Press Releases
Cassidy Issues Statement on Supreme Court Taking Up Louisiana Abortion Clinic Law
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released the following statement responding to news that the Supreme Court of the United States will hear Louisiana's law that requires abortion clinics to have hospital admitting privileges. The law in question requires that doctors who perform abortions have hospital admitting privileges and higher standards of care at their clinics so that women using the facilities can have access to emergency medical care. Its implementation had been stayed during the… Continue Reading
10.03.19
Cassidy, Hassan, Kustoff and Spanberger Introduce Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Pill Presses
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation to stiffen penalties for those who use pill press to make counterfeit drugs, including opioids. The Criminalizing Abused Substance Templates (CAST) Act modifies the Controlled Substances Act to define the criminal penalty for making counterfeit drugs using a pill press. Current law prohibits this practice but does not def… Continue Reading
10.02.19
Cassidy, Whitehouse, Hassan Applaud DOJ Action Against $2.1B Medicare Fraud Scheme
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today released statements applauding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) action against 35 individuals for their alleged participation in a Medicare genetic testing fraud scheme involving $2.1 billion in losses, and the departments' new effort to target genetic testing fraud schemes nationwide. This action comes a month after the group of Senators contac… Continue Reading
10.02.19
HELP Committee Chairman Alexander Sponsors Cassidy’s College Transparency Act
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate's education committee, is throwing his weight behind the College Transparency Act (CTA). Cassidy's bill is garnering broad bipartisan support with 27 senators cosponsoring the legislation. "Chairman Alexander's support is invaluable for the CTA to become law and provide our students with the transparency they deserve when choosing a school," said Dr. Cassidy, a member of the Senate… Continue Reading
10.02.19
Cassidy, Johnson, Peters, Senators Recognize October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Gary Peters (D-MI), along with eight other senators, today announced a resolution recognizing Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2019. The purpose of the resolution is to encourage education about cybersecurity and help all people of the United States be safer, more secure, and more aware while online and using connected devices. "Our daily lives are becoming increasingly online," said Dr. Cassidy. "National Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlights the importanc… Continue Reading
10.01.19
Cassidy Secures $1.4 Million for Lake Pontchartrain Program
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced $1.4 million will be awarded to the EPA's Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program to restore the ecological health of the Pontchartrain Basin by developing and funding restoration projects. Due to Cassidy's efforts, Congress increased funding for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program for FY2020 from $948,000 to $1.4 million, the first increase in nearly a decade. "The impact of the opening of the Bonnet Carré spillway on… Continue Reading
10.01.19
Cassidy Applauds Agreement to End Taxpayer Subsidies of Mail from China, Other Foreign Countries
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today commended the Trump administration for securing an agreement with the United Nations' Universal Postal Union (UPU) that puts an end to U.S. taxpayers being forced to subsidize international postal shipments from foreign countries to the United States. The new agreement allows the United States to self-declare the rates the U.S. Postal Service can recoup from foreign trading partners. Previously, the UPU set the fee each member country must pay for a … Continue Reading
09.26.19
Senate Passes Bipartisan Cassidy-Hassan Legislation to Protect Taxpayers and Close $3.1B Medicaid Rebate Loophole
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), announced today their Fair and Accurate Medicaid Pricing (AMP) Act passed the Senate and is now headed to the president's desk. The bipartisan legislation closes a loophole in the Medicaid rebate program which allows big pharma companies to overcharge taxpayers; it will save the taxpayers approx. $3.1 Billion over the next ten years. This legislation was included in the continuing resolution budget package passed by the Senate tod… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Cassidy’s Legislation to Speed FERC Review Process Passes Committee
Legislation authored by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) to reduce long wait times for federal approval of energy infrastructure projects passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. A shortage of highly specialized engineers, scientists, and mathematicians tasked with reviewing construction applications at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has created a backlog of projects waiting to receive approval. Cassidy's bill would improve the FERC's ability… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Cassidy Announces Approval of Louisiana Fisheries Emergency Declaration
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana fisheries due to the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. As result of high water levels on the Mississippi River, opening of the spillway caused hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of fresh water to pour into Lake Pontchartrain each second. This announcement comes after Cassidy and the Louisiana delegation sent a letter to Secretary Ross in July urgi… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Cassidy, Murkowski, Jones Introduce Legislation to Give Patients Timely and Safe Access to Treatment
