Dear Editor,
I am deeply concerned about the legislation currently being pushed by liberal Senator Dick Durbin that would benefit Chinese credit card companies at the expense of American small businesses. This bill would require credit card companies to partner with at least two unaffiliated network providers, including China Union Pay, which has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
It is alarming to see how China is trying to steal American data, and this bill would only make it easier for them to do so. Allowing a Chinese credit card company to access our personal information is like inviting a spy balloon to hover over every single American with a credit card and take whatever data they want.
This legislation is a classic example of Democrat policy that hurts Americans rather than helping them. By partnering with China Union Pay, Americans' information will be freely handed over to the CCP, giving China an unfair advantage over our small businesses. This will only make it more challenging for small businesses that are already struggling to compete in the market.
It's crucial to remember that Communist China remains the most significant threat to our country. We need to be careful and vigilant, and the last thing we should be doing is giving them an opportunity to hurt us. I am grateful that Louisiana has Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy who continually put Louisianans' interests first and oppose any pro-China bills that could harm our country.
Senator Durbin and the Chinese Communist Party must be stopped, and I hope that Senators Cassidy and Kennedy will continue to stand firm against this harmful legislation. Louisiana deserves strong leaders who will protect our credit cards from those who wish America ill.
Sincerely,
DK Willard
SWIBER: Back to the Bayou
Stephen Swiber, Louisiana State Senate Candidate, launches BackToTheBayou.com to unite Louisiana family this Mother's Day, as outmigration continues to separate families.
President Donald Trump Endorses Jeff Landry for Governor
Click here to watch President Trump’s endorsement of Jeff Landry.
LAFAYETTE, La. —Jeff Landry, the official endorsed candidate by the Louisiana Republican Party, received the endorsement of President Donald Trump in his race for Governor of Louisiana. This endorsement is part of a growing list of GOP supporters including Congressman Mike Johnson, Congressman Clay Higgins, former Congressman Ralph Abraham, businessman Eddie Rispone, businessman Boysie Bollinger, the Club for Growth, as well as numerous Republican Parish Executive Committees (RPEC) across Louisiana. There will be many more endorsement announcements in the coming weeks.
“I am endorsing your Attorney General Jeff Landry for Governor. He has been a fantastic Attorney General. He wants to stop crime. He loves the people of Louisiana just like I do,” said President Donald Trump
Modernize Medicare by Covering Anti-Obesity Medications
Obesity is a serious health problem for millions of Americans and for our nation where 42% of US adults are living with obesity. The association with other chronic conditions, including heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes, is incontrovertible.
Obesity also has been identified as one of the greatest risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection and death, and its burden does not fall equally on all communities. It is a particularly significant concern for communities of color.
Read more: Modernize Medicare by Covering Anti-Obesity Medications
The Republican Party of Louisiana Endorses John Fleming for State Treasurer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2023
BATON ROUGE, LA— The Republican Party of Louisiana (LAGOP) has announced its endorsement of John Fleming for Louisiana State Treasurer.
John Fleming served eight years as the U.S. Congressman for the 4th Congressional District of Louisiana. After concluding his time in Congress, he was tapped to serve in President Donald Trump's administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. He was next confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. He completed his time in the administration as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff.
John is a military veteran and an experienced medical physician, as well as a successful businessman. He and his wife Cindy have been married 45 years and have four children.
A solid majority of the members of the Republican State Central Committee endorsed John for State Treasurer, which endorsement was made official yesterday afternoon by unanimous vote of the LAGOP's Executive Committee. We congratulate John and urge all Republicans to support his candidacy!
To learn more about John Fleming, visit flemingfortreasurer.com.
LOGA President Mike Moncla Testifies Before House Ways & Means Committee in Support of HB 634
LANDRY: Transparency is Not Racist
The Criminal Justice System Only Works If There’s Accountability
This is incredibly simple: the Truth and Transparency in our Criminal Justice System bill, which was supported by both Republicans and Democrats, passed committee 13-2, and now heads to the House floor, is meant to help us learn.
On the one hand, we have victims and defendants alike whose needs are not being served by our broken criminal justice system; on the other, we have a State with a crime problem and no empirical data to help us make informed decisions on potential solutions.
