LAKE CHARLES – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) addressed the 2022 LegisGator Luncheon, where he spoke about the importance of helping southwest Louisiana fully recover from Hurricane Laura.
“Southwest Louisiana continues to recover from Hurricane Laura, despite enormous challenges,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We will work in Washington to secure the money this region needs to finish that recovery.”
Since Hurricane Laura struck Louisiana, Cassidy has aggressively pursued the aid necessary for Southwest Louisiana to recover. In November 2020, Cassidy spoke with President Trump and secured a 100% federal cost share for debris removal. In September of 2021, the White House requested that Congress provide supplemental disaster relief in response to Hurricane Laura and other storms, following his request for such relief that July. That led to a clean continuing resolution that included billions of dollars to aid Louisiana in its recovery from natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. He has continued to urge Congress to provide the disaster relief necessary to finish recovery from Hurricane Laura.
Additionally, Cassidy co-wrote the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law last November. Included in the IIJA is $109 million to dredge and repair damages caused by Hurricane Laura and other disasters. Cassidy has also called for Risk Rating 2.0 to be rolled back, and recently visited Barbe High School to learn what they need to finish their recovery.
While at LegisGator, Cassidy was welcomed by Mr. George Swift, President/CEO of the SWLA Economic Development Alliance.
“We were very pleased to have Senator Cassidy address LegisGator,” said Mr. Swift. “We want to thank him for his efforts to secure hurricane recovery funding for our region. We also want to thank him for passing the infrastructure bill, which is providing funding for not only the I-10 bridge, but for ports, airports and broadband, among other priorities.”
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