MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $171,468,902 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Louisiana families and communities have weathered severe natural disasters together with grit and determination. This $171.5 million will help our local governments, schools and other key facilities recover from the costs of Hurricanes Ida and Laura, as well as the Tiger Island Fire and other disasters,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $76,679,189 to Terrebonne Parish for repairs to the Houma Power Plant in Houma, La., resulting from Hurricane Ida damage.
- $20,050,946 to Jefferson Davis Electric Cooperative, Inc., to restore power to substations that Hurricane Laura damaged.
- $12,910,889 to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry for fire suppression measures taken during the Tiger Island Fire.
- $9,795,313 to Chennault International Airport Authority for permanent repairs to airport buildings in Lake Charles, La., resulting from Hurricane Laura damage.
- $8,204,429 to Lafourche Parish Hospital Service District #1 for the replacement of hospital building contents due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $7,973,837 to Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness for management costs resulting from Hurricane Laura.
- $7,174,797 to the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for management costs resulting from severe storms and flooding.
- $5,812,314 to the city of Sulphur, La., for replacement of its Municipal Complex building due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $5,781,660 to Jefferson Davis Electric Cooperative, Inc., for management costs resulting from Hurricane Laura damage.
- $4,378,638 to Hamilton Christian Academy for permanent repairs to school buildings in Lake Charles, La., due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $2,828,625 to St. Tammany Parish for management costs resulting from Hurricane Ida.
- $2,113,691 to Cameron Parish for the replacement of Grand Lake Recreation Center facilities due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $2,054,868 to the Lafourche Parish School Board for construction of improved school buildings due to Hurricane Ida damage.
- $2,040,663 to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals/Office of Public Health for emergency protective measures taken during the Tiger Island Fire.
- $1,484,806 to the city of Lake Charles, La., for permanent repairs to a city communications tower due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $1,173,386 to the Office of Risk Management for the replacement of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Rockefeller headquarters building in Grand Chenier, La., due to Hurricane Laura damage.
- $1,010,851 to the Military Department of the State of Louisiana National Guard for fire suppression measures taken during the Tiger Island Fire.
ICYMI: Kennedy in The Hill: Congress must hold cities accountable for holding back first-time home buyers
Aug 04 2025
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in The Hill explaining how his Build Now Act would incentivize cities to build more housing.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“The market for first-time home buyers in America is dismal. Since 2021, the annual income needed to qualify for a mortgage has increased by 60 percent, driving the median age of a first-time home buyer to 38 years old — a record high.
“One reason young Americans are struggling to buy their first homes is that we aren’t building enough of them.”
. . .
“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and I introduced the Build Now Act to incentivize new home construction by tying each city’s funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program to their rate of homebuilding.”
. . .
“The U.S. is the freest, most prosperous nation in the world. Buying your first home shouldn’t feel like a pipe dream. It’s time to start rewarding the cities that are working hard to make homeownership a reality for American families — and stripping funding from those that don’t.”
Read Kennedy’s op-ed here.
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) delivered the following remarks on the U.S. Senate floor:
“The Congressional Budget Office is a bipartisan entity, as you know, Mr. President, that advises us on fiscal and financial matters. I appreciate their good work. A lot of smart people over there.
“The CBO, as we call it, has issued a report that says, as a result of our reconciliation bill—the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill—that 10.5 million Americans are going to be thrown off Medicaid. . . . I don't want to be unfair to CBO, but sometimes CBO makes these statements, and they don't give you the context in which they're making the statements.
“If you say, ‘We're going to throw 10.5 million people off of Medicaid,’ and don't explain, in detail, why they've come to that conclusion, that's not fair. You're not getting the full story. You're not getting reliable information. That would be like asking a nun for advice about sex.
“So, let me tell you the other half of the story. . . . CBO says we're throwing 10.5 million people off of Medicaid. They weren't eligible for Medicaid in the first place. . . . For example, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services just came out with a report. Of those 10.5 million people that we're throwing off of Medicaid, 2.8 million of them are double-dipping. They're double-dipping. That's illegal. That's a violation of the rules. That means that a person has signed up—I’m from Louisiana—that means some people are signed up in Louisiana and Mississippi, for example. You can't double-dip. And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also found that of that 2.5 million people, 1.6 million of them are double-dipping by joining Medicaid and Obamacare.
“So, yeah, they're going to lose their Medicaid. They should. That double-dipping costs us $14 billion a year—$140 billion over ten years. . . . So, yeah, my friends at CBO, those people are going to lose their Medicaid. Did I mention that they weren't entitled to in the first place?
