Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) celebrated the Trump administration’s effort to expose wasteful spending within the federal government in a speech on the Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“I want to make a brief comment about the continuing saga that our new president is doing, in my judgment, a good job of prosecuting here in Washington. I am talking about his audits of federal government spending and all of the wasteful spending—I call it spending porn—that he is finding.”
. . .
“The battle lines are drawn. Some of my colleagues have decided to support the bureaucracy and the spending porn over the American taxpayer. . . . That is their right.
“It is not against the law or unconstitutional to be foolish in America, but these are the same people . . . who chose to support illegal immigration over the rule of law. These are the same people who have chosen to support teachers’ unions over parents and kids. These are the same people who have chosen to support criminals over cops and victims. These are the same people who have chosen to support transgender athletes over women’s sports. These are the same people who have chosen to support Hamas over Israel.
“They think they are winning. Maybe in this town they are—if you listen to a lot of the pundits up here, if you listen to a lot of the members of the ‘wokerati’ in Washington—but they are not winning in America. The justice stick is coming, and I am very proud to be a part of that effort.”
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced a bill to repeal the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that would implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Section 1071 amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to require financial institutions to collect certain personal information on small businesses when they seek a loan.
In 2023, Congress passed Kennedy’s joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to reverse the Biden administration’s rule, which requires banks to report to the CFPB on small business owners’ race, ethnicity and sex; and whether a business is minority-owned, women-owned or LGBT-owned. However, President Joe Biden vetoed the resolution, and the rule remains in effect.
“President Biden’s woke CFPB put small business owners’ information at risk by requiring their personal details to be exposed online. My bill would repeal the last administration’s misguided regulation so that job creators’ private information isn’t public, and government doesn’t stand in the way of Main Street’s access to loans,” Kennedy said.
Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
Background:
- On March 30, 2023, the CFPB promulgated the final rule implementing Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which amends the ECOA. The rule was published in the Federal Register on May 31, 2023.
- Section 1071 requires covered financial institutions to collect and report certain personal information on small business loan applicants and report that to the CFPB. The CFPB may then make certain parts of that information public, including data that could publicly identify the small business credit applicant.
- In order to comply with the Biden CFPB rule, financial institutions would have to collect information about applicants, including the applicant's census tract, North American Industry Classification System and years in business, among other personal information.
- The rule applies to financial institutions that originated at least 100 small business loans in each of the two preceding calendar years.
- Based on the number of credit transactions for small businesses, covered financial institutions must comply with the final rule beginning Oct. 1, 2024; April 1, 2025; or Jan. 1, 2026.
- A small business is defined as a company with $5 million or less in revenue from the previous fiscal year.
- Among the many concerns about the CFPB’s collecting and storing such personal information is that the agency recently experienced a data breach including the personally identifiable information of 256,000 consumers and failed to properly inform them for two months.
- The implementation of this rule may reduce the availability and accessibility of small business credit by increasing compliance costs of lenders.
Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) cosponsored the bill.
Text of the bill is here.
Kennedy champions No Propaganda Act to end taxpayer funding of partisan government broadcasting network
Feb 11 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Senate companion to the No Propaganda Act to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The bill would block federal funding for the CPB, which funnels taxpayer dollars to National Public Radio (NPR), because of the organization’s chronically biased content.
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting should not be funneling Louisianians’ hard-earned tax dollars to outlets with one-sided coverage that clearly aim to promote a leftist political agenda. The No Propaganda Act would make sure that Americans aren’t footing the bill for biased, government media,” said Kennedy.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
“The American Taxpayer continues to provide handouts through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to media outlets that have actively pushed Chinese propaganda and have prioritized fighting disinformation over free speech. CPB must be defunded to end the stream of taxpayer funds to biased, anti-American public radio and television stations,” said Perry.
Congress has appropriated more than $15 billion to fund the CPB since 1969, which it allocates to NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). CPB states that its goal is to “educate, inform, foster curiosity, and promote civil discourse essential to American society.”
