Newly elected Acadiana Congressman Clay Higgins says he’s humbled and uplifted to be in attendance for the swearing in of Donald Trump as the nation’s 45thPresident. Jeff Palermo has more…
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West Monroe High School’s Rebel Band will represent the Bayou State in the historic 58th inaugural parade. Halen Doughty has more…
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One of the state’s top Democrats, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu shares his feelings on the future of the Trump administration. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District is looking forward to the changes that will come under the new administration. He says his team has been hard at work in Washington, and the freshman Representative says he’s already learned a lot. He says in many ways, the nation’s capital is exactly what he expected.
cut 4 (11) “in America, man”
Higgins says Congress has been meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence throughout the transition, and he was encouraged by those conversations. He says voters sent a clear message last November and now it’s time to deliver.
Cut 5 (12) “a better day”
Higgins sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, Veterans Affairs Committee, and Science and Space Technology Committee. He says improving infrastructure in his district will be a top priority including fighting for a new I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. But he says he’s also concerned about taking care of our veterans.
Cut 6 (11) “our veterans”
Higgins says he’s been hard at work since day one, even sleeping on an air mattress in his office.
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The West Monroe High School Rebel Band gets the prestigious honor of performing in the inaugural parade at the nation’s capital today. Band director Robert Freeman says roughly 200 band members will entertain parade goers with a clever arrangement of “You Are My Sunshine,” “Jambalaya,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
CUT 7 (08) “from Louisiana”‘
Freeman says they learned a month ago that they would play in the inaugural parade, and they didn’t have much time to prepare or raise the $240-thousand necessary for the trip. He says students were asked to pay $600 each, and they had to do a lot of fundraising in a short amount of time to pay for the trip.
Cut 8 (10) “extraordinarily special”
Freeman says this trip is much different from the last time the Rebel Band performed at a presidential inauguration in 2005. He says not only is the weather warmer this go round, the political atmosphere is also much hotter. But he says he’s proud that the band and members of the West Monroe community were able to rise above the fray.
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New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is considered one of the leading Democrats in the state and he weighs in on his feelings about the Trump administration. Landrieu says both Republicans and Democrats like President Trump’s proposal to invest one trillion dollars on infrastructure.
Cut 10 (11) “we like”
But Landrieu says bi-partisan leaders are concerned about the immediate repeal of Obamacare without a replacement. He says while there are some issues with the Affordable Care Act, like increased premiums, they need to be fixed rather than a full repeal.
cut 11 (08) “for mayors”
Many citizens have voiced how nervous they are about a Trump presidency. Landrieu says no matter what, Trump is now the president but America is stronger than any one person.
cut 12 (09) “time”
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Republican State Representative Lance Harris of Alexandria has proposed a plan to cut the state’s budget without calling another special session, but the tentative plan is already getting pushback from Democrats. Harris’ plan does not call for cuts to public colleges, but it would levy a $147 million cut to the state Department of Health.
Cut 13 (10) “14 years”
Harris’ plan would also not tap into the rainy day fund. Other proposed cuts include $28 million to K-12 education, $15 million to prisons, and $37 million to capital outlay. But Harris doesn’t think any of these cuts would be too devastating.
cut 14 (09) “have the money”
Harris adds that it doesn’t make sense to spend taxpayer dollars on a special session when the governor can make all of these proposed cuts without legislative approval.
But Democratic Representative Gene Reynolds of Minden says public schools and hospitals can’t handle these cuts in the middle of the year. He says there has to be a better way to address the state’s budget problems.
Cut 15 (07) “better option”
Reynolds says while he applauds Harris for stepping up and making suggestions, this plan just isn’t feasible. He says some of the proposed cuts are matched with federal funds. He says if the state doesn’t put up their share, we won’t get those federal dollars either.
Cut 16 (08) “we have”
Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statement about the plan, saying the recommendations are vague, and blindly slashing programs and statutory dedications could be devastating to these agencies.