Yes, the two-year pilot program proposed by this bill will include Orleans, Caddo, and East Baton Rouge Parishes; but those are the largest parishes currently dealing with violent and juvenile crime issues. They are also three out of 38 parishes that maintain electronic records, making our data aggregation system not only cost effective but also possible. Most importantly, these three areas are among the top 10 most dangerous in America, which likely played a huge part in their State Representatives supporting the bill in committee.
But unless you have become a victim of a crime or lost a loved one to violence, you may not know how bad the public’s criminal justice system has become or how difficult it is for victims and defendants to access public records like court dates relevant to their cases. In fact, access to these records can cost an individual anywhere from $300 to $27,000 a year; and roughly half of our Parish Clerk Offices require you manually sift through paper files or physically attend a court hearing in order to gain basic information, such as what, how, or why. That is unacceptable.
While victims deserve rights, and effective advocates exist in pockets across our State, this legislation will enable victims to stand on their own two feet in our justice system through greater transparency – because you cannot exercise your rights unless you know what is going on. As of today, individuals are forced to do their own research, spend their own money, and track down their own court dates while also juggling uncertainty, trauma, and grief. The law promises them justice; our system offers them hell.
For example, Dr. Patrick Dennis was held at gunpoint by a juvenile. He was never notified by the District Attorney of the trial date and later learned that the gunman was released without consequences. Similarly, Mrs. Sherilyn Price testified that she had been lied to and kept in the dark about the murder of her son, comedian Boogie B. These are two stories out of thousands in which greater transparency would have been beneficial.
The law requires us to have a system for public records, but that system must also meet the needs of its users and not further victimize them. Our goal is to make this process easier, clearer, and more direct – with public access granted for free through the Louisiana Department of Justice. This data aggregation system will not be violating confidentiality or abusing sensitive records, and it will be strictly limited to information related to what is happening in court.
That is what the people of our State have requested through their feedback, and I believe that we must work with them if we are going to improve Louisiana. That means we must face some uncomfortable truths regarding our past strategies, find new ways to measure success and failure, and face the cold hard reality about what is not working and why. We need concrete, accurate, and efficient data if we are to make useful decisions rather than hope our good intentions will solve the problem.
Just like the victims of violent crime, lawmakers need to truly understand the problem if we are ever going to provide realistic solutions. That is why we must learn why the juvenile system is failing our kids. How are hardened juvenile offenders allowed to be released to recommit crimes of violence? What judges are setting low bail for violent criminals? And how often are district attorneys refusing or pleading down these cases? Those are the questions we need to be asking, and the answers we plan to find with this legislation.
Because crime does not just affect the victim – it affects the entire community, and that community should know how their judicial system is responding. It is way past time we take action to learn and adjust, rather than simply hope things will change.
Jeff Landry
Louisiana Attorney General
Blake Miguez is Standing Up to BIG TECH and Protecting Integrity in LA Elections!
Support HB 548 (Rep. Blake Miguez with Iberia Medical Center)
In this video, Rep. Blake Miguez describes the importance of protecting 340B funding for rural healthcare access in his community with examples of local services that are made possible at Iberia Medical Center with this funding. “Big PhRMA’s attempt to eliminate these discounts would endanger lifesaving access in our community and potentially increase costs for local and state taxpayers,” said Rep. Miguez. “I support HB 548, which protects Louisiana’s healthcare providers so our friends and neighbors can receive lifesaving care close to home.”
Republican Party to Conduct Massive Election Integrity Operation in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, LA— Today, the Republican Party of Louisiana (LAGOP) has announced that due to continued Democrat attacks on election integrity in Louisiana, the Republican National Committee (RNC) will be working with the LAGOP to conduct the largest voter integrity operation that the state of Louisiana has ever seen. Michael Whatley met with state party officials on Monday in Baton Rouge to plan the effort.
“Governor John Bel Edwards and Democrats in the state of Louisiana vetoed attempts to improve election laws and created distrust in the election system. Democracy only works if every American has confidence in our election process. That is why we are here,” said Michael Whatley, RNC General Counsel. “Louisiana’s upcoming elections are pivotal to the direction of our country, and we will be on the frontlines to protect the vote of every Louisianan.”
