{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/2026/08/18/higgins-urges-president-trump-to-direct-army-corps-action-on-the-vermilion-river-in-conjunction-with-ul-lafayette-renews-call-for-civil-works-reform/", "Higgins Urges President Trump to Direct Army Corps Action on the Vermilion River in Conjunction with UL-Lafayette, Renews Call for Civil Works Reform", "2026-08-18", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Clay Higgins", "H001077", "clayhiggins.house.gov", "clayhiggins", "https://clayhiggins.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "LAFAYETTE, LA \u2013 Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump respectfully urging him to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to execute spot dredging of the Vermilion River, a statutorily authorized project since 1956. In the letter, Congressman Higgins details the continued work his office has done to ensure spot dredging the Vermilion can be executed despite the Corps\u2019 continued inaction. Read the full letter here.\n\nCongressman Higgins wrote:\n\n\u201cIn October 2025, my office delivered a white paper to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought outlining reforms to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works mission to improve the efficiency and execution of federal construction efforts. The history of the Vermilion River in Louisiana\u2019s 3rd District demonstrates why these reforms are necessary.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter I delivered my white paper\u2026 the Corps approached my office with its \u2018Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork Initiative.\u2019 This initiative was largely informed from my white paper. I personally met with Assistant Secretary Telle where a shared vision of execution on delayed projects and the necessity of spot dredging the Vermilion River was discussed.\u201d Read the white paper here.\n\nThe letter details the technical foundation Congressman Higgins built between the Corps and researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette following the historic 2016 flood:\n\n\u201cAfter the historic 2016 flood that impacted more than 7,000 structures across Acadiana, I facilitated the Corps and top researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to develop an objective hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of spot dredging the Vermilion River. In over nine years of official well-documented engagement, my office has worked consistently with the Corps to support the execution of spot dredging the Vermilion River.\u201d\n\nCongressman Higgins closes by urging President Trump to address the barriers holding back the dredging of the Vermilion River:\n\n\u201cAfter years of study, congressional direction, and $50 million in taxpayer funding, the Corps has yet to remove a single bucket of sediment from the Vermilion River in over 25 years. I urge your full and fair consideration of all factors to address bureaucratic barriers that have prevented spot dredging the Vermilion River from moving forward.\u201d\n\nDr. Ramesh Kolluru, President of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also submitted a letter to the President in support of moving the project forward:", 1, "2026-08-19T05:29:02Z", "2026-08-19T05:30:24Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/2026/08/18/higgins-urges-president-trump-to-direct-army-corps-action-on-the-vermilion-river-in-conjunction-with-ul-lafayette-renews-call-for-civil-works-reform/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8482919074594975, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}