WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced the Patients Choice Act of 2024 to prevent the Biden administration from restricting short-term, limited duration insurance plans (STLDI) for consumers. 

In July 2023, the Biden administration announced a proposed rule to roll back a Trump-administration era policy that allows consumers to buy short-term, affordable health care insurance policies that last for up to 12 months. Trump’s policy allows consumers to renew such plans so that they can access coverage for up to three years. The Biden administration’s rule would limit STLDI contract periods to just four months.

“President Biden’s rule would limit Americans’ freedom to get affordable, short-term health insurance plans that fit their needs. The Patients Choice Act would make sure bureaucrats can’t force Louisianians to pay more for insurance through Obamacare,” said Kennedy. 

Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“These insurance plans are designed to provide Americans with temporary, limited, and affordable health coverage while they search for more permanent solutions. This bill stops the Department of Health & Human Services, Labor, and Treasury from imposing burdensome regulations on Americans,” said Self.  

STLDI plans allow Americans to access short-term, affordable coverage while they transition from one form of health insurance to another. Currently, STLDI plans provide coverage to more than 1 million Americans.  

The Patients Choice Act of 2024 would:

• Stop the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Treasury and Department of Labor from implementing or enforcing its proposed rule. 

• Codify the Trump-administration era regulations, which allow STLDI plans to last for 12 months and give consumers the option of renewing or extending coverage for up to 36 months. 

Full text of the Patients Choice Act of 2024 is available here.

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released the following statement on the funding bill that makes important cuts to federal programs and makes investments in Louisiana’s economy. 

“Government shutdowns are catastrophic, and this bill keeps the government up and running. It turns Louisiana’s priorities into realities. Our jobs, our communities and our freedom are a focus of this bill,” said Kennedy.

The bill also includes Kennedy’s language protecting veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Kennedy successfully amended the bill to include a provision based on his veterans Second Amendment Protection Act. This provision would prevent veterans from losing their right to purchase or own firearms when they receive help managing their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.

“Veterans who sacrificed to defend our Constitution shouldn’t see their own rights rest on the judgment of unelected bureaucrats—but right now, they do. The Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act would stop government workers from stripping veterans of their Second Amendment rights just because they get a helping hand to manage their hard-earned VA benefits,” Kennedy explained.

Current law infringes on veterans’ right to bear arms because the VA is required to send a veteran’s name to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) whenever a fiduciary is appointed to help that veteran manage his or her VA benefits. Placement on NICS blocks veterans from purchasing or owning firearms.

Because unelected bureaucrats at the VA ultimately decide—without a court ruling—whether veterans receive help from a fiduciary and therefore end up in NICS, current law denies veterans due process.

Because today’s package includes Kennedy’s legislation, it would prohibit the VA Secretary from transmitting a veteran’s personal information to NICS unless a judge has ruled that the person is a danger to himself or others.

Louisiana priorities secured in the bill:

• $36.5 million to provide the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway the resources it needs to maintain the 200-mile commercial artery. The funding will prevent a dam-safety emergency or navigation loss at the Boggs Lock and Dam, which would cut off all access between the waterway and the Mississippi River.

• $15 million to move planning, environmental and engineering work for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor forward. The corridor is an elevated roadway along the 40 Arpent Canal that will connect Lower St. Bernard to the interstate system.

• $13.4 million to build an athletic track and field at Fort Polk in Vernon Parish, La. to support troop readiness.

• $7 million to construct an addition to Barksdale Air Force Base’s medical facility to relieve overcrowding and reduce wait times. The medical facility is currently 52% over its capacity.

• $6.7 million to plan and design a dormitory for Security Forces Airmen to support more personnel at the new weapons generation facility at Barksdale Air Force Base.

• $6 million to provide Ruston, La. with initial construction planning for the first phase of a new service road that will connect Ruston to Grambling, La.

• $4 million to give vehicles access to the 8th District U.S. Coast Guard Station in Venice, La. Currently, this vital roadway needs serious improvements because it regularly floods, which prevents access to the Coast Guard station. 

• $3 million to upgrade and modernize to the original National World War II Museum’s 23-year-old D-Day Invasion of Normandy building and its exhibitions.

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today announced that Ariel Clarke will accompany him to this year’s State of the Union address.

Clarke is a second generation American whose parents came to the U.S. from Jamaica. She has lived in Washington for 19 years, and she works in the Senate as part of the AbilityOne Program. 

“It’s my honor to bring Ariel as my guest to the State of the Union. She has a positive attitude and brings joy to Russell’s fourth floor, where we both work. A great deal of what lawmakers do in the Capitol isn’t possible without the work of the AbilityOne team, and I am always grateful to them,” said Kennedy.

“I’m excited to go to the State of the Union to bring light to what Goodwill actually is and what we stand for,” said Clarke.

Clarke has more than four years of experience working for Goodwill of Greater Washington. She began her role in the Russell Senate Office Building three years ago, supporting senators, staff and constituents as a custodian. 

The AbilityOne Program is an independent federal initiative that helps people with disabilities attain meaningful employment. The AbilityOne Program employs roughly 40,000 individuals—including more than 2,500 veterans—who are blind or otherwise disabled.

This year marks the fifth time Kennedy has invited a Senate custodian as his guest for the president’s State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today rebuked the Biden administration for its decision to reduce active-duty forces by more than 1,200 soldiers at Fort Johnson in Vernon Parish, La.

“President Biden’s Defense Department cares more about pronoun preferences than it does about military readiness. As a result, the Army is seeing the lowest force numbers on record since before World War II. The Biden administration’s solution to this problem is to cut Fort Johnson’s forces by more than 1,200 soldiers. This move will not only deal a $175 million blow to Louisiana’s economy, but it will also hurt America’s military readiness,” said Kennedy.

Background: 

• The U.S. Army announced its decision to reduce active-duty personnel at the Fort Johnson base as part of its “Force Structure Transformation” plan. Currently, the Army’s force structure is designed to accommodate 494,000 solders. Due to recruitment shortfalls across the Defense Department, troop levels must be reduced to 470,000 by FY 2029.

• The plan is the Army’s response to record-low recruitment. Under the plan, Fort Johnson is expected to lose 1,211 military soldiers.

• The plan is expected to cost the region $175 million in gross domestic product.

• In 2017, Fort Johnson had a force of 7,792 regular soldiers. By 2029, that number is expected to fall to approximately 6,805 as a result of the Army’s plan to account for low recruitment numbers.