Dear Friend,

We've had a busy start to the year, both in Congress and across Louisiana's Second Congressional District. Even with hardships including ICE terrorizing our communities, threats to voter protections, and reckless funding cuts, we're fighting back.

From working to extend the ACA tax credits to securing key funding for New Orleans projects and introducing legislation to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention, I've been working hard to address the issues that matter most to our community.

I've also been on the ground, hosting a Democratic Homeland Security Field Hearing and various events across the district to hear directly from you. Keep reading below for highlights of what we've accomplished together.

Carter In Congress

Fighting to Extend the ACA Tax Credits

In January, I proudly voted YES to pass a three-year extension of the ACA tax credits. For so many working families, small business owners, farmers, fishermen, seniors not yet eligible for Medicare, and people still recovering from hurricanes and economic disruption, those extensions are the difference between coverage and going uninsured. I won't stop fighting to make health care affordable for ALL Americans. Read more.

Working to Secure Key Funding for New Orleans 

I'm honored to have supported bipartisan funding bills that deliver over $17 million in Community Project Funding for LA-02 that will help make our communities healthier, safer, and stronger. These bills also included legislation I championed to reauthorize the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program, which provides essential research funding for the prevention and treatment of the disease. Read more about the bills here.

Introducing the RAYS Act

I'm proud to introduce the Raising Awareness for Youth Suicide (RAYS) Act, which mandates middle and high schools to include mental health and suicide prevention information on student ID cards and school websites. Too many young people are struggling with their mental health in silence, and too often help feels out of reach in a moment of crisis. This bill is a simple, commonsense step to ensure every student knows exactly where to turn for support. Read more.

Calling on Secretary Kennedy to Restore Mental Health Care Funding

I joined with more than 100 Democrats and Republicans to send a bipartisan letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy, urging him to immediately reverse the reckless funding cuts to lifesaving mental health care. At a moment when our nation is already facing a sharp rise in mental illness, addiction, and suicide, the Trump administration has chosen to pull the rug out from the very programs keeping people alive. Secretary Kennedy must restore funding to these critical programs. Read more.

FISCAL Act Signed Into Law

Students who are lactose intolerant shouldn't be forced to drink cow's milk in schools. I'm proud that the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which includes my Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches (FISCAL) Act requiring schools to expand access to milk alternatives, has been signed into law! Every child deserves to enjoy a safe, healthy lunch, and this law takes the onus off schoolchildren to request plant-based milk and instead places it on schools to give kids a real-time choice while they are in line to pick up food. See more.

Carter In Community

Democratic Field Hearing in New Orleans

In the wake of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, "Operation Catahoula Crunch" in Louisiana, and countless other civil rights violations by ICE, I hosted a field hearing in New Orleans alongside Homeland Security Committee Democrats to examine the recent immigration enforcement actions and their impact in our communities. We must hold this administration accountable, reimagine ICE, and impeach Kristi Noem. Watch here.

Construction Begins at the Naval Support Academy Complex Redevelopment

I'm proud to announce that construction has begun on the former Naval Support Academy complex redevelopment! I've been a longtime supporter of this project, which is one of the largest mixed-use and affordable housing investments in the city's recent history, and helped secure $2 million from the EPA, funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I championed. This project will transform the former federal complex into a modern mixed-use campus that revitalizes a key area of LA-02, creates jobs, affordable housing, technology spaces, and new opportunities that will benefit our communities. Read more.

Passport Application Acceptance Event

Team Carter recently hosted a passport application acceptance event, where attendees filed for passports with help from our office. We host these frequently, so watch for upcoming events or more information on my social media pages if you still need a passport! See more.

'Know Your Rights' Page Now Available in Spanish and Vietnamese

In the United States, everyone has certain fundamental rights protected by the Constitution - no matter who the president is or what your legal status is. To protect and support our immigrant neighbors, we all must know how to assert these rights. Please find our Know Your Rights page, as well as a list of local and national resources, on our website, available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Know Your Rights - Conozca sus Derechos - Bi?t Quy?n C?a Mình.

Carter Clips

When Norms Fail, Laws Must Lead

Our norms are norms because we have respected them as such - not because they were written in stone, but because we believed in them. I published an op-ed in the Times-Picayune speaking out against the Trump administration's abuse of power and cautioning Congress not to be a bystander to that abuse. Read the full article here.

Wind, Innovation, and Clean Communities are Smart Policy - Not Security Threats

The Trump administration's decision to suspend multiple offshore wind projects along the East Coast is deeply troubling, not only for clean energy advocates but for workers, communities, and our national interests. I published an op-ed in The Lens New Orleans to express my concern over the politicization of America's energy industry. Read the full article here.

Speaking Out on Louisiana v. Callais

The Supreme Court has a duty to uphold the integrity of the Voting Rights Act and ensure that every Louisianian has a seat at the table, including Black Louisianians, who comprise one-third of the state's population and continue to face discrimination and suppression at the ballot box. I joined CNN to emphasize the importance of protecting voting rights that are being challenged in Supreme Court cases like Louisiana V. Callais and to speak out against the president's reckless rhetoric. Watch more.

'What Makes America Tick?' Podcast With Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson

On January's episode of "What Makes America Tick?," I sat down with Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) to discuss the serious threats our democracy is currently facing - from skyrocketing health care costs, to violent actions by ICE, to efforts to undermine voting rights. Listen now!

Being the voice for the people of Louisiana's Second Congressional District is a privilege and I am honored to serve you. For the latest updates on my work, follow my social media accounts @RepTroyCarter or with the links below!

Sincerely,

Troy A. Carter, Sr.
Member of Congress