WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to conduct oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) use of facial recognition technology.
“We urge you to conduct thorough oversight of the Transportation Security Administration’s (“TSA”) use of facial recognition technology for passenger verification from both an authorities and privacy perspective. This technology will soon be in use at hundreds of major and mid-size airports without an independent evaluation of the technology’s precision or an audit of whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy,” the senators wrote.
“TSA reportedly plans to introduce next-generation credential authentication technology (CAT) equipped with facial recognition at over 430 airports nationwide. Yet the agency already deploys non-facial recognition devices, known as CAT-1 scanners, which are capable of determining if identification documents are fraudulent. TSA has not provided Congress with evidence that facial recognition technology is necessary to catch fraudulent documents, decrease wait times at security checkpoints, or stop terrorists from boarding airplanes,” they continued.
“Additionally, despite promising lawmakers and the public that this technology is not mandatory, TSA has stated its intent to expand this technology beyond the security checkpoint and make it mandatory in the future. In April 2023, TSA Administrator Pekoske admitted at the South by Southwest Conference that ‘we will get to the point where we will require biometrics across the board.’ If that happens, this program could become one of the largest federal surveillance databases overnight without authorization from Congress,” the senators concluded.
The senators are also asking the DHS to provide Congress with an evaluation report of the facial recognition technology before it becomes the default form of passenger verification at security checkpoints.
Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) also signed the letter.
The full letter is available here.
House passes Kennedy-backed bill to bring transparency to Louisianians about grants process
Nov 19 2024
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed the Grant Transparency Act, a bill that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) cosponsored. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.
The Grant Transparency Act would require government agencies to give Americans who apply for competitive grant applications more information about the selection process.
“The Grant Transparency Act would shed light on how the government chooses which Louisianians receive or don’t receive competitive grants. Now that the House has passed this critically important bill, I urge my Senate colleagues to do the same to bring clarity to the process,” said Kennedy.
“Grant applicants often don’t have enough information to know why they are not awarded a competitive grant despite meeting all of the criteria. The Grant Transparency Act would require government agencies to shine a light on how they decide between applicants behind closed doors, and I urge my colleagues to support it,” 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 urges Pres. Biden to oppose U.N. plastics agreement harmful to Louisiana manufacturing
Nov 15 2024
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and colleagues in writing President Joe Biden to reject the United Nations (U.N.) Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee’s global plastics pollution agreement, which would harm Louisiana and America’s manufacturing development.
“We write to express great concern that just as talks at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) enter their final phase, the administration has changed the U.S. negotiating positions to address plastic pollution. It is unfortunate the administration appears to have succumbed to pressure from extremist environmental activists and now supports constraints on manufacturing and the development of target lists that identify chemicals and plastic products to be banned around the world in the potential treaty. We will not support a treaty that proposes global lists to restrict the production or use of chemicals, plastics, or plastic products or that requires new domestic authority,” the senators wrote.
“Throughout the negotiating process, the United States positioned itself to broker an agreement that not only seizes upon a historic opportunity to end plastic pollution in the environment, but one that also bolsters American manufacturing by supporting innovative new product designs and recycling technologies. Such an agreement could usher in a beneficial ‘circular economy’ for plastics. This last-minute change in U.S. policy could sabotage years of positive collaboration and progress in brokering a treaty that ends plastic pollution, unlocks innovation, and, importantly, that could be ratified by the U.S. Senate,” they continued.
The senators also explained that the agreement would commit the U.S. to domestic policy changes that could affect federal and state laws, and, for that reason, should be submitted to the Senate for advice and consent under Article II of the Constitution.
“Any agreement that includes provisions harmful to American manufacturing and jobs, or that unnecessarily drives up the costs to American consumers of food, electronics, vehicles, and other critical products, will not receive Senate ratification . . . With the final round of negotiations taking place later this year, we recommend you focus on securing a treaty that the U.S. can actually join, one that will result in a lasting solution to end plastic pollution, and one that would strengthen our innovative economy,” they concluded.
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also signed the letter.
The full letter is available here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $5,781,660 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Laura struck our communities hard and damaged our electrical systems. This $5.8 million will help cover Jefferson Davis Electric’s emergency response,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $5,781,660 to Jefferson Davis Electric Cooperative, Inc. for management costs as a result of Hurricane Laura.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and colleagues in introducing the Stand with Israel Act to combat the United Nation’s (U.N.) persecution of Israel. The legislation would block any U.S. dollars from going to the U.N. if it downgrades Israel’s status in any way, such as preventing Israel from having certain voting powers, access to committees or other roles within the organization.
“The U.N. has failed to pass any resolution to condemn the October 7 terrorists, yet the Palestinian delegation has tried to delegitimize Israel by introducing radical resolutions. Even though the U.N.’s policies often run against American interests, we remain its biggest funder. We shouldn’t send American tax dollars to groups that demonize our strongest democratic ally in the Middle East while elevating terrorist-sympathizers and the Palestinian Authority,” said Kennedy.
In September, Kennedy criticized the Palestinian Authority for introducing a U.N. resolution that would reward terrorism. The resolution would have supported an end to Israel’s presence in the West Bank, sanction Israeli officials and block other countries’ arms transfers to Israel. The U.N. General Assembly adopted the one-sided resolution without U.S. support.
“Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the UN is clearly antisemitic. If UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN, the United States must stop supporting the UN system, as it would clearly be beyond repair. I am disgusted this outrageous idea has even been discussed, and will do all I can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences,” said Risch.
The legislation is the companion to the House of Representative’s bipartisan H.R. 9394, which Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced.
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala. ), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) also cosponsored the legislation.
Full text of the Stand with Israel Act is available here.
Kennedy, colleagues raise concerns over DOJ’s response to $7 billion Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme
Nov 13 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined colleagues in urging Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to coordinate with the victims of the Stanford Trust Ponzi scheme.
More than 1,000 Louisianians from Baton Rouge, Covington and Lafayette lost large sums from their life savings due to Allen Stanford’s fraud, which involved Stanford’s selling roughly $7 billion worth of illegitimate certificates of deposit from his offshore bank. In 2020, Kennedy led an amicus brief on behalf of victims.
Kennedy has also urged Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler to ensure that any potential attorney fees and settlements for victims are fair and reasonable.
“We write to you on behalf of the Louisianans and Texans who were defrauded and have yet to be made whole by Allen Stanford and the Stanford International Bank. In 2019, members of Congress wrote a letter urging that Société Générale provide restitution to the victims of Allen Stanford for its involvement in facilitating the Ponzi scheme. Société Générale held $210 million in frozen assets connected to the Stanford Ponzi scheme, which it refused to release to Stanford’s victims. The undersigned were emphatic that this money belonged to the victims and should be returned to them immediately. There was a follow-up letter a year later expressing our frustration at the lack of progress and the bank’s refusal to engage with the victims of the Ponzi scheme,” the senators wrote.
“Separately, members of Congress reached out to Toronto-Dominion Bank regarding its involvement with the Stanford Ponzi scheme. The undersigned highlighted troubling details relating to the bank’s relationship with Allen Stanford and indicated that such lapses in compliance oversight could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activities. The undersigned demanded that Toronto-Dominion Bank engage with Stanford’s victims to seek a swift resolution to the matter,” they continued.
“The Stanford Financial Receiver raised similar concerns and asked the Department of Justice to investigate Toronto-Dominion Bank for its involvement with the Stanford Ponzi scheme. We have been informed that the Stanford Financial Receiver received no acknowledgement regarding its requests. If true, this appears to be a break with the Department’s prior practice to maintain open lines of communication and coordinate with victims’ groups,” the senators concluded.
The senators are seeking answers from the DOJ regarding what communications it has had with the Stanford Financial Receiver and whether or not the Department considered seeking a restitution penalty as part of the settlement with Toronto-Dominion Bank regarding its Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering violations.
The full letter is available here.
Kennedy introduces bill to prevent medical researchers from burying results that undermine radicals’ agenda
Nov 13 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today introduced the Scientific Research Accessibility and Transparency Act (SRATA) of 2024 to ensure that American taxpayers have access to the medical research that they fund regardless of what the studies show.
The SRATA would require researchers who receive grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to submit their findings or the data collected to the NIH within one year of the study’s completion. The legislation would prohibit researchers who do not share that data from receiving future federal funding for five years.
“Gender activists have insisted that puberty blockers help kids overcome mental health issues associated with gender dysphoria—even when research doesn’t support that claim. If the federal government funds medical research, Americans should have access to the facts that it reveals. This bill would make sure that taxpayers get to see the research results that they’ve paid for so that political maneuvering can’t bury the truth,” said Kennedy.
The New York Times recently revealed that Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy withheld the results of a study on the mental health effects of puberty-blocking drugs on children that she conducted over a nine-year period.
Olson-Kennedy’s research was part of a project that received a reported $9.7 million in NIH funding, but she plans to withhold the results of the study because she believes the data would support arguments for protecting children from puberty blockers.
The SRATA is available here.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $5,186,169 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Our communities are still recovering from harsh weather events. This $5.2 million will help New Orleans cover Hurricane Ida costs as well as support Plaquemines Parish’s seawater intrusion treatment efforts,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $3,195,167 to Plaquemines Parish for emergency protective measures at the Belle Chasse Water Treatment Plant as a result of seawater intrusion.
- $1,991,002 to the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of New Orleans for emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Ida.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced a $4,680,568 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Laura devastated Lake Charles, leaving churches like the Church of the King with heavy storm damage. This $4.7 million will benefit the people of Lake Charles as they work to recover from the pain Laura caused,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $4,680,568 to the Church of the King in Lake Charles, La. to replace its sanctuary building due to Hurricane Laura damage.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $3,568,827 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida damaged many facilities across south Louisiana, including educational buildings and churches. This $3.6 million will help communities rebuild and recover from some of the high costs sustained during these storms,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $1,312,778 to the Society of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Lafayette for the restoration of the St. Francis Mission Chapel due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $1,202,044 to the Office of Risk Management to repair multiple state educational facilities, the 3rd Circuit Appeal Courthouse and surrounding buildings due to Hurricane Delta damage.
- $1,054,005 to the Greater Lafourche Port Commission for emergency protective measures during Hurricane Ida.
