Swanky Senate retreats face scrutiny amid federal government shutdown
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Test your politics knowledge with our weekly news quiz.
- James Carville says Democrats have a winning economic message.
- The federal government shutdown delays the jobs report.
Sea Island scrutiny
The campaign arm of Senate Republicans is scheduled to meet in Sea Island this weekend for some fishing, golf and pickleball while hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain out of work during the government shutdown.
The gathering, first reported by Politico, poses an conundrum of sorts for Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate and whether they should attend.
A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike Collins Senate campaign said he would not attend. Neither will Gov. Brian Kemp, who is backing former football coach Derek Dooley’s bid. Campaigns for U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Dooley did not respond to questions.
It’s not hard to see why some Republicans wouldn’t want to be linked to the gathering, as liberals are already seizing on it to portray the GOP as tone-deaf in the midst of a crisis. “Republicans to Spend Shutdown Playing Golf at Five-Star Resort,” blared a headline in The New Republic.
But the left probably should not throw stones. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reportedly has a similarly luxurious retreat scheduled for California later this month.
“Democrats plan luxury Napa retreat as government shutdown threat looms over Congress,” a Fox News headline declared earlier this week before the shutdown started.
NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez sought to turn the attention back on Senate Democrats, noting a scheduled vote on Friday will give them another opportunity “to join Republicans to do the right thing and reopen the government.”
The NRSC sent an email to attendees on Thursday blaming Democrats for the shutdown and pointing to a new digital ad attacking Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff for voting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“These events are reserved and contracted years in advance — beyond even our current term at the NRSC — and both our costs and attendees’ rooms are non-refundable,” the message read.
Friday news quiz
Good morning! It’s day three of the federal government shutdown. Don’t let partisan gridlock get you down. Cheer yourself up by taking our weekly news quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.
It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Helene hit Georgia. What milestone was announced this week?
- A) The last debris was removed from a South Georgia farm, marking the official end of cleanup operations.
- B) The last insurance claim was paid out, ending one of the most expensive disasters in state history.
- C) State and federal officials reached a tentative agreement on more than $500 million in aid for farmers and timber owners.
- D) The Federal Emergency Management Agency removed the last travel trailer from South Georgia.
Georgia Democrats will host their annual Carter-Lewis Day Dinner tonight, which doubles as a major party fundraiser. Who will be the keynote speaker?
- A) Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
- B) U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
- C) Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
- D) Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The shutdown was particularly bad timing for Georgia. Why?
- A) Third graders from several metro Atlanta school districts were turned away from touring the U.S. Capitol.
- B) The gravesite of the late President Jimmy Carter was closed to the public, preventing a public ceremony on what would have been his 101st birthday.
- C) A pay raise for officers at Georgia’s federal prisons was delayed.
- D) New ocean fishing regulations recreational anglers had been waiting for were delayed indefinitely.
State Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, launched her campaign for governor this week. And State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, jumped in the lieutenant governor’s race. What 2026 statewide race has the most candidates so far?
- A) Governor
- B) Attorney general
- C) Lieutenant governor
- D) U.S. Senate
Economy matters
Three decades after James Carville coined the mantra “it’s the economy, stupid,” the Democratic strategist says it still defines U.S. politics.
With recent reports showing the U.S. labor force continuing to weaken, we asked him how that could shape Georgia’s 2026 races.
“The most important thing in American elections was, is and always will be how Americans feel when they go to the grocery stores and gas pumps,” Carville told us.
He thinks that dynamic could boost Democrats as U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff seeks a second term and other statewide offices are up for grabs.
“Politics is about risk. It just is,” he said. “But all I can say about the current state of affairs is that I’d rather be on our side of the ball than theirs.”
Republicans, he added, may have boxed themselves in.
“For the last nine months, Republicans have been running up the score,” he said. “When something goes wrong, we’ve been told how feeble Democrats are. So it’s almost illogical for people to blame them. This image could help us in the short term.”