However, in April, a whistleblower exposed NPR’s decision not to broadcast the Hunter Biden laptop scandal because NPR believed covering the story would help presidential candidate Donald Trump during the 2020 election cycle.
In 2020, reports also revealed that PBS used taxpayer dollars to partner with a Chinese Communist Party-controlled media outlet, CGTN, to produce a pro-Beijing film.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy announces $17.9 million for flood mitigation, generators and Hurricanes Ida, Laura aid
Feb 10 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $17,860,797 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for flood mitigation projects and emergency power generator installations in Louisiana.
“Our communities depend on projects to help them prepare for storms and recover from disasters. This $17.9 million will help Louisianians with flood mitigation, emergency generators and permanent repairs after Hurricanes Ida and Laura,” said Kennedy
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $7,239,362 to Lake Charles for permanent repairs to the Purple Heart Recreation Center and Gymnasium due to Hurricane Laura.
- $3,632,990 to St. John the Baptist Parish for the elevation of 21 residential structures.
- $1,908,921 to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the instillation of two permanent generators in Monroe, La.
- $1,906,342 to St. John the Baptist Parish for management costs as a result of Hurricane Ida.
- $1,492,935 to Livingston Parish for the replacement of the Lod Stafford Road Bridge as a result of Hurricane Ida.
- $1,421,300 to Winn Parish for the installation of 15 emergency power generator systems.
- $201,832 to St. John the Baptist Parish for management costs associated with the elevation of 21 residential structures.
- $57,115 to Winn Parish for management costs associated with the installation of the 15 emergency power generator systems.
Kennedy, Schmitt introduce bill to add work requirements to Medicaid, reduce reliance on government
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) today introduced the Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act. The bill would require able-bodied adults without dependents who receive Medicaid benefits to work or volunteer for at least 20 hours per week. This change could save taxpayers more than $100 billion over 10 years.
“Medicaid doesn’t work the way it should. Able-bodied adults without dependents are better off with jobs than with hand-outs, and so are their communities and American taxpayers. My Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act would help pave a path out of poverty for millions of Americans,” said Kennedy.
“By incorporating work requirements for able-bodied adults, Medicaid can serve as a bridge to self-sufficiency, fostering pathways to employment, job training, and community engagement. This not only helps recipients gain financial independence but also preserves resources for the most vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities,” said Schmitt.
“The goal of this bill is straightforward: if you’re a healthy adult on Medicaid, we want to make sure you have every opportunity to find employment that leads to better health coverage. Welfare programs shouldn’t incentivize people against working. This is about empowering Americans—helping them become independent, thrive in the workforce, and reach their highest potential,” said Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.
Background:
- As the United States has seen a decrease in the labor force participation rate since 2000, the number of able-bodied adults enrolled in Medicaid has rapidly grown. Per a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate, approximately 15 million Medicaid recipients would be subject to work requirements under a similar policy.
- The CBO estimates that Medicaid work requirements would save $109 billion over 10 years.
- A 2023 Axios-Ipsos survey revealed that 63% of Americans, including 49% of Democrats, supported work requirements for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits.
- Kennedy also penned this op-ed in the National Review explaining the need for Medicaid work requirements.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy in National Review: Work requirements would improve Medicaid—and the lives of those on the program
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today penned this op-ed in National Review arguing that adding a work requirement to Medicaid would save taxpayers money and improve the health of those on the program.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“Medicaid is supposed to be an investment in our country’s health and well-being. So why doesn’t the program encourage more Americans to enter the workforce and improve their physical, mental, and financial health?
“Numerous studies have shown that human beings are happier and healthier when they are employed. Long-term joblessness is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety. One study even recommended employment as a 'critical mental health intervention.'
“Still, taxpayers today are footing the bill for an estimated 15 million able-bodied adults without children or other dependents to receive health-care coverage under Medicaid without any obligation to get a job. Many of them are simply choosing not to work. Both the taxpayer and the Medicaid recipients themselves would be better off if the program had a work requirement.”
. . .
