In-state political issues have been taking center stage, but as Congress recesses for Independence Day, let’s check in on Louisiana’s delegation to Washington, D.C.
Congressman Steve Scalise remains hospitalized as he recovers from being shot at baseball practice June 14th, but he is out of the ICU. We wish him well.
Congressman Cedric Richmond achieved some notoriety last week, when he went off on an Iowa Rep. Steve King, who compared New Orleans to some of the most violent countries in the world.
“It’s not appropriate; it’s insensitive; and it’s nothing more than traditional white privilege of, ‘Let me criticize a minority city’!” Louisiana’s 2nd District representative and chairman of the Black Caucus shouted during a recent committee hearing.
Congressman Clay Higgins has been laying fairly low since his June 4th Facebook post about radical Islamic terrorists, in which he urged, “Hunt them and kill them. Kill them all.”
Terrorism is an issue for 4th District Congressman Mike Johnson, as well. This week he offered a bill amendment restricting how that measure’s funding could be used.
“No taxpayer dollars should even go to state sponsors of terrorism, or to foreign terrorist organizations,” Johnson explained.
Congressman Ralph Abraham has put out a series of videos, touting the U.S. House health care plan – particularly its provision to change Medicaid to a block grant program.
“And with that flexibility that the states will have, even more money will come to the states,” Abraham states.
6th District Congressman Garret Graves is pushing his new bill, which deals with food stamps.
“We introduced legislation on the Supplemental Nutrition Program, SNAP, helping to incentivize people to get off of government dependence and get into the workforce,” Graves said in a Facebook live update to his constituents. “This is designed to target able-bodied folks that do not have dependent children.”
And while U.S. Senator John Kennedy has indicated he will be among the “yes” votes when the Senate health care bill is taken up, Senator Bill Cassidy has not yet said definitively whether he will be a yea or nay. As a physician, Cassidy’s support is being eagerly sought by the Republican leadership in the Senate. He’s holding a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge this afternoon. Though it is officially on flood recovery, it’s likely the healthcare bill will grab much of the attention.