In the News
February 17, 2012
FEMA Thursday rejected Jefferson Parish's appeal of the federal agency's refusal to cancel $55 million in Special Community Disaster Loans. "By rejecting Jefferson Parish's bid for FEMA loan forgiveness, the Obama Administration has broken the promise made by Vice President Joe Biden who came to Louisiana and pledged that the loans would be forgiven," said Rep. Steve Scalise R-Jefferson.
December 6, 2011
... two bills circulating in Congress, both known as the RESTORE Act, propose to funnel 80% of those fines to the Gulf Coast to be spent on projects ranging from rebuilding damaged marshes to marketing campaigns aimed at bolstering Gulf tourism.A hearing on the bill is scheduled for Wednesday in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
November 30, 2011
The White House has decided to sideline a proposed fee on Christmas trees, after the fee was ridiculed by critics as a tax on Christmas.
November 30, 2011
Is the Obama administration really taxing Christmas trees? No, but the White House said Wednesday it was reversing its decision to approve an industry-sponsored Christmas tree promotion program after conservatives accused the Agriculture Department of spoiling Christmas with a new tree tax.
November 10, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Despite support from President Barack Obama and influential congressional Republicans, a bill that would channel 80 percent of BP oil spill fines to the Gulf Coast is far from enactment. Louisiana lawmakers remain upbeat, pointing to the bipartisan support for the legislation, approval by a key Senate committee and a scheduled Dec. 7 hearing on the bill in a House panel.
October 25, 2011
As his re-election campaign heats up, President Obama finds himself in an awkward position trying to defend his environmental policies against Republicans and disillusioned environmentalists who backed his campaign in 2008.
October 25, 2011
Because restoring Louisiana's coast is not just a matter of fairness, but a matter of survival, I am glad that House members from both sides of the aisle joined together to introduce a bill that will ensure that 80 percent of penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year's Gulf oil disaster are used to help restore the region, not for unrelated federal spending.
October 25, 2011
Chances for Gulf Coast states, including Louisiana, to share in 80 percent of BP fine money got a boost Wednesday when legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives.
October 25, 2011
After months of negotiations, Gulf Coast lawmakers reached a compromise and introduced a bill in the House Wednesday that would steer most of the fines collected from the BP oil spill to the region for recovery efforts.
October 25, 2011
Having condemned President Obama's "Buffett Rule" proposal to raise taxes on some millionaires as "class warfare," Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., proposed his own solution to billionaire Warren Buffett's complaints that he paid a lower tax rate than his secretary.