The project, titled “New Sewerage and Water Board Power Plant, Planning and Construction” is intended to protect New Orleans streets from flooding during storms and be completed in 2024. In response to Louisiana’s so-called trigger ban — which took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — the New Orleans City Council passed a resolution July 7 certifying city leaders’ support for access to abortion and reproductive health by asking police, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors not to devote city resources to gathering information about abortion. Louisiana’s ban, which has been challenged in court, banned abortion entirely, with no exceptions for rape or incest — and is currently in effect, CNN In a July 19 letter, Landry asked the bond committee to stop any funding to benefit the city of New Orleans because of city leadership’s opposition to enforcing the state’s abortion law. “In light of the city’s open defiance of the will of the people of Louisiana, I urge the Bond Commission to postpone any applications for the City of New Orleans, the Parish of Orleans and any local governmental entity or political subdivision under its jurisdiction,” he said. Landry wrote in the July letter. “Furthermore, any other funding that will directly benefit the City of New Orleans should also be suspended until the Council, Mayor, Police Chief, Sheriff and District Attorney have met and confirmed that they will comply and enforce the laws of this State and cooperate with any State officials who may be called upon to enforce them.” According to minutes from the commission’s July 21 meeting, a representative from Landry’s office moved to move the water and sewer board project off the agenda and approve the other projects. The motion passed without objection, according to the minutes. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell responded to the move in a press release saying it’s “disappointing and appalling” that the commission has cut funding for one of the city’s most “vital and valuable” infrastructure projects. “Regardless of the outcome, my administration will continue to prioritize the needs of our residents, which includes improving our aging infrastructure, strengthening our resilience as a city, and protecting the reproductive rights of women across the city. New Orleans,” Cantrell said. the liberation. On Aug. 18, the bond committee met for a second time to vote on flood funding and a second time, again at Landry’s urging, voted 7-6 to delay the funding proposal until next month, according to a video of meeting. . “Officials in New Orleans are sworn to uphold and enforce the laws of our State, yet they have decided that some laws are not worth enforcing,” Landry said in a statement after Thursday’s vote. “In light of the city’s open defiance of the will of the people of Louisiana, I am continuing my efforts on the State Bond Commission. Today was another step toward ensuring that our State’s parishes and municipalities are in compliance with our State’s laws .” the state’s attorney general said in a Facebook post. On Friday, Mayor Cantrell told CNN’s Alex Marquardt that she will not reconsider her stance on abortion. Withholding or redirecting any funds for infrastructure has an impact on both state and local economies, Cantrell said. “We can’t afford to put politics before people’s rights, and especially protecting people from hurricanes and other disasters, because we’re on the front lines of climate change,” Cantrell told CNN.
