Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) recently took to the streets of Washington, D.C., to discuss his concerns about communist China’s growing influence in the third episode of the Bill on the Hill series. Cassidy highlighted that China is expanding its economy and military at the expense of American workers. After hearing from fellow Americans who share his concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the intersection of economic development, national security, and environmental issues. His Foreign Pollution Fee Act aims to level the playing field while holding China accountable.

“For years, China has been strengthening its economy at the expense of the American worker by not enforcing environmental standards,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The U.S. has lost 2.5 million jobs in the last 20 years to China, fueling China’s military expansion. This must stop!

“My Foreign Pollution Fee [Act] begins to hold China accountable for their lack of environmental standards. It will even the playing field, bring jobs back to the U.S., and give China less money to build up its military,” continued Dr. Cassidy. “It is a win-win-win instead of a lose-lose-lose.”

Cassidy frequently highlights geopolitical challenges facing U.S. manufacturers operating internationally, noting that adversaries exploit lax environmental and labor standards for unfair trade advantages over American companies. He advocates for a U.S. foreign policy that integrates national security, energy security, economic strategy, and climate considerations.

Cassidy has penned editorials in Foreign Affairs and The Washington Times and jointly in USA Today Network with State Senator Caleb Kleinpeter (R-Port Allen) and State Representative Blake Miguez (R-Erath), discussing geopolitical threats posed by China to U.S global standing. He also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his Foreign Pollution Fee, emphasizing China's competitive advantage from ignoring environmental standards.

Last spring, Louisiana's Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue a climate and trade policy.

In 2022, Cassidy released an energy & climate policy outline responding to what he describes as assaults on domestic energy by the Biden-Harris administration. The outline details how U.S energy policy can be reset successfully through measures such as an Energy Operation Warp Speed initiative aimed at cutting permitting red tape and boosting domestic energy production and manufacturing.

Additionally, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposing a domestic carbon tax and introduced comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bills while pushing back against proposals limiting development in the Outer Continental Shelf through initiatives like the WHALE Act and Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.