BATON ROUGE – On Tuesday in Lafayette, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) addressed the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette about issues facing Acadiana and the entire state. Among other topics, he spoke about the situation at our southern border and what he’s doing to keep America safe.
“Kiwanians are committed to making our communities better,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This sort of commitment to our fellow Americans is just what we need, whether it’s controlling our southern border or protecting our national security.”
To help secure the southern border, Cassidy has introduced the Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly (CONTAINER) Act, which allows border states to place temporary barriers on federal land to protect their communities. He has also introduced legislation to prevent liberal states like California from forcing American citizens elsewhere to fund state programs that provide Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants.
Cassidy also highlighted the progress made to boost Acadiana’s infrastructure, through his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This includes a $1.7 million grant to the Lafayette Airport Commission that will help improve operations at Paul Fournet Field. Last August, $4.48 million was announced to make 18 properties less vulnerable to flooding in Lafayette Parish.
Cassidy was welcomed by Mr. Ryan Lavergne, President of the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette.
“We appreciate Senator Cassidy visiting with the Lafayette Kiwanis Club,” said Mr. Lavergne. “We enjoyed the discussion and information relating to infrastructure, energy and other vital topics important to the Acadiana area.”
Later, Cassidy visited FlightSafety International’s (FSI) Gulf Coast center in Lafayette, which trains pilots for the oil and gas and medical industries, among others. FSI also trains maintenance crew workers and aircraft dispatchers, with over 4,500 employees globally, including over 1,600 qualified instructors. Locally, 48 people are employed by FSI in Lafayette.
“This company has five centers training helicopter pilots nationwide, and one of them is in Lafayette,” said Dr. Cassidy. “One of those industries that you didn’t know was here, and once you do, you’re incredibly impressed.”
While at FSI’s Lafayette headquarters, Cassidy sat in a flight simulator, and successfully landed a simulated helicopter on an oil rig without crashing. He was also welcomed to the FSI facility by Mr. Brad Thress, President and CEO of the company.
“Thanks to Senator Cassidy for visiting the FlightSafety International learning center today and meeting with our employees,” said Mr. Thress. “During Senator Cassidy’s visit, we were able to test his flying skills in a simulator and take a tour of the simulators which ensure thousands of pilots around the world are trained safely to support the transportation of people, goods and services across the state of Louisiana and around the world. Please stop by the next time you are in Lafayette.”
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