— SCALISE ON THE WALL: Via Punchbowl: “House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that the GOP would seek to fund construction of the border wall in a budget reconciliation package if Republicans keep their House majority, take the Senate and former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Of course, all of this depends on whether Republicans can comply with the arcane Senate reconciliation rules, although Democrats stretched those when passing the Inflation Reduction Act and other measures in the last Congress.”

— HIGGINS’ NEW SPOT: Calling himself a “veteran and a street cop,” Congressman Clay Higgins appeared in a new campaign spot this week promoting his re-election. He’s currently raising money to keep the ad up across the district and it has slightly different messaging at the end based on where it is airing.

— GRAVES ON TAPE: Congressman Garret Graves has a seven-part video he released on social media platform this week. The theme is unmissable, based on the first video: “FEMA is now required to look at the cumulative impact on a community hurt by multiple natural disasters. So instead of looking at Hurricane Francine in a vacuum, FEMA now must recognize an area that’s been hit by multiple floods and hurricanes..” Graves added in another installment, “The United States can’t be the entire world’s government. We’ve got to prioritize our needs first. Just like you when you bring home a paycheck and have to decide which bills are most important, Washington, DC should do the same.”

— UP IN THE AIR, IT’S CASSIDY…: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced this morning the Federal Aviation Administration will grant Louisiana airports $20 million from the Airport Terminal Program in his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “Investing in Louisiana’s airports is key to building our economy for 2050,” said Cassidy. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport will get $10.8 million, the Shreveport Regional Airport will get $7 million and the Monroe Regional Airport will get $2.5 million. (Learn more)

— JNK STANDS WITH ISRAEL: U.S. Sen. John Kennedy on Tuesday joined Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho and other colleagues in announcing their intent to introduce the Stand with Israel Act to “combat the United Nation’s persecution of Israel.” The legislation would block any U.S. dollars from going to the U.N. if it downgrades Israel’s status in any way, such as preventing Israel from having certain voting powers, access to committees or other roles within the organization. “The U.N. has failed to pass any resolution to condemn the Oct. 7 terrorists, yet the Palestinian delegation has tried to delegitimize Israel by introducing radical resolutions,” said Kennedy. “Even though the U.N.’s policies often run against American interests, we remain its biggest funder. We shouldn’t send American tax dollars to groups that demonize our strongest democratic ally in the Middle East while elevating terrorist-sympathizers and the Palestinian Authority.”

— CARTER & THE ENVIRONMENT: Via The Advocate: “A new round of federal grants announced Monday seeks to address environmental justice concerns in Louisiana by empowering communities, potentially paying for projects related to flooding, drinking water quality or pollution concerns. The grant process was announced in New Orleans by a host of officials, including U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leaders. An overall $2.49 million award was given to the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, which will distribute it in increments of between $50,000 and $100,000 for community-led projects.”

— JOHNSON’S TEAM MAKING ROUNDS: Over the next two weeks, Speaker Mike Johnson’s district staff will host satellite office hours throughout the district to assist constituents who need assistance navigating federal agencies. They will be available to assist with federal agency programs such as Social Security, Medicare, military and veterans’ issues. Staff are also available to help constituents obtain the status of pending cases and check the status of passport applications. So far the rounds include Caddo Parish on Oct. 23, Claiborne Parish on Oct. 25, Bienville Parish on Oct. 25 and Union Parish on Oct. 30. Additional dates and times will be announced later this week. (Learn more)

— LETLOW AWARDED: Congresswoman Julia Letlow recently received the “Charter Champion Belt” from the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools. “Charter schools have been so beneficial in our communities by offering unique and personalized education experiences for every child, and creating a whole new world of learning opportunities,” said Letlow. “I’ve advocated for increased funding for charter schools and their growth through my bill the Empower Charter Schools Educators to Lead Act, and will continue to support and promote the expansion of learning opportunities for our students.”