Watch Kennedy’s floor speech here.
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats today blocked Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to prevent the Biden administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from enforcing an anti-Second Amendment pistol brace rule.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and more than 40 Republican senators co-sponsored the resolution in the Senate, and the resolution previously passed with more than 180 co-sponsors in the House. Senate Democrats blocked the resolution by a vote of 50-49.
“Today, Senate Democrats protected the Biden administration’s misguided rule, which turns law-abiding gunowners in Louisiana and across the nation into criminals in the blink of an eye. Big Brother is demanding that responsible gunowners with pistol braces register their firearms, destroy the firearms, surrender their firearms to the ATF or effectively destroy their braces. President Biden’s assault on the Second Amendment isn’t going to stop,” said Kennedy.
Millions of law-abiding Americans use pistol braces, and many of those Americans rely on braces because they are disabled. The Biden administration’s rule, titled Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces, reclassifies pistols as short-barreled rifles if those pistols have a stabilizing brace attachment, even though many disabled veterans and other Americans rely on these braces to use their firearms.
“So many people who are opposed to the Second Amendment, they say they're not opposed to the Second Amendment. They say they just want to regulate guns. They don’t. They want to abolish guns,” Kennedy explained ahead of the vote on the resolution.
“Now why is that important? Because some Americans don't have two hands or the use of two hands or two arms. Pistol braces were invented to help handicapped people, particularly handicapped veterans who don't have use of both of their own,” he continued.
“Now, this pistol brace, other than stabilizing the pistol, it doesn’t change the pistol in any way. The pistol brace doesn't change the caliber of the pistol, doesn't make it more powerful. The pistol brace doesn't change the number of rounds that the pistol can hold. The pistol brace doesn't make the pistol an automatic pistol. . . . And the pistol brace doesn't make the pistol fire any faster. The pistol brace also does not help the shooter load the pistol more quickly. Except for stabilizing the pistol, it doesn't change the pistol in any way. It just makes it easier to hold, which is important particularly if you're handicapped,” the senator told his colleagues.
Under the Biden ATF rule, gun owners could face up to 10 years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines if they fail to register pistols with stabilizing braces with the ATF. If gun owners do not register their firearms, they have to destroy the firearm, surrender their firearm to the ATF or remove the brace in such a way that it cannot be reattached.
“The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau has never had a problem with pistol braces. None Zero. Zilch. Nada. Until President Biden became president. Now, President Biden and his ATF have promulgated a rule. It says attaching a pistol brace to a pistol somehow magically stops the pistol from being a pistol and turns it into a short-barreled rifle,” said Kennedy.
“Now, why does it matter? . . . They want to start a gun registry for law-abiding Americans. Hello! They want to start a gun registry,” the senator explained.
“A regulatory agency like the ATF does not have the power under our Constitution to decide major questions like banning pistol braces unless Congress says it's okay through the text of the statute that the agency is relying on,” concluded Kennedy.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced Kennedy’s resolution in the House of Representatives, where it passed earlier this month.
Background
In 2012, the Obama-Biden administration’s ATF determined that pistol-brace attachments do not change the classification of a pistol to that of a rifle. Despite this, the Biden administration in 2021 directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to propose a rule that clarifies when a pistol with a brace attachment should be designated as a rifle.
Earlier this year, the DOJ announced the “stabilizing braces” final rule.
Text of Kennedy’s resolution is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced the Main Street Growth Act to expand small companies’ access to capital markets.
“Small business owners work hard to serve their communities. Their challenge is that these job creators can’t easily access existing capital markets. The Main Street Growth Act would give smaller companies a way to list on their own specialized exchanges, where they would be more visible to investors. These exchanges would promote growth in America’s economy by better meeting the needs of small business owners, their employees and investors,” said Kennedy.
Small companies often have difficulty accessing capital markets because their stocks are less visible and are traded less frequently than the stocks of larger companies.
The Main Street Growth Act would create tailored, dedicated exchanges known as “venture exchanges” for trading stocks in smaller companies. Giving small companies their own specialized exchanges would increase their visibility and access to capital. Venture exchanges would also give investors more access to the potential growth opportunities that small companies offer.