“Now, point two: the main determinant for Medicaid is income. . . . States are not supposed to sign up people for Medicaid who make too much money. I regret to say this—I don't know why, but it's human nature—some people don't tell the truth. Under President Biden, he encouraged the states not to check income eligibility. Just take everybody's word for it. . . . If the president sends a message to the states, ‘Don't worry about checking if people are making too much money.’ Guess what: some people are going to cheat, and they do. I wish they didn’t, but they do.
“Back in my state of Louisiana, our legislative auditor . . . did an exhaustive audit of our Medicaid program. They found in 2019 that 1,600 people had been signed up for Medicaid making over $100,000 a year. That’s 1,600 people making over a hundred grand a year. . . . This is Louisiana. Our median family income is only $56,000. These folks aren't qualified for Medicaid. They're taking money away from people who deserve it. . . . They’re not qualified for Medicaid. They're cheating. . . .
“Now, we also put in our reconciliation bill . . . a work requirement. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes the best way to get back on your feet is to get off your ass.
“Now, the American people are the most generous people in the world. We spend trillions of dollars helping our neighbors. In our country, if you are hungry, we will feed you. If you are homeless, we will house you. If you're too poor to be sick, we will pay for your doctor. That's why we have Medicaid. That's why we have Medicare.
“But those who can work should work. Our social programs were not meant to be parking lots. They were meant to be bridges. Sometimes. It's not always. If you're disabled, you should be on Medicaid. If you're too poor, you should be on Medicaid. But we've got a lot of people on Medicaid—we're not sure exactly how many—who could work. They choose not to. . . .
“We don't know exactly how many people are on the Medicaid expansion who can work who aren't working. There have been some estimates. They’re all over the map. I was looking in ‘The Economist’ recently. They estimated that 6% of the 71 million people on Medicaid are able-bodied and could work but choose not to. That's 6 million people. The average amount spent per person on Medicaid is $9,000 a year. So, if we could get all of those 6 million people to work—and we'll help them find a job—we'd save $54 billion a year. That's a half a trillion a year over a ten-year period.
“So yes, CBO. It’s true that if someone is covered by the work requirement, and they say, ‘I don't want to work, I choose not to work,’ then they're going to lose their Medicaid. And again, we're not talking about somebody disabled or somebody pregnant. We're not talking about a mother with three young children. We’re talking about able-bodied adults, 19 to 64, they're healthy, and don't have kids at home. All we're saying is, ‘Come join the American dream and get a job.’
“So . . . the CBO report, as far as I’m concerned, is all salt and no tequila. They don't tell us why 10.5 million people are going to lose their Medicaid. And unless you have an opium habit, you'll see if you drill down and understand and try to understand that those 10.5 million people, God bless them, but they weren't eligible for Medicaid in the first place.
“These reforms we're making to Medicaid are going to be able to provide much more money for the disabled Americans, the truly impoverished Americans, the truly sick Americans, the children who are too poor to be sick in our country. We're going to take this money we're saving and give them the quality health care they deserve.
“And even after all these reforms, guess what? Hope you're listening, CBO. We aren't cutting Medicaid. Even after all these reforms, Medicaid is going to go up 20% over the next ten years. And that's the rest of the story, Mr. President.”
Watch Kennedy’s speech here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and 24 bipartisan colleagues in introducing a resolution to mark the one-year anniversary of the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It was a dark day for our country when a deranged lunatic attempted to assassinate President Trump and stole the life of a beloved fireman, husband and father in Butler, Pennsylvania. One year later, I am grateful to God that President Trump survived this disgusting crime and offer my deepest condolences to Corey Comperatore’s family, along with all others injured or affected by this disturbing act of political violence,” said Kennedy.
“On July 13, 2024, our nation witnessed the horrifying assassination attempt against President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. As we remember the tragedy that unfolded, we must stand together to unequivocally oppose political violence against elected officials and condemn the divisive rhetoric that has fueled the rise of such hatred. My resolution makes clear that political violence has no place in our democracy and reaffirms the need for civility, respect, and the peaceful exchange of ideas. The United States is stronger when we stand together—even when we don’t agree politically,” said Schmitt.
The resolution:
- Honors Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who lost his life protecting his family from gunfire in Butler, and David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both of whom were critically injured at the rally.
- Expresses gratitude to the law enforcement officers, first responders and medical personnel who responded to the attacks, conducted investigations and provided aid to victims.
- Condemns other violent acts carried out against elected officials, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota State House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman.
Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), David McCormick (R-Pa.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also cosponsored the resolution.
The full resolution is available here.
ICYMI: Kennedy in Newsweek: Congress must hold NATO to its 5% defense spending commitment
Jul 31 2025
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in Newsweek arguing that Congress needs to hold NATO member countries to their 5% defense spending commitments.
Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
“On the surface, it appeared as though every member of NATO agreed to increase its defense spending to 5 percent of its GDP by 2035—and I'm confident that many of our allies intend to do just that.
