Category: Congress

Pres. Trump Makes Articulate, Fact-Based Analysis of CD-6 Race

Just kidding, we all know that’s impossible.

Instead, President Trump relied on his usual bombastic and semi-conspiratorial scolding (AKA: his most presidential sounding voice) to predict Republicans will win on Tuesday. Anyone want to hazard a guess if he even knows who the Republicans are? Methinks he has no clue.

Georgia Congressional Delegation Responds To Airstrikes In Syria

Below are the statements we’ve received from Georgia’s Congressional delegation on tonight’s strike on a military airfield in Syria.

From Senator Isakson:

“I salute the brave men and women of the U.S. military who conducted these operations tonight. President Trump’s decision to strike the Assad regime’s air base where chemical weapons were deployed against the innocent people of Syria earlier this week sends a clear signal to the world that war crimes such as these will not be tolerated. I support the president’s swift and decisive action to punish this dictatorship for the atrocities committed.”

From Senator Perdue:

“Assad is a tyrant and his chemical weapon attack against innocent civilians this week was beyond inhumane. This will not be tolerated. After six years of inaction by the Obama Administration, I am glad to see that President Trump is willing to stand up for these innocent victims and stop those responsible for this violence. I commend our brave servicewomen and men who are carrying out this vital mission tonight.” Continue reading “Georgia Congressional Delegation Responds To Airstrikes In Syria”

For Ag Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue, It’s “Hurry Up And Wait”

It’s been 11 weeks since President Donald Trump nominated former Governor Sonny Perdue to lead the federal Agriculture Department.  As the AJC points out in today’s article, the former Governor was the last nominee appointed to fill Trump’s cabinet.  Delays, including a paperwork mishap, have pushed back the confirmation vote by the US Senate, and the temptation of Senate Republicans pressing the nuclear button to push Neil Gorsuch’s nomination through could delay Perdue’s confirmation even further.

Perdue has received praise from both sides of the aisle, so his confirmation shouldn’t be all that controversial (a seemingly rare occurrence in the Trump administration), but supporters of Perdue are gettting a bit anxious with delay after delay.  From an excerpt of a letter penned by the top Republican and Democrat on the House Agricultural Committee to the Senate as posted on the AJC: Continue reading “For Ag Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue, It’s “Hurry Up And Wait””

Congressman Ferguson to Host Job Fair in GA-3

In a press announcement released today, Congressman Drew Ferguson of Georgia’s 3rd announced a Job Fair in LaGrange on April 13, 2017. According to the Congressman’s communication director, Amy Timmerman, the information has been shared over 500 times on Facebook.

After a little checking on Facebook, I found updated numbers at more than 600 shares and dozens of comments where folks were tagging friends and family. A much needed and well received opportunity in the Third Congressional District.

 

WHO: Third District employers and residents

WHAT: Jobs Fair and Career Skills Workshop

WHEN: Thursday April 13, 2017, 2:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Calloway Conference Center at West Georgia Technical College, 220 Fort Drive, LaGrange, Georgia

Any employers still interested in registering for the event should contact the Congressman’s district office in Newnan at (770) 683-2033. Direct all press inquiries to Amy Timmerman.

According to the Congressman’s communication director, Amy Timmerman, the information has been shared over 500 times on Facebook.

Senator Perdue Cosponsors Cyber Scholarship

Georgia is getting serious about training students for careers in cyber security. In January, Governor Nathan Deal announced a $50 million investment in the FY2017 amended budget for the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Facility in Augusta. The new center will complement the U.S. Army Cyber Center for Excellence at Fort Gordon, which has been in operation since 2010. On Thursday, Senator David Perdue announced that he is cosponsoring S.592, the DOD Cyber Scholarship Program Act of 2017.

S.592 (a bipartisan bill with Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia as the first signer) reauthorizes funding for and “reinvigorates” the Information Assurance Scholarship, a federal program first instituted by the 2001 National Defense Authorization Act that fell by the wayside. Although a summary is not yet available for S.592, the original scholarship program prepared undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students for information security careers and then required them to pay back the DOD for each year of funding with a year of service. S.592 will presumably direct students into cyber training courses like those that will be offered in Augusta. It will also expand cyber scholarships for students earning associate’s degrees at community colleges and 2-year program students at schools designated as Centers of Academic Excellence by the NSA and Department of Homeland Security.

Several of Georgia’s leaders in higher education have praised S.592. Comments from these leaders were highlighted in Senator Perdue’s press release and can be found below the fold. Continue reading “Senator Perdue Cosponsors Cyber Scholarship”

Wishes Of A Speedy Recovery To Senator Isakson

Senator Johnny Isakson has issued the following statement, saying that he has undergone a second back surgery and is continuing on a program of physical therapy rehabilitation. Having more than reached my limit with our current healthcare “system”, I would like to extend my sincere wishes that his recovery goes smooth, steady, and quickly, and I offer an additional prayer for those in his family that get to deal with the paperwork and bureaucracy.