Listing on a venture exchange would be completely optional for small businesses, start-ups and emerging growth companies that qualify under the bill.
Text of the Main Street Growth Act is here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced the Exposing China’s Belt and Road Investment in America Act of 2023 to review investments that businesses controlled by the Chinese Communist Party make on U.S. soil. China routinely makes such “greenfield” investments while buying land, building factories and taking advantage of state and local tax breaks in America to expand China’s influence. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) is the bill’s lead co-sponsor.
“The Chinese Communist Party is both aggressive and manipulative. Beijing uses greenfield investments to gain leverage over America’s economy and job market. We can’t be blind to the ways China is gaming our system to take American assets, real estate and innovation away from U.S. businesses. The Exposing China’s Belt and Road Investment in America Act is key to countering the threat China’s regime poses to our economy and national security,” said Kennedy.
“Every land acquisition, investment, corporate merger, and building of agricultural facilities, influenced by foreign adversaries, is another step away from American ownership and sovereignty over our own food systems and supply chain. Placing greenfield investments under CFIUS review will enhance the review process of purchases from Chinese-operated enterprises. Let’s fend off bad, foreign investment once and for all,” said Cramer.
Greenfield projects involve a parent company in one country establishing a subsidiary in another country. These are the most common way that Chinese companies enter the American market. They are quickly becoming Beijing’s preferred method for expanding influence under its Belt and Road Initiative, the international infrastructure plan the regime is using to increase its global power. At the same time, the Chinese government keeps its domestic markets largely insulated from foreign influence.
China’s state-operated enterprises use the greenfield model to siphon intellectual property, influence and other assets away from U.S. businesses.
The Exposing China’s Belt and Road Investment in America Act of 2023 would put Chinese greenfield initiatives under the review of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The legislation would also require greenfield investments to file a declaration with CFIUS if China’s government controls or has a substantial interest in the investment. CFIUS would review these investments for national security purposes.
Specifically, the bill would require a CFIUS review for any investment that is made by a foreign person that both:
- involves the acquisition of real estate in the U.S. and the establishment of a U.S. business on such real estate, and
- results in China’s direct or indirect control of that U.S. business.
Text of the Exposing China’s Belt and Road Investment in America Act is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and fellow Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today asked FBI Director Christopher Wray for an unredacted version of the document that contains allegations of corruption against the Biden family.
The whistleblower disclosures indicate that the FBI has an unclassified FD-1023 form that describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national. The allegation involves the exchange of money for policy decisions.
“At first, the FBI refused to even acknowledge the existence of the FD-1023, until Senator Grassley and Chairman Comer informed you during a May 31, 2023, phone call that they’ve reviewed it pursuant to lawful whistleblower disclosures. Moreover, on that call, you failed to describe any steps the FBI has taken to investigate the matter,” wrote the senators.
The redacted version of the document that the FBI made available to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability for review failed to disclose the existence of an alleged 15 recordings between the foreign national and Hunter Biden and two recordings with then-Vice President Biden.
“Notably, based on the whistleblower disclosures to Senator Grassley, the source of the FD-1023 has been paid at least $200,000 from the FBI since the investigation was opened and operational. This indicates the government finds the individual to be credible,” the lawmakers continued.
“The allegations contained in the FD-1023 raise serious concerns. As Ranking Member Graham noted, we as a Committee ‘have an obligation to answer these questions.’ Unfortunately, the FBI’s conduct to this point has not allowed us to do so. In light of the continued failure to transparently address the unclassified FD-1023, we are requesting that the FBI immediately produce an unredacted version directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee and describe, in detail, the steps it has taken to investigate all allegations in the document including whether it is within the scope of U.S. Attorney David Weiss’s review,” the senators concluded.
The full letter is available here.
Kennedy, Lankford, Gillibrand urge Pres. Biden to prevent Iran from advancing nuclear program
Jun 21 2023
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and 23 other senators in urging President Joe Biden to deter the Iranian regime from achieving nuclear weapons capability.