“But some of our friends in NATO have already begun to weasel their way out of this commitment.”
. . .
“I am introducing a resolution to commend our NATO allies who agreed to increase their defense spending to 5 percent and to strongly urge every member of NATO to follow through with this commitment sincerely. If we want to deter our adversaries, we need real investments in our defense, not bridges that have little, if anything, to do with national security.
“NATO is one of the greatest defensive alliances in all of human history, but these loopholes make us weaker. The world needs to know we have each other's backs, and that starts by putting your money where your mouth is.”
Read Kennedy’s op-ed here.
The full text of the resolution is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and 16 colleagues in introducing the Equal Shot Act, which would prohibit the Small Business Administration (SBA) from discriminating against lawful firearm-related businesses.
“Big Government officials in Washington should never be able to punish small business owners just because they support the Second Amendment. The Equal Shot Act would protect Louisiana’s firearm businesses from out-of-control bureaucrats trying to pick winners and losers based on politics,” said Kennedy.
“The Equal Shot Act defends the Second Amendment rights of Idaho’s small business firearm industry and ensures these law-abiding Americans have fair access to resources that will help them thrive,” said Risch.
The Equal Shot Act ensures that firearm-related businesses are treated the same as any other eligible small business when applying for SBA programs without political or ideological bias.
- The bill responds to reports that the SBA, under the Biden administration, used internal policies to deny financial support to lawful firearm-related businesses that help Americans exercise their Second Amendment rights.
- The bill reinforces that federal agencies must remain neutral and may not withhold access to assistance programs from law-abiding businesses based on their industry.
Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The Equal Shot Act ensures every eligible small business is treated fairly and without political bias. Under the Biden Administration, firearm-related businesses were targeted and singled out by federal agencies and financial institutions simply because of what they represent. These law-abiding job creators should not be punished for supporting the Second Amendment. I want to thank Senator Risch for his support on this important legislation. Every business on Main Street deserves the same opportunity to succeed,” said Williams.
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also cosponsored the bill.
Full text of the bill is available here.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) today unanimously voted to advance Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. Gary Peters’ (D-Mich.) Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which would save hard-earned taxpayer money by curbing erroneous payments to individuals who have passed away.
Kennedy’s original bipartisan legislation set up key provisions to save federal taxpayer dollars by curbing erroneous government payments to individuals for a temporary three-year period, and this new Kennedy-Peters bill would make the temporary provisions permanent. The original bill is expected to save at least $330 million from 2024 to 2026.
“Today’s unanimous Senate Homeland Security Committee vote to pass my Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act is a major win for every American worried about waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal budget. There’s no reason hardworking Americans should have to pay for the government’s mistaken payments to dead people. I look forward to the full Senate passing our bill right away,” said Kennedy.
“This bill would help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring that the Social Security Administration can permanently share important data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I have long supported this legislation because I believe it is a vital step in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of our payment systems,” said Peters.
In January 2025, the Treasury Department announced that it recovered $31 million in fraud and improper payments during the first five months of the implementation of Kennedy’s Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, in which the Social Security Administration shared its Death Master File with the Treasury Department to avoid erroneous payments temporarily.
The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would permanently amend the Social Security Act to allow the Social Security Administration to share the Death Master File – a record of deceased individuals – with the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system. This change would rein in the government’s ability to make improper payments to deceased people in the future.
The bill would also allow the Treasury’s Do Not Pay working system to compare death information from the Social Security Administration with personal information from other federal entities and to share this information with any paying or administering agency that is authorized to use the Do Not Pay system.
Background:
Kennedy has championed the cause of saving billions of dollars in taxpayer money by ending improper payments to deceased Americans in recent years:
- In December 2024, Kennedy urged his colleagues to save taxpayer dollars and support the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased Americans Act on the Senate floor.
- In May 2024, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously passed Kennedy’s Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act.
- Kennedy’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 within three years after enactment. The three-year exchange runs from December 27, 2023, to December 27, 2026.
- In 2021, Kennedy wrote this op-ed sounding the alarm on the government’s sending more than $1 billion to deceased Americans.
- In 2019, Kennedy questioned U.S. Government Accountability Office Comptroller General Hon. Gene L. Dodaro about improper payments sent to deceased people.
Full bill text is available here.
President Trump signs Kennedy, Cortez Masto bill to help Louisianians recover from natural disasters
Jul 30 2025
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed into law Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)’s bipartisan Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, which will provide relief for taxpayers in states that have issued state-level disaster declarations.
“I’m grateful to President Trump for signing our bipartisan Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act into law. Louisianians recovering from hurricanes and other disasters shouldn’t have to wait on Washington to get the tax extensions they need. This law will make sure hard-hit communities can get necessary tax relief without delay,” said Kennedy.
