Press Releases

The men and women in San Antonio this week are showing our nation what perseverance looks like. Go Army!

On the Foreign Affairs Committee this week, we debated and advanced legislation that authorizes America’s Foreign Service which oversees all of America’s Foreign Service Officer programs carried out by the Department of State. It’s about restoring authority so that everyone—whether in Washington or across the globe—rows in the same direction. We’re making sure every diplomat and every dollar spent abroad put America first. I also joined the Everglades Foundation for their annual meeting focused on the fight to restore the Everglades and stop Lake Okeechobee's discharges. During my first congre

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Monitor Accountability Act, legislation to set clear rules for federal court-appointed monitors that oversee state and local government agencies. Federal courts often appoint monitors to track compliance with consent decrees or court orders involving state and local governments, including police departments. These monitors can review major policy changes, shape what compliance means, and influence how long local governments can remain under federal supervision. Despite that power, court-appointed

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in introducing the Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation to help servicemembers and veterans seek accountability when federal government negligence contributed to sexual assault or harassment during their military service. Under current law, the Feres doctrine generally prevents service members from suing the federal government for injuries arising from their active-duty military service. That can leave servicemembers and veterans with few options

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) in introducing the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA) Penalty Increase Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen penalties for individuals and companies that violate U.S. export control laws. The bill would increase civil penalties for unlawfully exporting, re-exporting or transferring sensitive American technology to foreign adversaries and other bad actors. The legislation would help ensure that penalties are strong enough to deter violations involving technology that could t

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) in introducing the Diversity Jurisdiction Inflation Adjustment Act, bipartisan legislation to raise the dollar threshold for certain state-law lawsuits between parties from different states to be heard in federal court. Federal diversity jurisdiction allows federal courts to hear state-law disputes between parties from different states. To prevent federal courts from being flooded with lower-value state-law claims, Congress requires these lawsuits to meet a minimum dollar amount

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in National Review explaining how Medicaid fraud at autism-related care facilities spiraled out of control and how federal and state governments are holding the fraudsters accountable. Key excerpts of the op-ed are below: “Autism is a breathtakingly complex disorder. Some children with autism grow up to become CEOs, actors, and professional athletes. Others never learn to speak or develop the skills they need to care for themselves. “The vast differences in how autism presents itself in children make it very difficult for medical profess

This op-ed by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) first appeared in National Review on June 18, 2026. Autism is a breathtakingly complex disorder. Some children with autism grow up to become CEOs, actors, and professional athletes. Others never learn to speak or develop the skills they need to care for themselves. The vast differences in how autism presents itself in children make it very difficult for medical professionals to treat — and easy for fraudsters to scam. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover treatment for children with autism. Medicaid spending on autism-related t

Watch Kennedy’s comments here. WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) explained why he is optimistic about the memorandum of understanding that the Trump administration struck with Iran and the possibility of regional peace in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor. Key excerpts of the speech are below: “I read the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. I read it twice. And, for what it’s worth, here’s my conclusion: I think we ought to give peace a chance, and that’s all I’m saying today. You’re entitled to your opinion, but all I’m saying today is I think we ought to give

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and seven bipartisan colleagues in applauding the passage of their Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation and Obscured Foreign Financing (PAID) Act out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This legislation would close critical loopholes by requiring agents working on behalf of America’s enemies to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), providing full transparency on their operations. “Foreign agents working for our adversaries like China a

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $6,763,833 in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support recovery efforts in Louisiana communities impacted by Hurricanes Laura and Ida. “Hurricanes Laura and Ida hit Louisiana hard, but our people never quit. They’ve shown real strength and grit, and this $6.8 million in funding will help Louisiana repair damaged facilities, strengthen emergency protections and ensure our communities are better prepared for future storms,” said Kennedy. The FEMA aid will fund

This week, House Republicans passed 11 bills to stop fraud across federal programs and to stop bad actors before they can get paid.