Flood insurance
Lost in the hoopla surrounding the federal government shutdown this week is the closure of the nation’s largest residential flood insurance program.
The National Flood Insurance Program shut down on Wednesday after Congress failed to extend its funding. The program covers millions of homeowners in the U.S., including more than 72,000 in Georgia. Most of them are along the coast, with about one third of them in Chatham County alone.
People with existing policies can still have their claims paid. But homeowners and renters can’t buy, renew or add to their policies.
That could further chill an already sluggish housing market. Mortgage companies often require flood insurance policies for sales in areas prone to flooding.
“It’s another nail in the coffin for the real estate market,” said David Kyler, co-founder and director of the Center for a Sustainable Coast.
Kyler, who lives on St. Simons Island, has private flood insurance. He said it’s becoming more difficult for homeowners to afford it — when they can find it.
“The worst conditions get, the harder it will be to find insurance, the more expensive it will be when you can find it,” he said.
Jobs report
The Bureau of Labor Statistics likely won’t release its monthly jobs report today, one of many casualties of the federal government shutdown.
The report reveals how many jobs were gained or lost for the previous month compared to a year ago. It’s a closely watched statistic that informs lots of public policy decisions — including a key interest rate set by the Federal Reserve. It’s also often used as a weapon in partisan politics.
The September report likely wouldn’t have been good. ADP, the payroll processing company, reported U.S. companies lost 32,000 jobs in September. ADP’s report offers a snapshot of U.S. employment, but it’s not as comprehensive as the federal numbers.
Georgia’s unemployment numbers for September are scheduled to be released Oct. 16. But the state’s numbers are based off data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Georgia would also delay its numbers if the government is still shut down.
Listen up
There is no “Politically Georgia” podcast today. We’ll be back on Monday to answer questions from the listener mailbag.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have you been impacted by the federal government shutdown? We want to hear from you. Give us a call at 770-810-5297 or email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will participate in a ceremonial swearing in of Christine Jack Toretti as ambassador to Sweden.
- The House returns on Monday.
- The Senate will vote on a block of Trump nominations and on government funding legislation.
Confirmation day coming
Former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker and Bill White, the man who led the unsuccessful Buckhead cityhood movement, are both expected to come one stop closer to being confirmed for ambassadorships today.
The U.S. Senate will vote this afternoon on whether to advance a bloc of 108 people nominated to various positions by President Donald Trump. This isn’t how confirmations have been handled in the past, but Senate Republicans recently changed the rules in order to speed up confirmations during Trump’s second term.
Walker is nominated to serve as ambassador to the Bahamas. White would serve as ambassador to Belgium.
The Senate is also expected to take yet another vote on competing government funding bills proposed by Republicans and Democrats.
Both sides seem pretty firm on their positions, so neither bill is expected to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and end the government shutdown that is now in its third day.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthdays:
- State Rep. Danny Mathis, R-Cochran.
- State Rep. Tanya F. Miller, D-Atlanta.
Transition:
- Stan Jones, Georgia Ray and Helen Sloat — authors of the popular “Gold Dome Report” newsletter — have left Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to start Gold Dome Partners, a Buckhead-based boutique offering policy-related help to a range of clients.
Before you go
Answers to this week’s news quiz:
- C) State officials reached a tentative agreement on federal aid for farmers. While negotiations are complete, the final agreement has not been signed and no money has been received yet.
- A) Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The two-term governor said he will run for a third term next year, but has not ruled out a run for president in 2028.
- B) The gravesite for the late President Jimmy Carter. Stephanie Young, who owns a shop in downtown Plains, said it was sad the community couldn’t celebrate Carter on his birthday.
- A) Governor. So far, 21 people have filed paperwork to raise money for the state’s top job. Eleven people have filed for lieutenant governor while four are vying for attorney general. Ten people are running for the U.S. Senate. A few people who filed paperwork have since dropped out.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
This story has been updated to correct a reference to Senate votes on confirmations. It has also been updated to reflect a response from the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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