“As Democrats across our state continue to attack our election process, the LAGOP is working hand in hand with the RNC to secure our election integrity and create transparency,” said Louis Gurvich, LAGOP Chairman. “This is a large-scale, sophisticated operation that will be conducted across the entire state. I appreciate the RNC for looking out for Louisiana and bringing integrity back to our ballot box.”
###
WATCH: Sen. Kennedy Exposes Dems in Brilliant Grilling of Abortion Witness
LOGA Responds to Louisiana's Class VI Primacy Application's Appearance in Federal Register
BATON ROUGE, LA (April 28, 2023) - Today, Louisiana’s Class VI primacy application has been noticed in the Federal Register. In response, LOGA President released the following statement of support:
“This is a great step towards giving Louisiana more oversight on permit approvals for CCUS projects. Far too often, we see these important projects stalled due to the slow grind of federal bureaucracy, while the operators wait in limbo.
Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources and Office of Conservation know our state’s geology better than the federal government does. They have staff that’s better equipped to dedicate more hours to the approval process. LOGA is encouraged by today’s news, and look forward to the EPA’s swift action in granting Louisiana primacy.”
###
Jeff Landry Anti-Crime Ad Drops in New Orleans
Crime in Louisiana is out of control. Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport are three of the top ten most dangerous cities in the country. This is not a statistical hiccup. This is not a hangover from the pandemic. This is real violent crime that continues to plague our cities.
JEFF LANDRY'S PLAN TO FIX IT
Things will not get better until we have leaders who have the courage to stand up and make it a priority. As governor, Jeff Landry will prioritize safety in our communities and continue to be a leading voice on public safety in our state.
LANDRY: To Fix Your Country, Fix Your State
“We hold these truths to be self-evident.”
Those are the words memorably held by the Declaration of Independence. Within that document are ideas and concepts — truths — revolutionary at the time but believed to be self-evident: all men are created equated; we have certain unalienable Rights, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness; and we have the right to form our own government based on these truths. That is the basis of our social contract.
In its simplest form the U.S. Constitution itself is really a contract, with the two parties involved being the states and the citizens. This document ties the states and the people together, with the federal government being a byproduct of this union. Yet over time our focus — likely because of mass media and the mass production of ideas — has turned to federal issues.
Meanwhile, our social contract is under attack by those who declare that the very foundation of our union — self-evident truth — does not exist. Instead, they argue that everyone gets to live their own “truth.” And that shift in thinking is destroying the very fabric of our society.
Truth is not, and never has been, an individual idea. We don’t all get to live our own truth. There is just truth. And if we can’t agree on fundamental truths, we simply cannot have a civil society or maintain our social contract. That is why this assertion that there is no truth is so dangerous to our country and way of life. For example, believing biological men can be biological women doesn’t make it so. Ten years ago, that was universally accepted; now efforts are mounting to gaslight the American public into questioning this self-evident truth.
A similar pattern is happening across an array of nationwide issues: believing masks work doesn’t make it so; believing the air we exhale is poisonous to the planet doesn’t make it true; believing that our lives should be directed by government doesn’t make it legitimate. But this is the battleground for America’s soul, and it is being fought on the field of truth.
So, how do you fix your country when the very foundation on which it was built is being destroyed one distortion at a time? You have to remember that the contract is not between you and the federal government; the contract is between American citizens and the States. That is why, if you want to fix your country and restore our footing, you must focus on fixing your State. And as the States start pulling in the same direction, back towards our pursuits of Life, Liberty and Happiness, that will pull the country in that direction as well. If you pull your State towards Truth, the nation will follow.
That is why I encourage you to ask yourself: where do you see the country in 20 years? The answer is to determine where you want your State to be in that time. There is no better example of this theory in action than the COVID pandemic. When the federal government attempted to control State sovereignty and the sovereignty of the individual, the States that bucked those power grabs became safe havens for American citizens.
In Louisiana, as your Attorney General, I stood up for liberty when it wasn’t popular. I fought to open churches and salons, to allow our boys back onto the football fields, and to let each individual decide whether or not they would wear a mask or undergo a medical procedure. These fights were not politically convenient, but they were the right thing to do.
How do I know that? Because in this great American experiment, we have a clear roadmap for when we lose our way or times are dark, and that is the Constitution. And according to that contract, you do not live in a Brave New World in which you are meant to love your slavery and your prison. Instead, you are sovereign individual within a sovereign State in possession of inalienable Rights that must not be trampled upon.
