BATON ROUGE, La. — U.S. Sen. John Kennedy spoke with President Donald Trump about regulatory hurdles keeping thousands of Louisiana flood victims from receiving federal aid.
The Republican senator said flood aid was among several topics he and Trump discussed Friday in a one-on-one lunch.
As many as 6,000 Louisiana residents who took out or requested loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration after massive flooding in 2016 have been unable to access a federally financed disaster grant program. Receipt of both a disaster loan and grant was prohibited.
Congress changed the law in October. But the Trump administration hasn't issued legal guidance to match the changes.
Millions of dollars in aid remain stalled because of the disagreement.
Kennedy says he's hopeful after his meeting with the president. He expects a decision within weeks.
