Georgia Republicans in Congress weigh in on the shutdown’s effects

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House of Representatives out of session for the entirety of the federal government shutdown in an attempt to dial up pressure on Senate Democrats to pass a funding bill without conditions.

The unscheduled recess means Georgia’s Republican-dominated delegation has been mostly absent from conversations about the effects the monthlong shutdown has had on voters in their districts.

This week, the AJC sent a half-dozen questions to all 14 House members in Georgia’s delegation — nine Republicans, five Democrats — about the impact of the shutdown. They were asked whether they would be willing to pass piecemeal legislation to pay federal workers or fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the shutdown and for their thoughts on the health care issues that have been at the center of Democrats’ arguments against supporting Republicans’ plan for funding the government.

All five Democrats, plus Republicans Mike Collins and Marjorie Taylor Greene, provided detailed responses to each question. The remaining seven Republicans answered partially, with the majority of them not directly addressing the questions.

Here’s what they said.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been one of the most vocal members of Congress during the shutdown, faults House Speaker Mike Johnson for canceling votes during the shutdown.

Johnson has robbed lawmakers of an opportunity to discuss ways to make health care affordable and to ensure that families are not hurt during the shutdown, she said.

While the funding drama drags on, Greene said she would support standalone legislation that funds essential workers, including air traffic controllers and airport security workers.

“It’s coming up on a month for them,” the Rome Republican said. “They’re working, and I would definitely vote to pay their salary.”

Collins, a candidate for U.S. Senate who represents parts of central Georgia, also said if given the chance he would vote to pay essential workers and fund SNAP during the shutdown.

“Georgians should not face food insecurity and military families should not have to go to food banks because Democrats like Jon Ossoff are playing political games,” he said. “Georgians should trust that their government has their backs.”

Although Collins said he agrees with Johnson’s decision to cancel votes and in-person meetings, Greene said Republicans have been irresponsible in not having serious conversations about the effects expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies are going to have on families whose premiums are on the rise.

It’s harder to gauge where the other Republicans in Georgia’s delegation stand. Most of them provided statements that did not directly speak to the AJC‘s questions.

Several of the statements contained similar language, but the lawmakers would not say whether they coordinated responses or received directives from House leadership.

• U.S. Rep. Rick Allen: “The House of Representatives did its work. We passed a clean, bipartisan CR (continuing resolution) to keep the government open on September 19th.”
• U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter: “House Republicans did our job — we passed a clean funding bill to keep the government open and ensure crucial programs such as WIC, SNAP, and Head Start remain operational and our TSA workers, air traffic controllers, federal employees and military service members continue to get paid.”
• U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde: “House Republicans did our job; we passed a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open.”

The statement from Clyde, who represents northeast Georgia, was identical to the one he provided the AJC on Oct. 7 near the beginning of the shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack also responded by focusing on Democrats, saying any problems would be resolved by passing the House Republicans’ continuing resolution.

“Senate Democrats have voted against our ‘clean’ continuing resolution 13 times,” Jack, R-Peachtree City, said. “As a result, Georgians have been forced to endure the Senate Democrats’ shutdown for the past 30 days. The solution to every problem you’ve presented is passage of our bipartisan ‘clean,’ non-controversial continuing resolution.”

Two federal judges issued separate orders Friday saying the White House must fund SNAP, blocking the Trump administration’s plans to end benefits on Saturday.

But Democrats are also focused on expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that have led to steep premium increases for people looking to purchase coverage for next year. Open enrollment begins Saturday.

Ossoff and his counterpart, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, have voted repeatedly against the House Republicans’ government funding bill because it did not include language extending the subsidies. Georgia House Democrats, all but one of whom also opposed the House bill, say they agree with this approach.

“It is critical that Speaker Johnson and my Republican colleagues return to Washington to negotiate in good faith for an extension of Americans’ health care benefits and reopen the government,” Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, said.

Few GOP members were willing to say whether they believe the subsidies should be allowed to expire at the end of the year.

Jack said he would be open to negotiating with Democrats on the subsidies that began during the coronavirus pandemic to make policies more affordable, but not until the shutdown ends. But he did not say whether he personally believed the subsidies should come to an end.

Greene has been vocal in saying that Republicans should come up with a plan and not just continue to criticize Democrats on the issue.

Both Collins, R-Jackson, and Clyde, R-Athens, said the subsidies are not the answer.

“We need meaningful reforms to health care that increase competition and drive down premiums, not more subsidies for a failed program,” Collins said.