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S at u r d ay, J u ly 5, 2025
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Louisiana braces for Medicaid cuts Final budget bill delays some changes for several years
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — During his nearly nine-hour floor speech opposing passage of the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries used Louisiana to underscore his argument that the measure harms Medicaid. The legislation, signed into law Friday, includes tax breaks and increased funding for Republican priorities. It pays for them, partially, by cutting spending by $1.1 trillion over the next 10 years for
ä Trump signs big tax and spending cut bill.
PAGE 3A
President Donald Trump holds up his signature on the bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on Friday in Washington as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, left, watches and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, takes a photo.
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. That will lead to 17 million Americans losing health care coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. “Louisiana is a state that stands to suffer mightily as a result of this all-out assault on Medicaid,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y. He pointed out that the Republican supermajority in the Louisiana Legislature passed a resolution asking Congress not to slash Medicaid
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
ä See CUTS, page 4A
SPOUT AND ABOUT
Fort Johnson becomes Fort Polk once more But the base’s old name refers to a new person
BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
Two years ago, with flags, speeches and the clang of a hammer, Fort Polk became Fort Johnson, shedding its Confederate namesake and honoring a Black World War I hero. Now, in another ceremony this month, Louisiana’s largest military installation will become Fort Polk once again. But the base’s old name refers to a new person: Gen. James H. Polk, awarded the Silver Star for his World War II service. To many in the conservative, veteran-heavy Vernon Parish, the move is a welcome reversal, returning the fort to the name they’d continued using anyway. “If you did a poll, you would probably find 90% are happy,” said Phillip Hunt, an at-large council member in Leesville. “That’s what they’ve known it as.” But to the family of Sgt. William Henry Johnson — who was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002 and the Medal of Honor in 2015 — the move is a disappointment in the long fight for Johnson to get the recognition he deserves. His granddaughter Tara Johnson doesn’t want to fight anymore. Some have suggested that the name
ABOVE: Members of the Erath volunteer fire department team get pelted with water by the team from Meaux/Nunez during the Erath 4th of July Celebration water fights in Erath on Friday. RIGHT: Area volunteer firefighters from Delcambre get pelted by a Church Point team during the Erath 4th of July Celebration water fights on Friday. STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
ä See BASE, page 4A
La. schools, food banks try to keep students fed over summer Mission grows more difficult as costs rise
tary School cafeteria in Jefferson Parish on a recent summer afternoon as more than 100 children loaded up their lunch trays. Some of the students, who ranged from ages 5-12 and wore cowboy hats and boots to celBY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer ebrate “western day,” held their plates to their noses, inhaled and The smell of baking garlic let out an audible “Mmmm.” “We like to get feedback from bread and chicken nuggets filled the air inside the Collins Elemen- the kids about what they like and
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don’t like,” said Destiny Uhle, district area manager for Jefferson Parish schools, as she bustled from table to table chatting with students. “They aren’t shy about telling us.” The school is one of many in Louisiana that participate in the Summer Food Services Program, a federal program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides free breakfast and
lunch to children 18 and under when school is not in session. Local food banks also help many low-income families fill their pantries over the summer when children are home from school. But that mission has become more difficult this year due to rising food costs and a growing number of families seeking assistance,
ä See STUDENTS, page 4A
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STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Fort Polk became Fort Johnson, shedding its Confederate namesake and honoring a Black World War I hero. Now Louisiana’s largest military installation will become Fort Polk once again.
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