Louisiana official hears residents’ concerns about President Trump’s policies

PLAQUEMINE, La. (Louisiana First) — Congressman Troy Carter said it’s a combination of concern and preparedness on how Louisiana can move in a different direction with potential budget cuts hitting the state stemming from the Trump Administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Carter hosted a town hall meeting in Plaquemine Monday night to hear residents’ concerns about some of Trump’s policies.

“The federal government has its resources. That’s what we do. If you take that away, people will hurt. People will die,” he said.

Among many topics surrounding the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Carter touched on several other issues like FEMA and education.

Keisha Fleming is the assistant principal at Bridge Academy. She said she’s worried about how this could affect her students.

“As an educator, this is my 20th year as an educator, and I’ve had to fund uniforms, shoes, and clothing for students. I’m wondering what that would look like for funds for teachers and administrators to make sure their students get an education that is worthy of them?” said Fleming.

Just like the concern of what would happen if the Department of Education could be dismantled, the “Big Beautiful Bill” could hit Louisiana hard.

In an interview earlier this month, Trump said it’s a beneficial funding cut.

“You look at what we’re doing for small businesses, for people, for middle-income people. All of the things that we’re doing, nobody’s ever seen anything like it,” he said.

Carter said it would push the state into a budget hole.

“$880 billion in cuts to Medicaid is unsustainable. That will undoubtedly close down rural hospitals. It will hurt people living in assisted living facilities and people living in nursing homes,” he said. “It will hurt our veterans. It will hurt people living with disabilities. And we have to get the message out so people understand the devastation that it will cause Louisiana.”

He said nearly 60% of people in the state benefit from Medicaid. If those cuts sweep through, he said it could set many families into financial hardship.

“These are not people who are just sitting at home. These are people who are working but don’t make enough money to have either medical care or the ability to feed their children,” said Carter.

Carter said this isn’t a discussion about Republican and Democratic parties, but rather how ugly things can get if they don’t act now.

“We will continue to spread our wings to go wherever communities are to make sure that we’re bringing Washington to the people. As a member of the United States Congress, it is my responsibility, and I take it very seriously,” he said.

There will be another town hall meeting in Donaldsonville at 6 p.m. at the Lemann Memorial Community Center. There will also be a hurricane season resource fair before the meeting.

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