Press Releases

 On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04) testified before the House Appropriations Committee on the importance of funding Louisiana’s water infrastructure needs. Specifically, the port authorities in Louisiana’s Fourth District service 485 miles of navigable waterways and shallow draft river miles. In light of recent flooding that devastated much of the state, Rep. Johnson took his concerns to the committee and advocated for investing in Louisiana.

In his testimony, Rep. Johnson stated:

“Today I ask the committee to help fund dredging needs that will provide much needed resources related to flooding, navigation benefits, and not forget the tremendous benefit shallow-draft waterways and ports have in bringing jobs back to the United States. The role our inland waterway systems play is an integral part of our nation’s maritime system and is critically important to our prosperity as a country. In Louisiana’s Fourth District, some of our biggest challenges, and yet some of our greatest opportunities, revolve around port infrastructure and further development of the navigation of our rivers.”

Rep. Johnson released the following statement regarding Louisiana ports specifically:

“The water infrastructure in Louisiana is vital to our local economy, and it is imperative we take these concerns directly to Washington so the necessary updates can be made. While the Ports of Caddo-Bossier, Red River and Natchitoches all land within my district, this is not an issue regulated to our state’s borders, but a matter that affects our entire nation. I look forward to an open dialogue with the Appropriations Committee to ensure measures are taken to maintain adequate infrastructure in Louisiana.”

A video of the full testimony as well as the question and answer portion can be found here.

The text of his testimony can be found here.