domestic oil and gas production creates U.S. jobs. It lowers domestic and global emissions. It also increases U.S. energy security and makes us essential to the energy security of others. We ask that you please consider these factors in your ongoing efforts to facilitate the supply of energy commodities to our allies and partners, while simultaneously securing clean and reliable energy domestically,” concluded the senators.

The senators also directed the letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Louisiana produces more LNG than any other state and accounted for 55 percent of U.S. LNG exports in 2020. That production played a significant part in turning America into the world’s largest LNG exporter.   

The letter is available here.

WASHINGTON – The Senate Small Business Committee has passed the Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act, which Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) helped introduce in May. The bill would allow rural homeowners, renters and small businesses to more easily access disaster relief in the wake of a natural disaster.

“After a year-and-a-half of hurricanes and floods, Louisiana still needs help rebuilding. They can’t afford bureaucratic hurdles that block that help. The Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act would help rural Louisianians more easily access federal aid to recover from storm and flood damage. The Small Business Committee just took an important step toward making this common-sense bill into law,” said Kennedy, who is a member of the Senate Small Business Committee and voted to advance the legislation.

Under current law, bureaucratic roadblocks prevent small businesses and homeowners in rural communities from accessing Small Business Administration (SBA) assistance following a natural disaster. This legislation creates a waiver at no cost to taxpayers that allows rural communities to more readily access and secure SBA disaster assistance in the wake of presidentially-declared disasters.

Text of the Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act is available here.