From a press release:

MARIETTA, Ga. – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., is recovering at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Ga., after undergoing surgery earlier today to address a sacral hairline stress fracture that developed in the last few days.

The hairline fracture developed as Isakson was recovering from his initial back surgery on Feb. 20 to address deterioration in his spine caused by severe arthritis. Dr. Keith D. Osborn of Resurgens Orthopaedics performed both surgeries. Continue reading “Wishes Of A Speedy Recovery To Senator Isakson”

Democrat John Ossoff Leads Republican Karen Handel By Slim Margin In GA-06 Race

A new poll released yesterday by the Trafalgar Group shows Democrat John Ossoff with a slight edge with 18.31% in the race to replace Tom Price in GA-06. Democrat Ron Slotin is in 6th place with 2.82%.

Former Secretary of State Karen Handel continues to hold a lead among the Republican contenders with 17.98% of those polled.  Former Johns Creek City Councilman Bob Gray is in 3rd place with 13.42%, former State Senator Judson Hill with 7.98% landed him in 4th place, 5th place: Amy Kremer with 3.05%, 7th place: Former State Senator Dan Moody with 2.11%, and 8th place: Bruce LeVell with 0.45%.

Over a third of those polled (33.9%) are still undecided.

Another interesting tidbit of data is the first question that they asked the poll respondents: their approval of Donald Trump’s job as president so far.  Over half of likely voters (51.47%) responded that they approved of the job the President was doing, 41.18% disapproved, and 7.35% had no opinion.  In a Republican district, that can be quite concerning.  It’s also why we’re seeing the NRCC targeting Ossoff early on by seeing what they can hang on him.  It’s also something that Senior Strategist at Trafalgar noticed:

Cahaly also stated, “We’ve already seen outside play a major role. Last week the Congressional Leadership Fund, (GOP) SuperPac, placed a 7-figure media-buy attempting to knock Ossoff off of his lead, and it appears to be working. Their theory in this game of Congressional special election Whac-A-Mole, is to hit the leading Dem enough to set an all-Republican runoff, but not so much that another Dem is elevated enough to contend. So far the Congressional Leadership Fund folks appear to be exceptional whackers.”

With just a little over a month before the election, we’ll see how variables in DC (including the continuing drama of President Trump, the newly released Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, and the general sentiment of Washington) will play in the GA-06 race.  At this point, it may end up in a run-off between a Republican and a Democrat.

Isakson, Perdue On New Immigration Executive Order

From press releases:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today released the following statement on the updated executive order issued by President Donald Trump designed to prevent access into the United States by foreign nationals who are terrorists or criminals:

“As a second-generation American whose grandfather emigrated from Sweden in 1903, I value the legal immigration system of our country, and I want to make sure that this opportunity remains in place. But I want to also be sure we don’t ever have a situation like September 11, 2001, when some very bad people entered our country through less-than-reliable vetting.

“We all want to make sure that the process by which new individuals enter our country is thorough enough to restrict access to someone who might seek to harm our way of life. I appreciate President Trump’s willingness to start over after the initial rollout of this policy resulted in confusion and legal challenges.

“As the administration moves forward with implementation of this revised executive order, it is my hope that President Trump will continue to consult with the national security team he has assembled so that security measures are properly applied and do not infringe on the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.”

And from Senator Perdue: Continue reading “Isakson, Perdue On New Immigration Executive Order”

Congressman Barry Loudermilk Quietly Departs House Freedom Caucus

Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) has quietly left the House Freedom Caucus according to the Political Insider over at the AJC.  He assures that it’s not because of political differences.  In fact, he still agrees with a lot of their ideology.  From the AJC:

“I don’t disagree with the principles and the ideas of the Freedom Caucus, it’s just I felt that I could actually take my principles and values and help lead on the Study Committee at this point,” he said.

It sounds more like that there’s too much on his plate.  That’s understandable since he is a member of multiple committees, subcommittees, and caucuses.  As he said, there aren’t enough hours in the day:

“I ran out of time. And until somebody puts in a bill that extends the day from 24 to 48 hours, there’s only so much I can do,” he said in an interview.

It seems that Congressman Loudermilk wants to focus his energy where he can make the most impact and apply his conservative principles.  I’m sure that there will be calls of #RINO and questioning the Congressman’s conservative reputation, but I believe it’s more about being an effective congressman.

Farewell by Rep. Tom Price

Rep. Tom Price, M.D., resigned his U.S. House seat today from Georgia’s sixth district after he was confirmed by the Senate as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Rep. Price shared some remarks to the U.S. House prior to his confirmation and subsequent resignation, which can be seen after the break.

Continue reading “Farewell by Rep. Tom Price”