To do this, we must turn our focus back to that contract, inspired by our Declaration against oppression, and once more feed our passion for our State to steer this nation back to truth. That is the path forward, and it’s one that anyone can take.
Jeff Landry
Louisiana Attorney General
LMOGA: Powering Louisiana's Parishes
In Louisiana, we are on the verge of a new golden age of energy production and all that comes with this—new jobs, more state revenue, and a stronger economy. To achieve this, it will take utilizing the latest technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS), which allows us to produce more energy, support energy independence and reduce carbon dioxide emissions all at the same time.
CCS technology separates the CO2 emissions and then safely stores them deep underground. Learn more about this process with this video:
Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and effective way to permanently store carbon dioxide emissions underground. The technology has been in use for more than 50 years, and there are approximately 30 permanent carbon capture projects in operation around the world.
Carbon capture technology is important to Louisiana’s future as an energy leader and strengthening America’s energy independence. In Louisiana carbon capture could retain more than 105,000 jobs, create up to 4,920 project jobs every year, and generate 2,500 ongoing operations jobs.
Learn More about Louisiana's Energy Future at: CaptureLACarbon.com
Sen. John Kennedy on Replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. John Kennedy explains replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein as only he can.
Baton Rouge Hosts Chevron & Toyota For Renewable Gasoline Showcase
Baton Rouge played host to oil-giant Chevron's road trip across the U.S. Gulf Coast this week. The event was set up to showcase a new gasoline blend that they believe represents the future of fuel. In collaboration with Toyota, Chevron is participating in the Future Fuels Showcase, where they will fuel up a Toyota Tundra, RAV4, and Camry with a renewable gasoline blend to demonstrate its versatility in almost any gasoline-powered vehicle.
Renewable gasoline is made using agricultural biofuels such as ethanol and soybeans, as well as traditional petroleum products and other components derived from sources like used cooking oil. The result is a gasoline that closely resembles and performs like traditional gasoline, but with a significantly smaller carbon footprint.
The road trip stopped in Baton Rouge on Tuesday as they made their way across the Gulf. During the event, WAFB interviewed Chevron Corporate Affairs Manager Tyler Kruzich.
He explained " this is a fuel that can be used in the over 265 million gasoline-powered vehicles that are on the road in the United States today we think that within the next three to five years we may be able to bring it to commercial production and distribution of theUnited States there's no performance differentiation between our renewable gasoline blend and conventional gasoline"
Chevron is also touting this new blend of fuel as being 40% lower in carbon than traditional gasoline and made from over 50% renewable products.
As they continue the trip, Chevron representatives will engage with community leaders to discuss the advantages of lower carbon fuels, such as biofuels and renewable gasoline blends.
"Multiple solutions are needed to help lower the carbon intensity of the transportation sector," said Andy Walz, Chevron's President of Americas Products. "With over 265 million gasoline-powered vehicles on the road in the United States today, renewable gasoline blends have the potential to enable nearly all drivers to play a role in a lower carbon transportation future. We are thrilled to partner with Toyota to demonstrate lower carbon technologies that are compatible with internal combustion engines."
Chevron is already involved in the production and marketing of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable natural gas, and is currently in the process of constructing hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California.
Landry Launches First TV Ad: “Enough is Enough”
Today, Jeff Landry released his first televised advertisement in his campaign for Governor of Louisiana. This is a multi-market ad buy that will begin in Baton Rouge. It highlights Louisiana’s top issue: crime. Louisiana is home to three of the top ten most dangerous cities in America. As a former police officer and sheriff’s deputy, Jeff Landry will be the law-and-order Governor Louisiana needs.
“When DA’s fail to prosecute, when judges fail to act, when police are handcuffed instead of the criminals, enough is enough,” says Landry. “We are going to hold everyone, and I mean everyone, accountable for violent crime.”
Again, this ad message is beginning in Baton Rouge but the campaign expects to spread the message across Louisiana.
###
Sen. John Kennedy: Alvin Bragg is scared to come before Congress
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., says Manhattan DA is worried he can't handle himself in front of tough congressional questions on 'The Story.'
Jeff Landry Addresses NRA 2023
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry recently addressed the NRA at their annual meeting. The video of the speech can be seen below.
