Washington Briefs for July 9, 2012

Landrieu touting RESTORE

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is taking a rapid tour of southern Louisiana on Monday to tout the RESTORE Act provisions signed into law on Friday.

The law guarantees that 80 percent of the fines collected from the April 2010 BP oil leak — an amount that could reach $20 billion — will be distributed for coastal restoration to the five states along the Gulf: Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Texas and Alabama.

Landrieu is starting the day with a 9 a.m. event in Jean Lafitte before moving to a noon luncheon in Thibodaux. She will next speak at 2:15 p.m. at the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and then head to subsequent events in Lake Charles and Bell City.

“I look forward to thanking all of the Louisianians who dedicated so much time and energy to this massive effort, and celebrating what truly is a landmark achievement for our entire state,” Landrieu said in a prepared statement.

The trip comes after her travels last week when she visited Guatemala for the fourth time in two years to continue her efforts to move forward stalled adoptions of children to American parents.

Landrieu, who has adopted children, is a longtime advocate for adoption and foster care causes.

Roemer forms non-profit group

Former Gov. Buddy Roemer may have given up his presidential bid, but he isn’t going away.

Roemer last week announced the creation of his new non-profit group, The Reform Project, at http://www.thereformproject.org. The group is aimed at issues such as campaign finance reform and congressional term limits.

In a video recording, Roemer said he would focus on grassroots fundraising, social media and technology.

“We’ll make America strong again,” he said. “History will record that Buddy Roemer and his team changed America.”

As for his doomed presidential bid, he said with a smile, “We ran one heck of a campaign. It wasn’t me. I was a lousy candidate.”

Speaking of campaign financing, the Federal Election Commission announced to Thursday it had certified $66,490.99 in federal matching funds to Roemer for his failed bid.

In all, Roemer received more than $351,961.10 in federal matching funds during his campaign.

Libertarian candidate Gay Johnson received more than $130,000 in the latest transfer, according to the FEC, for a grand total of more than $230,000 thus far.

Roemer was the first 2012 presidential candidate to receive federal matching funds.

Cassidy on CNN

U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, appeared on CNN’s Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien on Friday morning and he promptly took President Barack Obama to task on the economy.

The CNN show was filmed Friday in New Orleans at The Ruby Slipper Café in conjunction with the Essence Music Festival. Cassidy was described as the “only practicing physician in Congress” and he referred to the shrimp and grits and bananas Foster on the table as “New Orleans health food.”

When the conversation turned to the nation’s slow-growth economy, he said, “I don’t think we, as Americans, should live with diminished expectations.”

He touted the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas and he said the economic performance of the next four months will prove “critical” in the election between Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

After Cassidy was replaced on the show by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the mayor then took aim at Gov. Bobby Jindal for opting out of Obama’s health-care plan for Medicaid to insure more of the nation’s poor.

“I think the governor is mistaken,” Mayor Landrieu said.

O’Brien noted that about 22 percent of Louisianians are uninsured.

Vitter seeks investigation

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., on Friday touted a report that the alleged cover up of information regarding the 2010 deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill.

Vitter — along with U.S. Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and John Cornyn, R-Texas — are seeking additional documentation and emails regarding the federal government’s decision to have the moratorium. In a May 24 letter, they had asked the Integrity Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to investigate the U.S. Interior Department’s acting Inspector General Mary Kendall.

The three senators had contended she had not acted independently in absolving the Obama administration of any intentional cover up.

Vitter noted a reported meeting with the Integrity Committee on Thursday to consider pursuing the matter.

Compiled by Jordan Blum, chief of The Advocate Washington bureau. His email address is [e-mail].