MONROE – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today visited West Monroe to participate in a Coffee and Conversation event hosted by the West Monroe Chamber of Commerce alongside West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell. He learned what local business and community leaders are doing to improve Northeast Louisiana’s economy, and how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the One, Big, Beautiful Bill are helping.
“Leaders in West Monroe want their community to thrive,” said Dr. Cassidy. “They want better jobs with good pay, and quality health care. We discussed partnering to make our community, state, and country better for us all.”
The IIJA has delivered millions of dollars for better airports, sewage and emergency infrastructure in Northeast Louisiana, including recently. In May, over $355,000 was granted to the Monroe Regional Airport to rehabilitate 2,153 feet of runway. Another $2.5 million was granted there last October to replace two passenger boarding bridges. Additionally last October, a $509,000 grant was issued to improve 770 feet of sewer infrastructure in downtown West Monroe.
Cassidy also secured $1.35 billion for broadband internet infrastructure in Louisiana through IIJA. This funding will expand broadband access to 35,000 businesses and 100,000 homes in Louisiana, 60,000 of which are rural.
Cassidy is also working to ensure key projects in the region are funded in appropriations bills, with $4.5 million for Monroe’s Benoit Community Center and $794,000 for West Monroe’s Police Department, which Cassidy secured in the Fiscal Year 2026 Senate appropriations bills.
Cassidy is also a supporter of President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which will keep taxes low on businesses throughout the region. At the Coffee and Conversation event, he was thanked for his efforts by Mayor Mitchell.
“We thank U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy for being in the City of West Monroe today,” said Mayor Mitchell. “We appreciate Senator Cassidy’s efforts to bring millions of dollars in infrastructure projects to West Monroe, and for his help to keep health care at the forefront of discussions at the federal level as he worked with us to fight for Glenwood Regional Medical Center.
Later, Cassidy toured Life Choices of North Central Louisiana in Ruston, a pregnancy resource center that helps pregnant mothers navigate the challenges and fears of an unexpected pregnancy.
“We stand for life,” said Dr. Cassidy. “That means the life of the unborn child, and the life of the mother caring for her baby. Life Choices provides that for young mothers in need of their support
Life Choices is a pro-life, Christian ministry which provides practical, emotional and spiritual assistance to pregnant mothers and their partners. They provide pregnancy and STD testing, ultrasounds, and are a provider in the Abortion Pill Reversal Network for women who have immediate regret after taking the abortion pill. They also provide material support for new parents, including parenting classes and a Hope Shoppe which provides items like diapers and other clothes for newborns and children up to two years old.
Cassidy was led on a tour of Life Choices by Mrs. Kathleen Richard, LMSW, their Executive Director.
“The heartbeat of Life Choices and hope that the pregnancy help community offers is far different from the clamor and noise of the politics that often plays out around this tender topic in the media,” said Mrs. Richard. “The humanity of each person who walks through our doors is deserving of respect and hope for the situation she finds herself in. I am thankful for friends like Senator Cassidy in DC, who understands the important work of pregnancy centers like Life Choices and work tirelessly to pass life-affirming policies.”
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