Senator John Kennedy is a bad caricature of a southern gentleman and he masquerades around Capitol Hill as a folksy “just asking questions” kind of fella. In reality, he’s a wealthy, elite, fraud with a $20 million net worth who attended Oxford. Despite representing the poorest state in America, this Louisiana senator took his allotted time at a hearing with the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review how poverty is calculated and take issue with it. So this is our response.

Resources

Senator John Kennedy: Kennedy questions Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on poverty data in Senate Banking Committee

USAFacts: What is the poverty rate in Louisiana?

World Population Review: Poorest U.S. States 2026

The Data Center: Health as resilience capacity in New Orleans: The critical role of community-based collaborations

Prison Gerrymandering Project: Federal Census policy harms Louisiana’s democracy — but state lawmakers can fix it

Wikipedia: John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)

Buzzfeed News: John Kennedy Is America’s Folksiest Senator. Some People Who Know Him Say It’s An Act.

Quiver Quantitative: Senator John Kennedy has filed a new financial disclosure - here’s what we see

UNFTR Resources

Video: Senator Questions Poverty Calculations | Here's Why That's INSANE

Essay: John Goober Kennedy: The Louisiana Senator Thinks Poor People Are Faking It.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Senator John Kennedy is a bad caricature of a southern gentleman and he masquerades around Capitol Hill as a folksy &ldquo;just asking questions&rdquo; kind of fella. In reality, he&rsquo;s a wealthy, elite, fraud with a $20 million net worth who attended Oxford. Despite representing the poorest state in America, this Louisiana senator took his allotted time at a hearing with the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review how poverty is calculated and take issue with it. So this is our response.
Resources
Senator John Kennedy: <a href="https://youtu.be/kFNGPwYdaWQ?t=186">Kennedy questions Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on poverty data in Senate Banking Committee</a>
USAFacts: <a href="https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-us-poverty-rate/state/louisiana/">What is the poverty rate in Louisiana?</a>
World Population Review: <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/poorest-states">Poorest U.S. States 2026</a>
The Data Center: <a href="https://www.datacenterresearch.org/reports_analysis/health-as-resilience-capacity-in-new-orleans-the-critical-role-of-community-based-collaborations/">Health as resilience capacity in New Orleans: The critical role of community-based collaborations</a>
Prison Gerrymandering Project: <a href="https://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/news/2025/05/28/louisiana_prison_gerrymandering/">Federal Census policy harms Louisiana&rsquo;s democracy &mdash; but state lawmakers can fix it</a>
Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kennedy_(Louisiana_politician)">John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)</a>
Buzzfeed News: <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/john-kennedy-folksy-senator-act">John Kennedy Is America&rsquo;s Folksiest Senator. Some People Who Know Him Say It&rsquo;s An Act.</a>
Quiver Quantitative: <a href="https://www.quiverquant.com/news/Senator+John+Kennedy+has+filed+a+new+financial+disclosure+-+here%E2%80%99s+what+we+see">Senator John Kennedy has filed a new financial disclosure - here&rsquo;s what we see</a>
UNFTR Resources
Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/4uE-4_Uk6F4">Senator Questions Poverty Calculations | Here's Why That's INSANE</a>
Essay: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/blog/john-goober-kennedy">John Goober Kennedy: The Louisiana Senator Thinks Poor People Are Faking It.</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/unftr.com">Bluesky</a>,&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Become a member at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/memberships">unftr.com/memberships</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations">bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

Unf*cking The Republic&reg; (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.