WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) again urged President Biden to provide supplemental disaster relief for southwest Louisiana. The region is currently experiencing flash flooding even as recovery efforts from last year’s historic hurricane season are ongoing. 

“I still don’t know why bad things happen to the good people of Louisiana, but I know they didn’t deserve the wrath of Hurricane Laura or Delta, and they don’t deserve the flooding being dumped on them this week. Southwest Louisiana has shown us its strength, and it is past time for the Biden administration to show them they’re not in this alone. President Biden needs to stop ignoring our calls for help and put resources to work in Lake Charles and the areas that are still recovering from Mother Nature’s heavy hand,” Kennedy said. 

“I ask that President Biden provide emergency disaster appropriations to unleash the full resources of the federal government on behalf of families in Louisiana and to take action to protect life and property ahead of the next disaster. Our people desperately need these resources, and the federal government must not stand in the way,” he added.

“These include the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as other programs provided by the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and emergency appropriations for federal highways,” wrote Kennedy. 

The letter is available here.

Background:

Last year, five categorized storms hit Louisiana, affecting all 64 parishes. Hurricane Laura hit southwest Louisiana as a Category 4 storm and is one of the strongest storms to make landfall in American history. Hurricane Laura was the most expensive weather event of 2020, causing an estimated $19 billion in damages. Hurricane Delta added to the damage when it made landfall in the same area 42 days later.

• Kennedy wrote to Senate leadership, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), in September to request that the Senate consider emergency supplemental aid to help Louisiana residents recover from Hurricane Laura.
• Kennedy wrote to President Trump in December for supplemental disaster funds to help Louisiana recover from extensive hurricane damage caused by the 2020 season’s storms.
• Kennedy has repeatedly pressed the White House for the disaster relief that Lake Charles and the surrounding areas need.
• Today, Kennedy criticized FEMA for trying to raise flood insurance premiums on Louisiana residents without explaining how those decisions have been made. FEMA is bypassing Congress to initiate Risk Rating 2.0, which is scheduled to go into effect for new National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies on Oct. 1, 2021. New rates for existing NFIP policyholders will go into effect on April 1, 2022. This rating system would change the way premium rates are calculated, potentially making flood insurance unaffordable for Louisiana families in flood-prone areas.
• Last week, Kennedy and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act, which would allow rural homeowners, renters and small businesses to more easily access disaster relief in the wake of a natural disaster.

MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), released the following statement upon the passing of Gov. Buddy Roemer.

“Louisiana weeps. Buddy was one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He was immeasurably talented. All he ever wanted to do was make Louisiana better, and he did. That meant making the right people mad, but he understood that. When I count my blessings, I count Buddy twice.

“More than anything, Buddy loved his family. Becky and I are honored to count his family and loved ones as our friends. We are so sad to lose this Louisiana warrior, and we are praying for everyone who was blessed to know and love him.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today questioned the cancellation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women’s golf regional in Baton Rouge, La. The NCAA scheduled this year’s tournament to occur at Louisiana State University’s University Club, but eventually canceled it, claiming that several inches of rainfall made the course “playable but not championship level.”

“The cancellation of the tournament is concerning for several reasons. First, there appear to have been multiple windows during the scheduled tournament when the athletes could have played. . . . Second, the players and their coaches were comfortable with the conditions and did not think they posed any risk to their safety. Third, the tournament has not been rescheduled,” wrote Kennedy. 

“This cancellation appears to be yet another example of how women’s sports are increasingly undervalued in this country. In Washington, D.C., ongoing efforts to undermine Title IX opportunities for women’s athletics would open competition to biological men who identify as women. The inaccurately named ‘Equality Act’ is one such effort. Our daughters and sisters must have opportunities equal to those of men to demonstrate their athletic ability without having their achievements diluted by unfair competition or mismanagement,” continued Kennedy.

“With all this in mind, I request a response detailing whether the NCAA is considering rescheduling the women’s tournament before the upcoming championship. If not, please detail what the NCAA will do to ensure female athletes do not face such an unfair result in the future,” Kennedy concluded.

The letter is available here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other Republican senators in calling on President Biden to cut off negotiations with and refrain from giving sanctions relief to Iran, in light of that nation’s support of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. The letter comes in the wake of Hamas’s launching hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians and cities.

“As you know, Palestinian terrorist groups launched more than 1,000 rockets targeting Israel over the last few days alone. This includes the first rockets aimed at Jerusalem since 2014. While the United States and countries around the world condemned these rocket attacks, Iran resoundingly supports this aggression. Shortly after the attacks began, and as they continued, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted that Palestinians should unite to ‘use the tools of their disposal’ to attack Israel, which he recently called not a nation, but a ‘terrorist garrison,’” Kennedy and the senators wrote.

The senators explained that the U.S. designated Hamas as a terrorist organization more than 20 years ago, which means America cannot grant any assistance to the group. The U.S., however, is actively negotiating with Iran, a country that has consistently backed Hamas financially and materially. The senators warned that any money in sanctions relief that the U.S. might give to Iran would likely support Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

“We call on you to immediately end negotiations with Iran, and make clear that sanctions relief will not be provided. Doing so would demonstrate a firm commitment to our closest ally in the region and to our own security interests,” the senators continued. 

“The United States must not do anything to enrich Israel’s enemies, such as by offering sanctions relief to a regime that seeks to destroy Israel. As a longtime friend of the Jewish State, we also urge you to unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against any and all terrorist attacks,” the lawmakers concluded.

The letter is available here.