Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

John Kennedy

Republican · U.S. Senate · Louisiana

Ranked #54 (tied) of 98 scored

Scored under 60%.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, earns an F on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Kennedy cast 0 for public lands and 19 against. The two closest: Yea on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 50 to 50, and Yea on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140), 50 to 49. Kennedy's seat is not on the 2026 ballot.

Every scored vote: 19 of 19 U.S. Senate votes counted

Anti-lands
Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) S.Res.817
En bloc confirmation of 74 nominees under S.Res.817, including Kevin Lilly as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, the official overseeing the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly, a Texas wealth manager, drew formal opposition from the National Parks Conservation Association, and senators from both parties questioned his lack of land management experience. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · August 7, 2026 · Roll call 225, 51 to 47
Anti-lands
Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) S.Res.690
En bloc confirmation of 49 nominees under S.Res.690, including Stevan Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency managing 245 million acres of public land. As a congressman, Pearce repeatedly backed transferring or selling federal public land. Confirmed 46-43. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · May 18, 2026 · Roll call 125, 46 to 43
Anti-lands
Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban H.J.Res.140
CRA resolution overturning the 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most visited wilderness in America. Became Public Law 119-85.
Voted Yea · April 16, 2026 · Roll call 84, 50 to 49
Anti-lands
Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling H.J.Res.131
CRA resolution overturning the 2024 environmental protections for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, stripping safeguards from the 1.56-million-acre coastal plain calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd
Voted Yea · December 4, 2025 · Roll call 632, 49 to 45
Anti-lands
Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) H.J.Res.130
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's 2024 Buffalo Field Office resource management plan amendment in Wyoming, which made approximately 413,000 acres of federal coal unavailable for future leasing in the Powder River Basin.
Voted Yea · November 20, 2025 · Roll call 623, 51 to 43
Anti-lands
Opening Western Arctic to Drilling S.J.Res.80
CRA resolution nullifying the 2022 management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which had closed about half of the 23-million-acre Western Arctic reserve to new oil and gas leasing
Voted Yea · October 30, 2025 · Roll call 599, 52 to 45
Anti-lands
Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) H.J.Res.106
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's Central Yukon resource management plan in Alaska, which designated 21 areas of critical environmental concern covering approximately 3.6 million acres. The resolution removed a land-plan barrier to the Ambler Road, which would cross Gates of the Arctic National Preserve; the administration had restored the road's federal permits three days earlier. Became Public Law 119-50.
Voted Yea · October 9, 2025 · Roll call 560, 50 to 46
Anti-lands
Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) H.J.Res.104
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the Miles City Field Office in Montana, opening public lands to expanded industrial use
Voted Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 549, 52 to 47
Anti-lands
Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections H.J.Res.105
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the North Dakota Field Office, removing protections from public lands across the state
Voted Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 556, 50 to 45
Anti-lands
Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) S.Res.412
En bloc confirmation of 108 nominees under S.Res.412, including Michael Boren as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the official directly overseeing the U.S. Forest Service. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Yea · October 7, 2025 · Roll call 547, 51 to 47
Anti-lands
Nesvik USFWS Director PN25-35
Confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for endangered species protections and the National Wildlife Refuge System
Voted Yea · August 1, 2025 · Roll call 470, 54 to 43
Anti-lands
One Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1
Reconciliation bill mandating four Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain lease sales, five National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sales, a four-million-acre coal leasing mandate, coal royalty rate cuts from 12.5% to 7%, a 250-million-board-foot yearly increase in national forest timber sales through 2034, and rescinding Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding
Voted Yea · July 1, 2025 · Roll call 372, 50 to 50
Anti-lands
Vaden Deputy Agriculture PN12-43
Confirmed Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, second in command of the department that houses the U.S. Forest Service
Voted Yea · June 10, 2025 · Roll call 301, 51 to 44
Anti-lands
MacGregor Deputy Interior PN13-10
Confirmed Katharine MacGregor as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the department's chief operating officer, who led first-term efforts to shrink national monuments and expand drilling on public lands
Voted Yea · May 14, 2025 · Roll call 250, 54 to 40
Anti-lands
Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards H.J.Res.60
CRA resolution overturning the National Park Service rule limiting off-road vehicle use in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, reopening those routes to motorized use
Voted Yea · May 8, 2025 · Roll call 239, 50 to 43
Anti-lands
Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off S.Amdt.2107
Budget resolution amendment (H.Con.Res.14) to bar the use of proceeds from selling federal public land for deficit reduction, the Senate's recorded vote on public land sales ahead of the reconciliation bill
Voted Nay · April 5, 2025 · Roll call 181, 48 to 51
Anti-lands
Reinstating Fired Land Managers S.Amdt.540
Budget resolution amendment (S.Con.Res.7) creating a reserve fund to reinstate the federal employees fired from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service
Voted Nay · February 20, 2025 · Roll call 68, 48 to 52
Anti-lands
Rollins Agriculture Confirmation PN11-12
Confirmed Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service and 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands
Voted Yea · February 13, 2025 · Roll call 53, 72 to 28
Anti-lands
Burgum Confirmation PN11-3
Confirmed Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior, who oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, despite his stated agenda to expand oil and gas extraction on public land
Voted Yea · January 30, 2025 · Roll call 26, 80 to 17

Roll calls and tallies from senate.gov, read October 26, 2026. Which side counts as pro-lands is the scorecard's call on each vote (methodology). Provision ratings: none of these bills has an approved rating yet, so none is named here.

Call Senator Kennedy through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Kennedy sponsors or cosponsors

In the 119th Congress, Kennedy sponsors 1 and cosponsors 6 public lands bills.

