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House gives final OK to Trump’s legislation
‘Big Beautiful Bill’ funds president’s domestic agenda
La. makes gains on LEAP tests Math scores up but some see declines in English
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., gave the longest speech in House history against the measure, complaining that the Republicans refused amendments that would have allowed Democrats to support the bill. After Jeffries spoke for 8 hours and 44 minutes, Johnson took the floor. “My friends and colleagues on both
WASHINGTON — Just after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday — in time for a grand Independence Day signing ceremony at the White House — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise gave Speaker of the House Mike Johnson a big hug. “A lot of people wrote this bill off for dead,” Scalise said. As the House’s two top leaders, the pair of Louisiana natives were at the center of a political drama that has consumed Congress for the past few months. Scalise, R-Jefferson, said President
Louisiana’s younger students made modest gains on state tests this spring while high schoolers saw a slight overall decline, according to LEAP test scores released Thursday. This year’s results are a mixed bag for the state, which saw student scores plateau last year following several years of what state leaders and some education experts lauded as historic post-COVID improvements. In English, 43% of students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded state expectations, referred to by the state as “This is “mastery” sustained or above, the same share growth. We’re that met that pleased with mark in 2024. the progress but In math, the not satisfied number was knowing that 33%, which is 2 percentage we can still do points highbetter.” er than last year. ComCADE BRUMLEy, bining math, state superintendent English and of education science, 35% of grades 3-8 students achieved mastery or above, up 1 point from 2024. In high school, 35% of students scored at the mastery level or above on their English, math and science tests combined. That is 1 percentage point lower than last year. Louisiana students are still performing better than they were during the early days of the pandemic, with grades 3-8 improving by 5 percentage points across all subjects since 2021 and high schoolers improving by 3 points. “This is sustained growth,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in an interview. “We’re pleased with the progress but not satisfied knowing that we can still do better.” The Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a conservative advocacy group, said in a statement that while the organization is encouraged to see improvements in grades 3-8, “the decline in high school scores — reflecting the
ä See HOUSE, page 7A
ä See PUSH, page 6A
ä See LEAP, page 8A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, left, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, celebrate after Johnson signed President Donald Trump’s signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on Thursday at the Capitol in Washington.
Measure cuts taxes and spending, projected to add trillions to national debt
Johnson, Scalise push bill to finish
BY MARK BALLARD
BY MARK BALLARD
Staff writer
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House gave final approval Thursday to President Donald Trump’s tax relief and spending cuts package that Republicans call the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” ä Bill boosts Speaker Mike Johnson, state’s share R-Benton, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rof offshore Jefferson, worked all oil revenue. day and all night to win PAGE 6A over Republicans who began Wednesday saying they would not vote for the legislation. Enough Republicans agreed to go along with the necessary but stalled procedural votes to set up a full vote by the House. Debate began at 3:28 a.m. on whether to agree with the measure, which had been substantially rewritten in the Senate.
Staff writer
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y., right, leaves his office shortly after speaking in the House chamber during Thursday’s final vote.
Landry’s line-item vetoes targeted insurance bill opponents in GOP BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
A full 16 of the 17 line-item vetoes issued by Gov. Jeff Landry were of spending projects sought by Republican legislators, including a highway extension in Bossier City, a tennis court in Livingston Parish and a new bridge in Lafraniere Park in Metairie. And in all 16 of those cases, the
WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 77 PAGE 8B
legislator had voted against the governor on his biggest priority during the just-completed legislative session. That measure, House Bill 148, gives Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple greater authority to reject “excessive” rate increases — an authority that Temple said he doesn’t want because he believes it would allow an insurance commissioner to act indiscriminately
instead of relying on data. Many conservatives agreed with Temple, and a number of them saw Landry kill their projects through the line-item veto — which targets specific projects while allowing others untouched by the governor to move forward. Former lawmakers noted that Landry is hardly the first governor
Gov. Jeff Landry used line-item vetoes to target projects sought by 16 Republican lawmakers. STAFF FILE PHOTO
ä See VETOES, page 8A
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101ST yEAR, NO. 4