“Nearly one in four Americans is on Medicaid today. Federal and state spending on the program has nearly doubled since 2020. COVID-19 was responsible for some of the spending surge, but there has been no effort to return Medicaid spending back to pre-pandemic levels.
“This is unsustainable. Medicaid is well on its way to costing taxpayers $1 trillion per year. Congress must find a way to get able-bodied Americans back on their feet and off Medicaid. With the right incentives in place, these Americans can leave this life of poverty and dependency to set out on a pathway toward success.
“A person without a job is not healthy. He’s not happy. He’s not free. Who really wants to be a slave to some government entitlement program?”
. . .
“Medicaid is an investment in our public health. Congress should treat it that way. Adding a work requirement to Medicaid will make the United States a stronger, healthier country and remind the world that America respects the dignity of hard work.”
Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.
View Kennedy’s full remarks here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025. The bill would lower the threshold required for mandatory minimum sentencing for fentanyl possession to better reflect the drug’s deadliness.
“The sentencing rules for fentanyl don’t reflect the drug’s extreme deadliness. My bill would stop treating the ghouls who deal fentanyl with kid gloves and start using fair and realistic sentencing rules,” said Kennedy.
Currently, it would take 400 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill roughly 200,000 people—to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. This is inconsistent with fentanyl’s capacity to end lives.
In addition to lowering these thresholds for sentencing fentanyl dealers, the bill would improve the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to screen and intercept fentanyl and other substances imported into the U.S.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) cosponsored the bill.
“Current federal mandatory minimums are drastically out of step with the deadly threat fentanyl poses to American lives. Fentanyl-related overdoses kill 70,000 Americans each year and cause a new 9/11 every two weeks. We know that even a minuscule amount of fentanyl can be lethal. It’s time the federal code treats fentanyl for what it is: a weapon of mass destruction,” said Graham.
“The time is now to stop fentanyl from flowing freely into America and ravaging families and communities around the country. With Senator Kennedy’s and my Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, we are ensuring that the federal sentencing regime for this deadly substance is better aligned with the threat it poses to the public. It also requires the U.S. Postal Service to increase its chemical screening and dedicate more personnel to interdicting fentanyl. Congress has a duty to act in order to prevent American families from experiencing the deadly destruction of fentanyl firsthand,” said Britt.
Background:
- Fentanyl is the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-45.
- In fiscal year 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.
- Kennedy first introduced the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act in March 2023. Senate Democrats blockedthe bill in May 2023.
- Also in May 2023, Kennedy penned this op-ed in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser on the importance of Congress’s acting to combat fentanyl trafficking, including by passing his Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act.
- In Jan. 2025, Kennedy backed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would permanently list fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
- In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Kennedy highlighted how the Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act would punish fentanyl dealers more appropriately and thus save American lives.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy, Cramer reintroduce bill to prevent banks from discriminating against law-abiding businesses
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in reintroducing the Fair Access to Banking Act to prevent banks from denying services to law-abiding businesses for political purposes.
“Banks shouldn’t stop customers from accessing accounts or services based on political affiliation or industry. I’m proud to help introduce the Fair Access to Banking Act to make sure financial institutions aren’t working as political activists against law-abiding Americans,” said Kennedy.
“When progressives failed at banning these entire industries, what they did instead is they turned to weaponizing banks as sort of a backdoor to carry out their activist goals. Financial institutions are backed by taxpayers, for crying out loud! They should be obligated to provide services in an unbiased, risk-based manner. The Fair Access to Banking Act ensures that banks provide fair access to services and enacts strict penalties for categorically discriminating against legal industries and individuals,” said Cramer.
In 2021, the Trump administration finalized its Fair Access Rule to require banks to make individual risk assessments and stop broad discrimination against customers. However, the Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation.
The Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets for refusing services to law-abiding companies or people. The bill also requires banks to give a written explanation for denying services to a customer.
Background:
- The Fair Access to Banking Act would protect Americans in the wake of major banks’ move to discriminate against legal businesses. Some of the largest U.S. banks have blocked businesses and consumers from accessing financial services based on political ideology.
