Washington (February 26, 2026) – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) today called on elected officials in New Orleans to hold the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) accountable for the $1.5 million in unpaid water bills at the Guste Homes High Rise in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
Key excerpts of the speech are below.
“We’ve got a new mayor in New Orleans. I’m delighted we’ve got some new council people. They’ve got to do their job. And I don’t want to hear we’re not responsible for HANO. The mayor appoints them.
“Get rid of the thieves. Get rid of the incompetence. Don’t come back and ask for more money to fix your mistakes from the American taxpayer. The good people of New Orleans deserve that. They deserve better. Do better. The people living in this complex deserve better. I’ve had enough. I’ve just had enough. Fix it.”
. . .
“I can’t tell you how to do it. Maybe you’re going to have to borrow the money. Maybe you’re going to have to actually raise taxes on the people in New Orleans. I hope not, but at some point, the money has got to come from somewhere. Get your act together before you come back to me or anybody else in Washington, going, ‘Do you got $60 million lying around? Not only can we not pay the water bill, but we want to tear the whole thing down and build a new one and have somebody else pay for it.’ Gag me with a spoon.”
Background
- The Guste Homes High Rise is a 12-story public housing complex that is home to more than 310 elderly residents in New Orleans. The complex is managed by the Guste Homes Resident Management Corporation on behalf of HANO.
- The building has approximately $1.5 million in outstanding water bills, which HANO claims are the result of a years-long dispute over pricing and usage rates. The Sewerage & Water Board announced this week that it “will no longer delay water shut offs within the Guste Community due to nonpayment,” leaving the building’s elderly residents in jeopardy of losing their housing.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development opened an investigation into the Guste Homes High Rise for failing to maintain the building and leaving its residents in “distressed” conditions.
