Sw Louisiana News

Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced today that three airports in Louisiana’s 3rd District will receive $3,763,738 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The funding was made available through regular FY24 appropriations.

Le Gros Memorial Airport will receive a $349,923 grant to install 3,725 feet of perimeter fencing and three gates, which is part of a larger project to bring the airport into conformity with current standards. Chennault International Airport will receive a $1,063,815 grant and a $630,000 grant, which will be used to rehabilitate 2,200 feet of Taxiway A North and to install new lighting on Taxiway G. Lake Charles Regional Airport will receive a $1,720,000 grant to fund remaining construction efforts on 900 feet of existing airport aviation building access road and 1,500 feet of existing terminal access road.

“While I opposed the minibus funding bill based upon the overall level of spending and exclusion of conservative policy riders, some of the programs within the bill are those we support. Ultimately, the bill became law, and the funding has been allocated,” said Congressman Higgins. “Our local and regional airports are major economic engines for South Louisiana. This funding provides our airports with the necessary tools needed for future growth and support of commercial activity. My office will continue working at a federal level to prioritize strategic investments in South Louisiana’s hard infrastructure so that we may better serve our communities and this great nation.”

Higgins also commented on broader issues related to government spending: "Obviously, when the federal government spends trillions of dollars that we don’t have, there are going to be some expenditures written into a huge funding bill that are indeed worthy of support. Every principled conservative must oppose out-of-control government spending."

The massive spending bill combined six individual appropriations bills. According to Higgins, many conservative sections were stripped by the Democrat-controlled Senate from the original House Republican-controlled appropriations bills. The stripped language included:

- Prohibiting illegal aliens from being counted towards apportionment for Congressional representation;

- Prohibiting funds from being used to fund or implement any red flag law that restricts basic Constitutional protections;

- Language nullifying the Food and Drug Administration’s changes to the risk and mitigation strategy for the abortion pill Mifepristone;

- Prohibiting funds from providing DEI and CRT training;

- Prohibiting funds from Biden’s radical climate agenda;

- Prohibiting funds from being used for gender transition services;

- Prohibiting funds from directly or indirectly supporting the Wuhan Institute of Virology or any other Chinese Communist-owned laboratory.

See conservative opposition to the spending bill from Heritage here and The Club for Growth here.