S.J.Res.11 Overturning the Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources
Sponsor · Introduced February 4, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.837 Designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on August 6, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.5087 Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 22, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.Res.449 Designating the week beginning on October 12, 2025, as "National Wildlife Refuge Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on October 9, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.180 Designating the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.J.Res.12 A resolution to overturn the Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems: Procedures for Facilitating Compliance, Including Netting and Exemptions
Original cosponsor · Signed on February 4, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.J.Res.4 A resolution to overturn the Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters
Original cosponsor · Signed on January 23, 2025 · Not yet rated

Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read September 24, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.

Kennedy's committees

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Department of Defense; Department of Homeland Security; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development (Chairman); Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Economic Policy (Chairman); Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; Securities, Insurance, and Investment
Senate Committee on the Budget
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Border Security and Immigration; Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights; Privacy, Technology, and the Law; the Constitution

Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.

Public lands in Louisiana

55 federal land units lie in or reach into Louisiana.

Listed by size; the largest 40 of 55 are named.

Kisatchie National Forest 607,483 acres
Fort Johnson 240,294 acres
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge 124,848 acres
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge 77,852 acres
Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge 54,556 acres
Delta National Wildlife Refuge 50,263 acres
Red Dirt National Wildlife Refuge 40,233 acres
Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge 37,813 acres
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge 33,255 acres
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge 29,114 acres
Breton National Wildlife Refuge 28,026 acres
Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge 27,640 acres
Bayou Savage National Wildlife Refuge 25,538 acres
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge 25,096 acres
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge 24,391 acres
Barksdale Air Force Base 21,946 acres
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Barataria Preserve 21,716 acres
Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge 21,641 acres
Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge 19,364 acres
Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge 17,982 acres
D 'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge 17,639 acres
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve 16,609 acres
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge 15,768 acres
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge 15,184 acres
Red River National Wildlife Refuge 15,107 acres
National Guard Camp Minden Training Site Defense Department · 15,004 acres
National Guard Beauregard Training Range Defense Department · 12,615 acres
Breton National Wildlife Refuge.Wilderness Area 11,891 acres
Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge 10,817 acres
Farm Service Agency Interest Of La Fish and Wildlife Service · 9,337 acres
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge.Wilderness Study Area 9,316 acres
Kisatchie Hills Wilderness 8,701 acres
Palustris Experimental Forest 7,456 acres
Saline Bayou, Louisiana Wild and Scenic River 6,090 acres
Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge 5,927 acres
Saline Bayou W & S River Corridor Roadless Area 5,355 acres
Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge 4,390 acres
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge 3,637 acres
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans 3,349 acres
National Guard Esler Field Defense Department · 2,137 acres

Drilling, mining and logging on record in Louisiana: 760 timber sales (50,261 acres); 195 oil and gas leases (83,087 acres); 3 offshore leases (5,697 acres).

None of the places on the threatened public lands map is in Louisiana.

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 23, 2026; acres are each unit's full size, and units overlap, so they are not added up. Easements on private land are left out. Fires from NIFC; mining claims, leases and timber sales from BLM and Forest Service records; read October 26, 2026.

Who funds Kennedy on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Kennedy's campaign $130,800 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $133,750, and conservation PACs gave nothing.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$309,500	$5,000	$1,000	$2,500	none
2021-22	$1,258,296	$100,250	$5,000	$10,500	none
2023-24	$87,679	$2,500	$1,000	$1,000	none
2025-26	$130,800	$5,000	none	none	none

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC S4LA00065), net of refunds, read October 26, 2026. Industry is the giving PAC's industry in the More Than Just Parks record. A contribution says who gave, not why anyone voted as they did.

How Kennedy compares

The median senator scores 5%. Kennedy scores 0% and ranks #54 (tied) of 98.

More from Louisiana

Sen. Bill Cassidy F · Rep. Steve Scalise F · Rep. Troy Carter A+ · Rep. Clay Higgins F · Rep. Mike Johnson F · Rep. Julia Letlow F · Rep. Cleo Fields A

What to ask Kennedy

Washington office: 437 Russell Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-4623. Write to Kennedy · Official site

From Kennedy's own record:

Why did you vote Yea on Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) (S.Res.817)?
Why did you vote Yea on Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) (S.Res.690)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140)?
Why did you vote Yea on Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling (H.J.Res.131)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) (H.J.Res.130)?
Why did you vote Yea on Opening Western Arctic to Drilling (S.J.Res.80)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) (H.J.Res.106)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) (H.J.Res.104)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections (H.J.Res.105)?
Why did you vote Yea on Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) (S.Res.412)?
Why did you vote Yea on Nesvik USFWS Director (PN25-35)?
Why did you vote Yea on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1)?
Why did you vote Yea on Vaden Deputy Agriculture (PN12-43)?
Why did you vote Yea on MacGregor Deputy Interior (PN13-10)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards (H.J.Res.60)?
Why did you vote Nay on Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off (S.Amdt.2107)?
Why did you vote Nay on Reinstating Fired Land Managers (S.Amdt.540)?
Why did you vote Yea on Rollins Agriculture Confirmation (PN11-12)?
Why did you vote Yea on Burgum Confirmation (PN11-3)?

Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

How did John Kennedy vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

John Kennedy voted Yea on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) on July 1, 2025. The Senate vote was 50 to 50, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.

Is John Kennedy up for election in 2026?

No. John Kennedy's Senate seat from Louisiana is not on the 2026 ballot. Kennedy's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is an F.

What public lands are in Louisiana?

55 federal land units lie in or reach into Louisiana. The largest are Kisatchie National Forest (607,483 acres), Fort Johnson (240,294 acres) and Sabine National Wildlife Refuge (124,848 acres).