Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today called on his colleagues in Congress to address high inflation, as it remains a serious problem for Louisiana families. During a speech on the Senate floor, Kennedy noted that Louisianians are paying an average of $798 more every month because of the inflation that has occurred under President Joe Biden’s watch.

Key comments from Kennedy’s remarks include:

“My purpose in rising today, Mr. President, is to suggest that we should keep our eye on the ball. We are faced with many difficult issues in the Senate today. We always are. But I think that's especially true today. . . But I don't want my colleagues to forget about one of the most important issues of all facing the American people today, and that is the cost of living in our extraordinary country.”

. . .

“I say this with no joy whatsoever: Inflation in America today is man-made, and that man's name is President Joe Biden. In my state, where the mean household income is $55,000, the average [Louisiana] family is paying $800 a month more—a month, not a year, a month—more to live in this wonderful country as a result of Bidenomics. That's $9,600 a year that a family of four making $55,000 a year has to find.”

. . .

“Falling inflation just means prices are still going up every month, every day, but they're not going up as fast as they were. We call that disinflation.

“Falling inflation also means that prices overall are not going down. (That's deflation.) My point is, even though inflation is falling—and I am so glad it is—all that means is that prices are not going up as fast as they were and we're going to be stuck with these high prices. They're going to be permanent even if inflation goes to zero.”

. . .

“We have a lot of the issues that we're struggling with right now, but among the five things that moms and dads in America worry about when they lie down to sleep at night and can’t is the cost of living in our wonderful country. . . President Biden's inflation is strangling a free people. The American people deserve better, and I don't want us to lose sight of that fact as we grapple with other issues.” 

Watch Kennedy’s full remarks here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in introducing the CFPB Pay Fairness Act of 2023, which would increase accountability at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by requiring the agency to pay its employees according to the same standards that apply to other federal employees.

“The CFPB’s funding scheme reveals much about what’s wrong with big government. Our bill would do away with the CFPB’s unfair pay advantage and begin to put the agency’s staff on equal footing with other hardworking federal employees,” said Kennedy.

“Those who created the CFPB continually sought to remove the agency from meaningful oversight and provide it with preferential treatment, all the way down to ignoring the widely-used federal government GS pay scale for CFPB employees. This legislation is a common-sense step to reigning in exorbitant pay at the CFPB and restoring parity among federal agencies,” said Tillis.

The CFPB’s funding mechanism operates outside the regular congressional oversight process. As a result, many CFPB employees receive salaries comparable with those of members of Congress and cabinet secretaries. The CFPB Pay Fairness Act of 2023 would give the CFPB 90 days to bring its employee salaries in line with the General Schedule (GS) pay scale for federal employees.

Full text of the CFPB Pay Fairness Act of 2023 is available here.

WASHINGTON – The Senate today unanimously passed Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (SALE) Act. The legislation would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to release previously auctioned spectrum in order to expand 5G broadband access to rural communities. 

“My 5G SALE Act provides Americans with access to broadband by giving the FCC the authority to finish transferring previously auctioned spectrum to companies that offer 5G coverage. The House should move quickly to send this bill to the president’s desk so that the job providers who depend on wireless communications in Louisiana and across America can continue to support rural economies,” said Kennedy. 

Kennedy questioned FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing about the commission’s lapsed authority to transfer spectrum licenses already sold at auction. The 5G SALE Act would temporarily grant the FCC auction authority it needs to complete spectrum transfers, which would allow broadband services to provide greater 5G network coverage to Americans in rural areas.

Background:

In 2022, the FCC auctioned off roughly 8,000 licenses to grant companies access to America’s broadband spectrum. These licenses are the only way companies can legally use the radio waves that deliver 5G to customers. These wavelengths are therefore highly valuable.

During the period between when companies paid for their licenses and when the FCC should have parceled the licenses out, Congress failed to reauthorize the FCC’s ability to auction off licenses altogether. Now, each company that bought spectrum in that auction is waiting to receive its transfer. Despite payments being complete, the FCC says it no longer has the authority to grant those licenses. 

Kennedy’s legislation would grant the FCC a one-time, temporary authority to issue licenses purchased in auctions that were held before March 9, 2023 (when the FCC’s Congressional authorization ended).

Full text of the 5G SALE Act is available here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and 44 other Republican senators in demanding that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) restore the traditional, business dress code for senators on the Senate floor. 

“For more than 230 years, the United States Senate has served the American people with honor and dignity. As members of this esteemed body, we understand the seriousness our positions require,” the senators wrote.

“The Senate is a place of honor and tradition, and the Senate floor is where we conduct the business of the American people. It is where we debate the policies which impact every American family and, when necessary, it is where we must make the gravest decision imaginable—whether to send our fellow Americans into battle to defend the freedoms we all hold dear. The world watches us on that floor and we must protect the sanctity of that place at all costs,” they continued.

“Allowing casual clothing on the Senate floor disrespects the institution we serve and the American families we represent. We the undersigned members of the United States Senate write to express our supreme disappointment and resolute disapproval of your recent decision to abandon the Senate’s longstanding dress code for members, and urge you to immediately reverse this misguided action,” the senators concluded.

The letter is available here.