CV NEWS FEED // Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Catholic, this week explained why he vetoed $1 million earmarked for Catholic Charities of Acadiana’s homeless shelter services, arguing that the money is used to support illegal immigrants.
According to a June 26 article in the Louisiana Illuminator, Landry explained in a written statement, “Part of Catholic Charities mission is to support the influx of illegal aliens into our country.”
“Taxpayers should never foot the bill for nonprofits who are contributing to the illegal immigration crisis our nation is facing,” he continued. “I don’t believe the majority of our legislators would support this either.”
The Louisiana Illuminator reported that Landry also said, “I look forward to understanding in greater detail why Catholic Charities needs taxpayers dollars and how they would use that money.”
The funds were earmarked in Louisiana’s funding appropriations in House Bill No. 1 of the 2024 Regular Session. In a June 24 letter, Landry informed the state’s Senate President and the Speaker of the House that he was vetoing several lines of the bill, including the line allocating the money for Catholic Charities’ sheltering operations.
Though he did not directly address the topic of Catholic Charities in the letter, Landry noted that the budget’s funding appropriations were reviewed “to determine if they serve an appropriate government function and if the appropriation was an efficient and effective use of state resources.”
CatholicVote previously reported that Chief of External Affairs for Catholic Charities Ben Broussard stated after the veto, “Currently, Catholic Charities shelters 87 homeless individuals nightly, offering safety to those experiencing homelessness in Acadiana.”
