U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy spoke in Mandeville on April 1 at a luncheon hosted by the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and the Northshore Business Council to discuss his recent work on infrastructure, jobs, and health care in St. Tammany Parish.
Cassidy said he has focused on delivering federal funding for local projects, including roads, bridges, and flood mitigation efforts. He noted that $1.2 billion has been allocated for drainage and flood risk around Lake Pontchartrain as well as $92 million for road improvements such as widening Interstate 12. “I’ve worked with the Northshore community to understand their needs,” said Dr. Cassidy. “To address these needs, I’ve delivered things such as $1.2 billion to tackle drainage, sewage, and flood risk around Lake Pontchartrain, and $92 million for road projects such as widening I-12. These are your tax dollars returning to work for you.”
Cassidy also discussed supporting legislation like the Working Families Tax Cut Act which ended taxes on tips and overtime work while expanding school choice provisions and encouraging oil drilling in the Gulf of America. As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), he included measures to strengthen Pell Grants and promote scholarships for K-12 students.
Local leaders welcomed Cassidy’s visit during congressional recesses as an opportunity to hear directly from him about issues affecting families and businesses in the region such as gas prices and health care funding concerns. “We are grateful for our senior Senator’s visit to St. Tammany during the recess to provide our members an opportunity to meet him in person,” said Ms. Lacey Osborne of the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce.
Earlier that day Cassidy visited North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond where he met with staff about improving patient outcomes through affordable health care initiatives developed by his committee leadership role: “The doctors, nurses and support staff at North Oaks told me what works and what doesn’t work in health care across Tangipahoa Parish,” said Dr. Cassidy.
According to the official website, Cassidy co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic offering free medical services; serves on several Senate committees including Finance; earned undergraduate degrees from Louisiana State University; advances policies aimed at reducing healthcare costs; supports coastal restoration; reforms mental health systems; raised three children with his wife who is a retired breast cancer surgeon; enjoys time with their grandchild.
