For the second time in two weeks, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., has carefully pushed back on a piece of the Trump agenda.
Earlier this month, as it became clear that President Donald Trump wouldn't be deterred from placing steep tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, the Georgia senator denounced them as "a new tax on American consumers" – fighting words in the pre-Trump GOP.
Now Politico.com reports that Isakson told Trump last weekend that he had "full confidence" in Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, amid rumors that the president was considering a move to replace the Cabinet member with Fox News personality Pete Hegseth.
Trump has mulled the firing of Shulkin, an Obama administration holdover, over reports that Shulkin used taxpayer money on a trip to Europe. From Politico:
Isakson declined to give his thoughts on Hegseth on Monday, and said he was "not aware" of any serious plan to replace Shulkin, whom he called a "good man" who has "gotten his hands dirty" on veterans issues.
Hegseth advocates a more thorough privatization of VA health services, and would face a hard climb to confirmation – because of his criticism of certain senators who haven't seen things his way. Consider this Tweet from Hegseth late last year:
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee would have to confirm Hegseth’s nomination, so perhaps referring to its chairman as a “Swamp-creature” might be seen as an obstacle. Not that Isakson would say so.
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In Atlanta, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain addressed the state Senate on Monday. The formal occasion was a resolution honoring the WSB Radio host's contributions to the community.
But Cain spent two of his allotted three minutes briefing senators on a little-known provision in the Republican tax bill passed late last year, intended to inject investment into the nation’s poorer communities.
“It’s actually the law,” Cain told us afterwards. “If you invest in an economically depressed area, you can defer capital gains for five years, and you get a 10 percent reduction. Seven years, and you get an additional 5 percent reduction. Ten years, and you get a 100 percent reduction on your capital gains taxes.”
Cain said he was working on behalf of U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the author of the provision. “[Scott] is out trying to spread the word on this, so communities can get on board.” Cain said.
Here's a New York Times paragraph on the topic from January:
The zones were included in the tax law by Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who was born into poverty in North Charleston, and based on a bill he co-sponsored in 2017 with several Democrats. The effort to create the zones was pushed by an upstart Washington think tank, the Economic Innovation Group, and its patron, the tech mogul Sean Parker, of Napster and Facebook fame, who enlisted Mr. Scott and others to sponsor the legislation."
We didn’t let Cain get away before we asked him whether he has another political contest in him. He was rather emphatic:
"I have run out. No. No more runs. I have run out. Thank you for the encouragement, thank you for the question. But I have run out."
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File this one away for future reference: On Monday, the state Senate passed House Bill 876, a measure that bars cities and counties throughout the state from enacting building codes to restrict the use of wood in construction. The language:
"[N]o county or municipality shall prohibit the use of wood as a construction material so long as such use conforms to all applicable state minimum standard codes and the Georgia State Fire Code."
Opponents are calling the bill a gift to Georgia’s forestry industry. The state code permits “stick” buildings of up to five stories.
Out of safety concerns, two metro Atlanta cities, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, have enacted building codes that mandate nonflammable construction materials – i.e. brick, stone or steel – to be used on taller buildings. Those would disappear.
Several cities are now pressing Gov. Nathan Deal for a veto. According to the Dunwoody Crier, the city of Dunwoody is considering a lawsuit should Deal sign the bill.
Let’s hope we don’t end up regretting this one.
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Secretary of State Brian Kemp is declaring himself a supporter of a new Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks -- the tightest restrictions in the country.
In a Tweet and Facebook post late Monday, the Republican candidate for governor said he backs Gov. Phil Bryant's decision to sign the measure. Kemp also vowed "to sign the toughest abortion laws in the country as your next governor. If abortion rights activists want to sue me...bring it! I'll fight for life at the Capitol and in the courtroom."
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U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., is suddenly one of the most popular draws on the fundraising trail. Two days after the Georgia's May primary is done, he'll be in Atlanta to raise some cash for the Democratic nominee for governor -- whoever she may be.
Jones, the winner of one of the biggest upset victories in recent political history, will be the keynote at the Democratic Party of Georgia’s state dinner on May 24.
That’s two days after Democratic voters will decide between former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and ex-state Rep. Stacey Evans for the party’s nomination to succeed Gov. Nathan Deal.
Party chief executive Rebecca DeHart said partisans can expect to hear someone who “proves you can win anywhere if you stay true to your values.”
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Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach used Vice President Mike Pence's visit this weekend to lobby for more federal funding for the city's port. DeLoach said he reminded Pence that "we needed the funding to keep the harbor deepening going," according to the Associated Press:
DeLoach said Pence got the message, adding: "If he stood still, he knew about the harbor."
Harbor boosters say they need roughly $100 million a year from the feds to keep dredging work on track, but the latest White House budget proposed only $49 million for the project. (Tamar Hallerman)
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