“When a natural disaster strikes, hard-hit families looking for tax relief shouldn’t have to wait for the federal government to act. This commonsense bill will ensure that taxpayers who have been through state emergencies can get the flexibility from the IRS that they deserve while recovering,” said Cortez Masto.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) also cosponsored the bill.
“The last thing Tennesseans should have to worry about when a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene strikes is meeting a tax-filing deadline. Now that President Trump has signed our bipartisan Tax Relief for Natural Disasters Act into law, Americans impacted by natural disasters will have the flexibility to focus on recovery, not tax paperwork,” said Blackburn.
Prior to the bill’s signing, the Internal Revenue Service had the authority to postpone tax filing deadlines following a presidentially declared federal disaster but not following a state-level emergency declaration.
The Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act allows the governor of a state or territory to extend a federal tax filing deadline following a state-declared emergency or natural disaster without waiting for a federal disaster declaration.
This change will enable states to provide federal tax extensions independent of the federal government’s involvement in an emergency or natural disaster.
The law also expands the mandatory federal filing extension from 60 days to 120 days.
The full bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today introduced a resolution urging North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries to fulfill their commitments to spend five percent of their GDP on defense. He emphasizes the importance of sincerity in fulfilling these obligations, noting that some countries, such as Spain, have refused to meet the five percent commitment, demanding a carveout. Spain struggled to even meet their two percent defense spending target. All NATO members must take this commitment seriously to strengthen our collective security.
“NATO is one of the greatest defensive alliances in all of human history. My resolution commends our allies for their commitment to allocate five percent of their GDP to our shared defense and strongly encourages them to fulfill their promises in good faith. If we want to deter our adversaries, we need real investments in our defense, not bridges that have little, if anything, to do with national security,” said Kennedy.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) cosponsored the resolution.
“Now more than ever, the New Axis of Evil is threatening the security of free nations, and every NATO member country needs to spend their fair share to keep our adversaries from accomplishing their goals. Our resolution urges all NATO members to fulfill their obligation to spend 5% of GDP on defense and address the security risks we are facing,” said Blackburn.
“It’s past time for NATO members to pony up. It’s not the job of the American taxpayers to pay to defend the entire world. Thank God for President Trump who is finally standing up for American taxpayers and fighting to put America First,” said Tuberville.
“NATO members agree: Deterrence is more important now than at any time in recent memory. The axis of aggressors is watching, hoping the West underestimates its threats. I am grateful for the Hague Summit Declaration’s spending commitment, and I will continue pressing member nations to follow through on their word. The free world can achieve peace through collective strength,” said Wicker.
“Conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and tensions in the Indo-Pacific threaten our global stability and security. It’s critical for NATO nations to honor their commitments on national defense, ensuring military readiness within the NATO alliance,” said Cornyn.
Kennedy also penned an op-ed in Newsweek, arguing that Congress needs to hold NATO member countries to their five percent defense spending commitments.
Background:
- The Trump Administration secured a historic win by encouraging NATO member countries to move toward spending 5 percent of their GDP on collective defense.
- However, the Hague Summit Declaration allows countries to evade their commitments in two ways: (1) by not specifying that all allies must meet the five percent requirement, and (2) by permitting 1.5 percent of the total to include spending that is only loosely related to defense.
- Spain has recently said that it will not be meeting the five-percent commitment. Italy has said it may include a bridge to Sicily as part of its non-traditional defense total.
The resolution:
- Congratulates President Trump and NATO leadership on this historic agreement.
- Strongly urges NATO leadership to compel its members to adhere to the five percent commitment.
- Calls on NATO allies to ensure their non-traditional defense expenditures are legitimate defense spending.
The full text of the resolution is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) today reintroduced the Service-Disabled Veteran Opportunities in Small Business Act to help disabled veterans’ small businesses thrive.
Kennedy and Ossoff have proposed their legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress’s annual defense spending and policy bill.
“America owes a debt of gratitude to every veteran who sacrifices for our country. Our bill would do right by service-disabled veterans by making sure government agencies are giving their small businesses a fair shake,” said Kennedy.
“Service-disabled veterans have made huge sacrifices in our national defense. That's why Senator Kennedy and I are introducing this bipartisan bill to support small businesses run by service-disabled veterans in Georgia and nationwide,” said Ossoff.
Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) introduced the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) currently offers a program to allocate certain contracts to service-disabled veterans’ small businesses. The Service-Disabled Veterans Opportunities in Small Business Act would:
- Require the SBA to issue guidance to meet goals for extending contracts to small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans more effectively.
- Provide training for federal agencies that fail to meet contracting goals.
- Require the SBA to issue a report to Congress detailing a list of each federal agency that failed to meet its contracting goals.
Full text of the bill is available here.
Full text of Kennedy and Ossoff’s amendment to the NDAA is available here.
