Jon Ossoff teams up with Trump ally on tax legislation ahead of midterms
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Foster care advocates fret about Georgia’s Medicaid contract.
- Voters head to the polls in state Senate runoff election.
- State Senate panel endorses extending cellphone ban to high schools.
Working together
Throughout his 2022 campaign, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock regularly drew astonished reactions when he talked about working with Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other conservatives on legislation.
Now, Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has his own bipartisan calling card to point to as he gears up for a tough reelection fight next year.
The Democrat has teamed up with Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi on legislation to cut income taxes for qualifying small businesses with up to 15 employees.
Ossoff unveiled the bill over the weekend in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying it would make it easier for small businesses to “compete, grow and create jobs.”
Hyde-Smith, a close ally of President Donald Trump, said the proposal would help “mom-and-pop operations retain workers and keep the doors open.”
The measure adds to a growing list of bipartisan efforts Ossoff has introduced or co-sponsored, including a bill aimed at supporting disabled veterans that he introduced with Republican U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy of Louisiana.
And he won’t be alone. Two of his top Republican challengers, U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, also tout bipartisan pushes of their own.
Carter introduced a bipartisan bill over the summer to place limits on pharmacy benefit managers. And earlier this year, Collins touted a bill he introduced with U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta. It would make training courses for commercial pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians a qualified expense for 529 college savings plans.
Things to know
Good morning! Georgia’s legislative session starts in 27 days. The primary for U.S. Senate, governor and other offices is in 154 days.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- Emails show Georgia officials have been in contact with the Trump administration about overhauling the nation’s system of college and university accreditation, the AJC’s Jason Armesto reports.
- Conservation groups have completed a deal to protect more than 10,000 acres of forest on the Alabama-Georgia border, the AJC’s Drew Kann reports.
- State officials have delayed the execution of a man convicted of killing two Cobb County real estate agents while a Fulton County judge considers whether at least one member of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles must be recused from the clemency hearing, the AJC’s Jozsef Papp and Shaddi Abusaid report.
Medicaid battle
Two of the country’s largest health insurance companies asked state regulators last week to throw out Georgia’s Medicaid contract. But the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman notes there’s a lot more at stake than just the companies’ bottom lines.
Advocates for Georgia’s 11,000 foster children gathered in front of the state Capitol prior to Friday’s hearing to highlight what drastic changes to the system could mean. Foster children rely on Georgia’s Medicaid program for health care. They worry upending the contract could force children to switch doctors with no guarantee they would find someone willing to accept them, though the selected insurers say their networks are vast.
Amerigroup Community Care and Peach State Health Plan previously contracted with Georgia to administer the state’s Medicaid program. But the state did not extend their contracts last year, opting to go with other companies instead.
Both companies have appealed the contract decision to the Department of Administrative Services. During a hearing last week, they argued the state mishandled the bidding process and should be completely restarted. The winning bidders refuted the allegations, with one saying they were a “concocted conspiracy.”
Commissioner Rebecca Sullivan did not specify when the state would make a decision.
Democrat vs. Democrat
We know a Democrat will win today’s special election runoff in state Senate District 35. But that doesn’t mean the race will be boring.
Roger Bruce and Jaha Howard are wrapping up a feisty campaign to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves, who resigned to focus on his campaign for governor. Bruce and Howard were the top two vote-getters in last month’s special election, besting a field that included two other Democrats, a Republican and an independent candidate.
Bruce spent more than 20 years in the state House, opting to retire last year. But Esteves’ resignation lured him back into politics. Bruce said he didn’t think a special election was long enough for voters to properly vet a candidate. He said that if elected, he likely would not run for a full term next November.
Howard, a former Cobb County school board member, looked like he was on his way to winning a seat on the Cobb County Commission last year only to have the election thrown out. He then lost the rescheduled race to former state Rep. Erick Allen.
Bruce and Howard have been busy criticizing each other online, with Howard calling for a new voice in the district while Bruce has questioned Howard’s commitment to liberal causes.
Pushing back
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s break with President Donald Trump has given her a new role within Republican Party: calling out the president’s worst tendencies on social media.
Trump on Monday blamed the killing of Rob Reiner on the actor and director’s opposition to his presidency. Trump said that Reiner suffered from an “incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
In reality, authorities have arrested Reiner’s troubled son in connection with the stabbing deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were found in their home on Sunday. Trump’s comments prompted a slew of criticism on Monday, especially after Republicans drew a red line about critical comments following the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies,” Greene wrote on X.
Others who criticized Trump’s comments: Jenna Ellis, Trump’s former lawyer, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is also known for challenging the president.
Phone push
A bipartisan panel of state Senators recently endorsed expanding Georgia’s upcoming classroom cellphone ban to high schools.
A new law takes effect next year banning students from using cellphones during the school day. But it only applies to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
A state Senate study committee, co-led by Democrat Sally Harrell and Republican Shawn Still, spent the past few months studying the issue as part of its broader mandate to examine the impacts of social media on children. They heard testimony from Marietta School District Superintendent Grant Rivera, who noted his attempt to ban cellphones from high school classrooms was resisted by parents who wanted to be able to reach their children during the school day.
The committee’s final report also includes a recommendation to “empower parents with information and encourage solidarity in delaying or limiting minor social media use.”
Taxing issues
Georgia Democrats are all talking about affordability issues leading up to the 2026 midterms. A special election in Athens last week shows why.
Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a long-held Republican state House seat last week following a campaign that focused on affordability issues. He told the “Politically Georgia” podcast that the issue is apparent in people’s anxieties over rapidly increasing property taxes in the district.
He said he met with the Oconee County Farm bureau a week before the election to hear their concerns about pressure from developers wanting to build subdivisions. Then he met with the progressive Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement to hear their concerns about property taxes.
“They both are asking for the same thing,” he said.
Gisler said an increase in the homestead exemption could be a common solution for very different parts of his soon-to-be district.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Democratic state Rep.-elect Eric Gisler talks about how he flipped a northeast Georgia House seat. Then Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey discusses why party leaders believe recent wins point to a broader opening heading into the midterms.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump participates in an ambassador credentialing ceremony and hosts a Hanukkah reception at the White House.
- The House has votes scheduled on a bill that would implement stricter background checks for unaccompanied migrant children. Another bill being considered would give federal regulators more power to block the closure of power plants.
- The Senate has no votes scheduled but is continuing work on the National Defense Authorization Act.
Shoutouts
Belated birthdays:
- John Fuchko III, Dalton State College president (was Saturday).
- State Rep. Robert Dawson, D-Atlanta (was Monday).
Noteworthy:
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, is engaged to Brian Glenn, Real America’s Voice chief Washington correspondent.
Transitions:
- Mark Smith is the new southeast government relations and public affairs director for the UCB, a Georgia-based pharmaceutical company. Smith was previously deputy chief operating officer for Gov. Brian Kemp’s office.
- Ndubuisi Onwumere is now the strategic communications advisor for the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus. Onwumere previously worked for Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s 2024 campaign and Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s 2022 campaign.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city will replace its annual New Year’s Eve Peach Drop with a fireworks and drone display. “We are reimagining that tradition,” he said.
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.
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.