- In 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they will not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge even though Congress explicitly authorized it.
- In 2021, JPMorgan Chase declared it would refuse financial services to coal producers. Bank of America also began a politically motivated effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its financing activities by 2050, an effort directly targeting producers of reliable American energy. Earlier this year, however, Bank of America quietly withdrew from a climate alliance seeking net-zero emissions.
- Payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal have denied their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition.
Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Curtis (R-Utah), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also cosponsored the bill.
The full bill text is available here.
Kennedy, Crapo reintroduce Hearing Protection Act to remove regulatory burden for lawful gun owners
Feb 06 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and colleagues in reintroducing the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) to help law-abiding gun owners better access suppressors to preserve their hearing and safety. The HPA would reclassify suppressors so that they receive the same regulation as traditional firearms, removing regulatory burdens.
“Big government shouldn’t stand in the way of protecting lawful gun owners’ hearing. I’m proud to help introduce this bill to make it easier for Louisianians and all Americans to practice their Second Amendment rights safely,” said Kennedy.
“Federal red tape continues to follow the false Hollywood narrative that suppressors are silent, and ignores the reality that they serve a genuine purpose in protecting the hearing of law-abiding American citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights. It is past time Congress removes the burdensome barriers to accessing this equipment for the safety of Idaho’s hunters and sportsmen,” said Crapo.
Suppressors are currently subject to additional regulatory burdens under the National Firearms Act (NFA). The HPA would remove suppressors from regulation under the NFA and replace the overly burdensome federal transfer process with an instantaneous background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This process would make the purchasing and transfer process for suppressors equal to that for a rifle or shotgun.
By taxing suppressors under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, rather than the NFA, the bill would also generate funding for state wildlife conservation agencies.
The legislation does not impact any state laws that prevent suppressors, and it does not eliminate background check requirements.
The full bill text is available here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) warned the United Kingdom that it could damage its relationship with the United States if it threatens the future of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the island of Diego Garcia by ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Key excerpts of the speech are below:
“Do you know who is loving all of this? China, because China has a close relationship with Mauritius. And do you know what? It is going to get a lot closer.
“This is insane. This is cell-deep stupid. This is bone-deep, down-to-the-marrow stupid. Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty, they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius. Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this.”
. . .
“Please, Mr. Prime Minister, don’t do this. Don’t do this. We will stand with you in telling the United Nations, who is upset with you, to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we are not doing it. We will stand with you. Please say no. Don’t give our military base away. It is going to really hurt the relationship between the United States of America and the United Kingdom.”
Background
- The U.K. had previously announced on Oct. 3, 2024, that it had reached a deal with Mauritius to cede the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. This deal between the U.K. and Mauritius would jeopardize the security of a key U.S.-U.K. military base on Deigo Garcia by potentially exposing the island to Chinese espionage efforts, according to a report from the Policy Exchange.
- Negotiations between the U.K. and Mauritius followed a years-long pressure campaign from the United Nations to get England out of the Chagos Islands. The Biden administration also reportedly pressured the U.K. to enter the deal with Mauritius before the American and Mauritian elections took place—an idea Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially endorsed.
- On Oct. 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking answers about the Biden administration’s involvement in the deal between the U.K. and Mauritius.
- Kennedy also penned this op-ed in Oct. 2024 arguing that the Biden administration owes the American people an explanation for its decision to allow this deal between the U.K. and Mauritius to move forward.
- On Jan. 15, 2025, Starmer announced that he wanted President Trump and his administration to weigh in on any deal struck between the U.K. and Mauritius regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands, including the transfer of the U.S.-U.K. shared military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
- Kennedy published this op-ed in Jan. 2025 welcoming the U.K.’s change of heart after Starmer announced that he would include the Trump administration in the ongoing negotiations with Mauritius.
- Former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President Trump’s nominee for National Security Advisor, has criticized the deal, saying, “Should the U.K. cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly condemned the deal and said it “poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical U.S. military posture in the region.”
Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.
