Trump’s State of the Union touched familiar themes amid sagging poll numbers
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Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Lawmakers mull withholding driver’s licenses from absent students.
- Georgia Senate vets transportation overhaul proposal.
- Fulton County urges federal judge to hold a hearing on the FBI raid.
Déjà vu
Tuesday was technically President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term. But it looked and sounded a lot like the speech he delivered last year to a joint session of Congress shortly after he was sworn in.
Trump delivered a campaign-style speech that blamed Democrats for all he perceived as bad in America. He spoke for more than one hour and 47 minutes, shattering his own record set last year for the longest speech to a joint session of Congress since 1964.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, the former Georgia congressman, missed both speeches as he appeared to be the designated survivor to ensure a line of succession to the presidency in case of a large-scale attack.
But the biggest difference from last year is Trump’s cratering approval ratings that are feeding a growing anxiousness among Republicans on the ballot this year that voters’ concerns about affordability could lead to huge GOP losses.
Republicans aligned with Trump were quick to say that the speech hit all the necessary marks to convince voters the country is on the right track.
“Tonight, our country heard a unifying message from the President that we can all rally behind: bringing the American Dream back for working families,” U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, said in a statement.
Both of Georgia’s senators, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, attended the speech. But several of the Georgia Democrats in the U.S. House did not.
Among them was U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, who instead produced a livestream of interviews with activists and constituents. She also answered questions and reacted in real time to the speech.
“You’re hearing him talk about these tax cuts, but what he is not telling you is that the tax cuts were for billionaires,” she said in response to Trump’s remarks championing the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."
Things to know
We’re nine days away from the qualifying deadline for the November general election. A special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress is in 13 days.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- The Georgia House of Representatives passed a number of education-related bills on Tuesday, including a cellphone ban for public high schools and a proposal to put literacy coaches in every elementary school, the AJC’s Martha Dalton reports.
- The Department of Homeland Security paid just over $68 million for a warehouse in Oakwood that it plans to convert into an immigration detention center, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
- As Republican state lawmakers rush to address affordability issues, one group that has fallen through the cracks of many proposals is renters, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
Driving privileges
Teenagers who skip school often risk being punished by their parents. They might soon have to worry about being grounded by the state
Senate Bill 513 would empower the state to withhold driver’s licenses from teenagers who are chronically absent from school. It’s one of several provisions aimed at getting a grip on Georgia’s attendance problem, which intensified during the pandemic and has yet to fully recover.
The bill passed the Senate Education Committee last week, despite some testimony from DeKalb County students who worried the bill would do more harm than good.
The bill would apply to students who miss 10% or more of the total number of school days. It would not suspend licenses that have already been issued. And it would not require the state to deny licenses in every case. Instead, it says schools may share information about absent students with the Department of Driver Services.
State Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, said it wasn’t fair to withhold licenses for a non-driving offense. State Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, voted for the bill in committee. But she indicated lawmakers will need to discuss the idea of withholding driver’s licenses.
“That’s a pretty big misstep,” she said. “I think we should have more conversations about that.”
Shakeup?
A major transportation overhaul is underway at the Capitol.
Legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte would abolish the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Atlanta-Regional Transit Link Authority. Their responsibilities would be folded into the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA).
The consolidation would hand SRTA control over state and federal transit funds, eliminate required regional transit planning across a 13-county metro area, and shift oversight authority over MARTA.
The bill faces its first test in the Senate Transportation Committee this morning. If it advances, it would mark one of the most significant structural changes to Georgia’s transportation governance in years.
Fulton County update
Fulton County has urged a federal judge to proceed with a Friday hearing on its efforts to recover ballots seized by the FBI last month.
The county seeks the return of ballots and other materials seized for a criminal investigation of “deficiencies” in the 2020 election. The county’s motion notes that the alleged deficiencies have already been investigated by the secretary of state’s office, which found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.
Earlier this week the Justice Department urged U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to dismiss the county’s request and cancel Friday’s hearing. Among other things, Justice Department attorneys argued that a magistrate judge found probable cause to issue the FBI search warrant, and returning the ballots would disrupt a criminal investigation.
On Wednesday, the county asked the judge to hold the hearing as planned. Its lawyers argued that the FBI withheld important information, including the outcome of previous investigations, from the judge who issued the warrant. They also argued the Justice Department can’t escape scrutiny of its actions simply by reciting “three magic words: ongoing criminal investigation.”