“The regime in Iran continues to suppress dissent at home and export its malign influence abroad – further cementing its status as the leading destabilizing force in the Middle East. In February, the IAEA reported the discovery of uranium particles enriched to the 84% level. Iran today is capable of enriching uranium to the 90% weapons-grade level at a time of its choosing. As Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl has publicly stated, Iran could enrich enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb in as little as 12 days,” the senators wrote.
“It is imperative today that we strengthen our efforts to deter Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability. We must make Iran understand, in no uncertain terms, that further advances in its nuclear program will be met with unified international action. Iran simply cannot be allowed to advance its nuclear program with impunity and the PRC cannot be given a pass for accelerating Iran’s destabilizing behavior. We urge you to restore this posture of deterrence and provide leadership to strengthen the resolve of the international community,” they continued.
“Given the state of the Iranian nuclear program, we encourage you to secure the commitment of our allies to implement the snapback mechanism embedded in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 should Iran advance its program past the weapons-grade threshold. Such a move would squeeze Iran’s revenue sources and serve notice that Iran cannot continue to reap the benefits of international sanctions relief while progressing towards the development of a nuclear weapon,” they concluded.
Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Ind.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
The full letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations committee, today announced $2,396,936 in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant for Louisiana.
“I am glad to see that this $2.4 million will help protect Louisianians’ properties in Tangipahoa Parish from flooding,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $2,396,936 to Tangipahoa Parish for the elevation of 11 properties.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $5,985,086 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“I am grateful for this $5.9 million, which will help protect Livingston Parish from flood damage,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $5,985,086 for the elevation of 30 properties in Livingston Parish.
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $44,014,147 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida hit our state hard, and this $44 million will help cover the costs related to the protective measures the Health Department took when Louisianians were in need,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $44,014,147 to the Department of Health and Hospitals for emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Ida.
View Kennedy’s floor speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) condemned the Biden administration and the Department of Energy for their proposed rule on dishwashers today in a speech on the Senate floor. The new regulation could make dishwashers more expensive and less effective—all to the benefit of the Chinese manufacturers that produce the majority of all new dishwashers.
“I want clean air. I want bright water. We all do. But this new proposed rule by the Department of Energy is not going to help anything or anybody. It's only going to make the American people have to spend more money on less efficient machines. The costs dramatically outweigh the benefit,” Kennedy said.
“In the past few months, the Biden administration has proposed new regulations for electric motors, for beverage vending machines, for microwaves, for ovens, for refrigerators, for furnaces, for air conditioners, for lightbulbs,” he later added. “In fact, the Biden administration added more than 110 regulations since being in office on appliances and equipment during past two years. For most of these policies, if you weigh the costs and the benefits, it makes no sense. Not in terms of CO2 emissions. Not in terms of energy savings. Not in terms of water savings. And certainly not in terms of the pocketbook of the American people.”
“President Biden and his administration are saddling Americans with harmful, maybe even hateful, regulations because they care more about what the activists say on TikTok than they do about the quiet suffering of everyday families in America and all over this country,” Kennedy concluded.
“They have a blind spot for the lives and concerns of ordinary Americans. And it's why this administration is more worried about dishwashers and gas stoves than the fact that the average Louisiana family is paying $740 more a month—not a year—because of inflation,” he said.
View Kennedy’s full speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) in introducing a resolution expressing support for the Pledge of Allegiance and congressional approval of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. The Senate passed their resolution.
“Only one flag represents the U.S.—the stars and stripes that Congress approved to represent our country 246 years ago. Brave Americans have given their lives to defend its promises, and I’m proud to pledge allegiance to our American flag on this Flag Day and every day,” said Kennedy.
More than 20 Republican senators joined the resolution, while no Democrat senators co-sponsored the measure.
The resolution:
- Celebrates the 246th anniversary of the creation of the United States flag.
- Recognizes that the Pledge of Allegiance has been a valuable part of life for the people of the U.S. for generations.
- Affirms that the Pledge of Allegiance is a constitutional expression of patriotism and strongly defends the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Full text of the resolution is available here.