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Doug Jones (D-AL) today introduced the Safe Step Act of 2019. This legislation would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to require group health plans to provide an exception process for any medication step therapy protocol, tools used by health plans to control spending on patient's medications, to help ensure patients are able to safely and efficiently access treatment. Additional cosponsors of the legisl… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Cassidy, Ross Announce $4 Million Department of Commerce Grant for Belle Chasse Water Treatment Plant
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the Belle Chasse Water Treatment Plant will receive a $4 million grant from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). The grant will fund the construction of a new raw water intake pump station and is expected to help create 625 jobs and retain 6,000 jobs. "Building up our infrastructure in preparation for the next natural disaster is of national importance," said Dr. Cassidy. "T… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Cassidy: Ukraine Transcript Doesn’t Support Democrats’ Accusations
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released the following statement to address the transcript regarding Ukraine and the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. "Democrats started an impeachment process before they knew the facts. Nothing in the transcript supports Democrats' accusation that there was a quid pro quo. But there is a harm to this. Instead of talking about how to lower the price of medication, what to do about surprise medical billing, or getting better pay for our men and women … Continue Reading
09.24.19
Cassidy Issues Statement on Democrats' Impeachment Inquiry
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) issued the following statement in response to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announcement of House Democrats launching an impeachment inquiry. "Democrats have called for impeachment since President Trump won the election. The Mueller investigation went nowhere, so they're trying something new. President Trump said he will release the transcript of the call with Ukraine on Wednesday, and the readout will speak for itself. In the meantime, I hope they foc… Continue Reading
09.24.19
TOMORROW: Cassidy, Sinema to Lead Paid Family Leave Panel at American Enterprise Institute
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Kysten Sinema (D-AZ) will participate in a panel discussion at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to discuss their bipartisan paid family leave proposal. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. WHO: U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and Kyrsten Sinema; representatives from AEI and the Brookings Institute. WHAT: Panel discussion on Cassidy and Sinema's bipartisan paid family leave proposal. Read more about the proposal. WHEN: 9:30 a.m. ET, W… Continue Reading
09.24.19
VIDEO: Cassidy Floor Speech Celebrates Life of Vincent Liberto
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the Senate floor Monday to honor the life of fallen Mandeville police officer Captain Vincent "Vinny" Liberto Jr. Liberto was killed in the line of duty last week during a gunfire exchange with a suspect, who fled a traffic stop and led officers on a high-speed chase. Officer Ben Cato also suffered injuries, though, he has already returned to work. Cassidy celebrated Liberto's lifelong call to service, first as a Marine then as a law… Continue Reading
09.23.19
Cassidy Secures $2 Million in TBML Risk Assessment Funding
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced that he has secured the inclusion of $2 million in Trade Based Money Laundering (TBML) risk assessment funding in the Senate FY 2020 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Committee report. If passed, the $2 million will fund a risk assessment conducted through FinCEN via an external vendor to analyze the threat TBML poses on our national security. TBML encompasses cartels and terrorist organizations' hijacking international tr… Continue Reading
09.20.19
VIDEO: Cassidy: Steve Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Design Complete
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced today that the design for Steve Gleason's Congressional Gold Medal has been completed. He is working with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to finalize a date for Gleason to receive his medal that the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony will likely be in 2020. Gleason personally worked with the Congressional Gold Medal Committee on the design. The medal will be forged by the U.S. Mint. The front shows Gleason in his New Orleans Saints jersey triumphantly … Continue Reading
09.19.19
Cassidy, Ross Announce $4.2 Million Department of Commerce Grant for West Calcasieu Port
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross today announced the West Calcasieu Port in Sulphur, Louisiana will receive a $4.2 million grant from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. The grant will fund critical port upgrades that will boost economic activity and provide services during a hurricane. The project is expected to help create 400 jobs. "Louisiana's ports are key to a prosperous economy. Hurricanes place these ports at risk… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Over Quarter of Senate Cosponsoring Cassidy’s College Transparency Act
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), a member of the Senate's education committee, today announced 26 senators have signed their names onto the bipartisan College Transparency Act (CTA) with the addition of U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Today's announcement represents clear, growing support for CTA amid ongoing Higher Education Act talks. Last week, U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) were also added as cosponsors. "Student loan debt is rising. To make be… Continue Reading