The Justice Department is expected to respond today, with the judge’s ruling expected by Thursday.
Counterprogramming
On a day when President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union address heavy on self-congratulations and red-meat attacks, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was making a different kind of play.
Just hours before Trump addressed Congress, the Democratic contender for governor zeroed in on affordable housing in deep-red Dahlonega, framing it as a crisis that stretches far beyond metro Atlanta.
“Everywhere I go, whether I am in South Georgia, whether I’m in North Georgia, everybody is talking about the affordable housing crisis,” Bottoms said.
“It’s been really one of the surprises for me moving around the state, because you often think of that as an urban issue, but our communities, our rural communities, everybody’s being hit.”
History lesson
America turns 250 this summer, and the Georgia Historical Society is celebrating early with a look back at our country’s previous milestone birthdays in 1876 and 1976.
The Savannah-based society will host a panel discussion Thursday featuring its senior historian, Stan Deaton, and a pair of academics who are experts on the two milestones. The U.S. celebrated the centennial in the midst of Reconstruction after the Civil War while the bicentennial came at the height of the Cold War.
The event is appropriately titled, “A United States but a Divided America: How We Have Celebrated the Nation’s Birthday During Turbulent Times.”
The free-to-attend session is at 6 p.m. at Christ Church Episcopal in downtown Savannah. For those not on the coast, there is a livestream at georgiahistory.org.
To learn more about Georgia’s political environment at the time of the American Revolution, read AJC reporter Adam Van Brimmer’s account published on Georgia Day, the anniversary of the colony’s founding on Feb. 12.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s Day 24 of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 10 a.m.: House convenes.
- 10 a.m.: Senate convenes. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 116, which would require the collection of DNA samples from anyone charged with a misdemeanor or felony who is subject to an immigration detainer notice.
- 1 p.m.: House Higher Education Committee meets to discuss House Bill 1363, which would authorize public schools to consider antisemitism in the same manner as discrimination based on religion.
- 1:30 p.m.: House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meets to discuss House Bill 894, which would allow courts to review and resentence certain cases where the punishment of life without parole was imposed.
- 3 p.m.: House Governmental Affairs Committee meets to consider House Bill 779, which would require landlords and managers of apartment buildings to provide local police and fire departments with phone numbers for after hours maintenance and management.
- 3 p.m.: House Banks and Banking Committee meets to consider House Bill 1112, which would require rounding the price of goods or services when paying in cash.
- 3 p.m.: Senate Finance Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 465, which would disqualify businesses that hire people living in the country illegally from certain tax credits.
Correction
Tuesday’s newsletter included an item about a bill aimed at stopping police departments from releasing body camera footage to the public. That item should have said the bill would only apply to video that depicts someone’s death.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast State Election Board Chair John Fervier joins the show to discuss the FBI raid in Fulton County and President Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Also, AJC reporter Caleb Groves explains what happened during the board’s two-day meeting last week.
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.
Aviation safety
Savannah residents Tim and Sheri Lilley were in the U.S. House chamber on Tuesday when lawmakers killed a Senate-passed aviation safety bill in response to last year’s midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport. Their son, Sam Lilley, was an American Airlines pilot killed in the crash.
All five Georgia Democrats and three of the state’s eight Republicans — Reps. Buddy Carter, Brian Jack and Rich McCormick — voted in favor of the bill. The remaining five Republicans all voted “no.”
Carter invited the Lilleys to the chamber to witness the vote. The bill required a two-thirds vote because it was put on the floor using special rules allowing it to be fast-tracked.
The GOP opposition came after the Pentagon raised concerns about the legislation, which had received unanimous support in the Senate.
House Republicans have pledged to introduce a new version of the bill that addresses the Pentagon’s yet-to-be-specified concerns.
Today in Washington
Highlights:
- President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- The House will vote on a bill that would roll back green energy regulations approved during the Biden administration.
- House Democrats head to Virginia for their annual issues conference.
- The Senate will vote on more Trump nominations.
- Dr. Casey Means, who has been nominated by Trump to serve as surgeon general, will participate in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega.
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
About 4,000 officers and agents recruited by the Trump administration to detain and deport immigrants living in the country illegally were trained at a facility along the Georgia Coast known as the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
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.
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