— SCALISE JOINS JOHNSON ON UKRAINE: Majority Leader Steve Scalise joined Speaker Mike Johnson and Congressman Troy Carter in backing the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. Most Republicans, including the other House members from Louisiana, voted against the measure. “Our legislation provides aid to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression, paid for by accessing Russian assets in American banks, while also boosting transparency and oversight of aid and equipment sent to Ukraine through in-person monitoring requirements,” Scalise stated. “Additionally, our legislation would force President Biden to outline a strategy and provide Ukraine the weapons it needs to win, implement cost-matching requirements to ensure our partners contribute their fair share, and create a process to convert economic assistance into repayable loans.” 

— KENNEDY REMAINS POPULAR: Sen. John Kennedy is the 10^th-most popular senator in Congress, according to results of a Morning Consult poll his office released. The survey of registered voters in Louisiana found that 55 percent approve of Kennedy, versus 29 percent who disapprove and 16 percent who express no opinion. Sen. John Barrasso ranked first. The top 10 includes five Democrats, three Republicans and two independents. 

— CASSIDY JOINS WARREN FOR IRS BILL: Sen. Bill Cassidy joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren to introduce the Internal Revenue Service Math and Taxpayer Health (IRS MATH) Act, which addresses an IRS authority known as “math error notices” used to quickly adjust taxpayers’ returns. The notices can be problematic and confusing because they do not explain what error the IRS has corrected or that taxpayers have only 60 days to challenge the IRS’s position, Cassidy’s office says. “If there’s a mistake on a tax return, the IRS needs to explain it in plain English and there must be clear lines of communication,” Cassidy said. “Taxpayers should have every opportunity to keep their hard-earned income.” Bipartisan legislation with the same goal also has been introduced in the House. 

— GRAVES PLAYS WAITING GAME: Congressman Garret Graves and his supporters are awaiting a decision in the federal court case challenging Louisiana’s new congressional map, which could arrive any day now. The case was argued earlier this month. Plaintiffs argued the new majority-Black 6^th District was drawn with an unconstitutional reliance on race, while the state points to political considerations. The court could let the map stand, draw its own, or send it back to the Legislature. Graves has stated that he does not think the map will stand, and that he will run for reelection to Congress regardless.

— HIGGINS CALLS FOR LNG ‘SHOT CLOCK’: Congressman Clay Higgins has introduced the LNG Permitting Improvement Act, which would require the Department of Energy to issue a determination on LNG export applications to non-Free Trade Agreement countries within 180 days, or 90 days for facilities seeking to expand production capabilities by 5 billion cubic feet per day. DOE would have to explain its decisions to Congress, and failure to meet deadlines would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority to make the decision. “Southwest Louisiana is the epicenter of American LNG,” Higgins said. “This legislation promotes the growth of an industry that provides our nation and the world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy.”

— CARTER CO-LAUNCHES NEW CAUCUS: Congressman Troy Carter and Congresswoman Michelle Steelhave launched the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus, which will work to prioritize federal policies that support young people aged 16-24 who are disconnected from school and work or are at risk of experiencing disconnection, Carter’s office announced. “It’s our responsibility to ensure everyone has access to the opportunities and the resources to achieve their dreams,” Carter said. More than 17% of young people in rural areas are disconnected, compared with 11.2% in urban centers and 9.9% in suburbs, the announcement states. 

— LETLOW QUIZZES SU ON FAMILY LEAVE: Congresswoman Julia Letlow recently questioned Julie Su, acting Department of Labor secretary, about ways to establish better coordination among different states’ paid family leave plans. A bipartisan working group that includes Letlow has called for an Interstate Paid Leave Action Network “to drive coordination and harmonization across the growing number of states with paid leave programs.” As part of the exchange, Su said technical coordination across states has helped to combat fraud in unemployment insurance, and agreed to talk further with Letlow about what that might look like when it comes to paid leave. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted mandatory paid family leave systems, while eight states have voluntary systems, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center; Louisiana is not one of the states.