The following statement was issued by the Louisiana Republican Party yesterday in response to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ speech before the start of the regular session of the Louisiana Legislature:

(Baton Rouge, LA) - This afternoon the people of Louisiana received a clear reminder that their Governor’s Office is occupied by a loyal follower of the Democratic Party’s philosophy of tax-and-spend governance.

Governor Edwards spent the last three years signing the largest tax increase in state history; signing more than two dozen additional new laws that are permanently affecting the taxes and fees paid by small and large companies conducting business in Louisiana.

For the working families in Louisiana, the tax-and-spend policies of this Democratic Governor have been an anchor around the neck of our state’s economy.

In 2017 under Governor Edwards' leadership, Louisiana posted the worst economic performance of any state in the country, with the state’s GDP shrinking by 0.2 percent.
In 2018, Governor Edwards received an “F” for fiscal responsibility in the CATO Group 2018 annual report card for America’s governors.
A 2019 report puts Governor Edwards’ Administration dead last for return on taxpayer investment for services including public education, health care, and public safety.

Today Governor Edwards did not let any facts stand in the way of delivering a campaign speech focused on the only “achievement” of his first term: raising our taxes so high that he has money left over, for now...

Today he promised to SPEND IT ALL. He even joked about not making any cuts.

Focused on his own re-election, Edwards has clearly turned to the “spend” page of his Democratic playbook.