Cassidy: Second assassination attempt ‘beyond concerning’

A second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is “beyond concerning,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy told the American Press Tuesday during a multi-media conference call.

“The Secret Service and local law enforcement did a great job responding, getting President Trump to safety and aiding in the investigation, but let’s be clear this cannot become the new normal,” Cassidy said. “There cannot be room for any assassination attempt in our democracy. That’s not what our politics is or should become.”

Federal investigators said gunman Ryan W. Routh staked out the former president’s golf course for nearly 12 hours before being arrested on Sunday. The incident in West Palm Beach, Fla., came two months after Trump was wounded in a shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Cassidy said he and U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have sent a letter to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, asking Trump receive the same level of protective resources as given to a sitting president.

They have also requested the Secret Service give Congress a briefing on this latest assassination attempt and give answers as to why the agency failed to allocate sufficient resources to Trump’s security detail.

“I’m committed to making sure this stops now,” Cassidy said.

Hurricane Francine

Hurricane Francine made landfall on Sept. 11 in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2. New Orleans saw 6-8 inches of rainfall, triggering flash flood emergencies and severe street flooding in surrounding parishes like St. James and Jefferson.

“Let’s count blessings that with Hurricane Francine, no fatalities,” Cassidy said. “Many were effected by flooding — and we feel their tragedy — but we came out a lot better than perhaps some expected because of preparation.”

Cassidy said the state has taken steps to help reduce the risk of flooding — including securing more than $367 million in Coastal Resiliency Grants and assistance grants from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“The point of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was just this,” Cassidy said.

He said his office has also secured money to reduce flooding through congressional directed spending over the years.

“All this is paying dividends, reducing the impact of hurricanes when they hit our state.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday that federal disaster assistance is available to the state  to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Francine — including Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis in Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes for debris removal and emergency work including direct federal assistance.

“Every hurricane is a reminder of the importance of flood insurance,” Cassidy said. “As families recover from Hurricane Francine, some will turn to their flood insurance for help. Unfortunately, some will have been forced to drop coverage because they could not afford the new premiums under Risk Rating 2.0.”

Cassidy he will speak on the U.S. Senate floor on Wednesday about the flood insurance woes across the state.

“There are two challenges facing Congress when it comes to the flood insurance program. First, we must reauthorize the program before it expires on Sept. 30. My colleague, John Kennedy, is leading this effort and I fully support him on this. But, that’s just the beginning. After the reauthorization, we’ve got to continue to look at Risk Rating 2.0 to make flood insurance affordable again.”

SportsPlus

Local

USDA/NRCS Louisiana announces landscape restoration program signup dates

Local

Speaker Johnson on the ground in storm-damaged western North Carolina

Local

Cassidy hosts rural community summit in Leesville

Local

La. Guard mobilizes to support Fla. in anticipation of Hurricane Milton

Local

House Ways and Means committee to hear testimony on tax reform

Local

Milton gains strength at rate rarely seen

Local

Twenty-two inducted as new members into Leesville Mayor’s Youth Council

Local

Caribbean system expected to strengthen, could hit Florida as a major hurricane

Local

National Guard soldier dies in Alexandria

Local

Cassidy: Second assassination attempt ‘beyond concerning’

Local

Francine now a Category 1 hurricane

Local

Shelves go bare ahead of Francine’s arrival

Local

Louisiana power companies gear up for potential storm damage

Local

Francine shifts aim to central Louisiana

Local

Francine projected to make landfall near Intracoastal City

Local

Francine’s timing, intensity picking up

Local

Storm expected to make landfall along southeast Texas, SW La. coastline

Local

Wampus Cats continually improving

Local

Leesville Leisure Pool may be closed for good after Sept. 1

Local

Logging equipment set ablaze in Vernon woods

Business

Sandel named CEO of ClearSky

Local

Speaker Johnson named LegisGator of the Year

Local

Louisiana America 250: Group poised to tell of state’s role in American Revolution

Local

Landry announces launch of largest broadband expansion program in state history