You could say it’s the political version of “anything you can do, I can do better.”
Three of Stacey Abrams’ key policy proposals amount to efforts to one-up Gov. Brian Kemp: A plan to raise teacher pay by at least $11,000, to hike salaries of some law enforcement officers by more than $10,000 and to extend a gas tax break through the end of the year.
Those are some of Kemp’s key policy accomplishments for the year already, but with significantly more funding proposed for all three.
The Democrat said her plans exemplify a more ambitious approach toward the role of government at a time when high inflation and gas prices are dominating the minds of voters.
“The question is not ‘Do we have the resources?’” Abrams said on a recent conference call with reporters. “The question is ‘What are we going to do with the resources we have?’”
Of course, the proposals don’t come cheap – and there are growing questions about how she would pay for the expenditures with a potential recession looming, along with separate promises to expand Medicaid and other programs.
The AJC’s James Salzer pegs the price tag so far for Abrams’ proposals at about $800 million in new spending for a roughly $30 billion state budget, which she’s said she’ll achieve without tax hikes.
Gov. Brian Kemp fought tooth-and-nail with fellow Republicans to get the first installment of his teacher pay raise passed in 2019, before record-setting state budgets juiced by an infusion of stimulus dollars helped boost the state coffers.
So far, the governor has shrugged off Abrams’ policies as election-year gimmicks and focused on his record – instead of countering with a long list of second-term ideas of his own. Ahead in most polls, Kemp has been in no rush to outline his reelection platform.
Kemp’s campaign sees parallels between the platforms of Abrams and David Perdue, who tried to outflank the governor by calling to eliminate the state income tax and pushed for other ways to turn the tables on the incumbent.
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POLICE FUNDING PUSHBACK. On the topic of Stacey Abrams’ plans, the Democrat gave an interview to The Root to respond to criticism from Black criminal justice advocates of her plan to hike the pay of Georgia State Patrol troopers, corrections officers and other officials.
The publication said Abrams “may have made a rare political misstep” when she called for the pay increase rather than backing plans to divert funds from law enforcement.
Of course, doing so would play into the hands of Republicans eager to frame Abrams as a supporter of the defund the police movement, a notion that GOP attacks already center on.
The Root asked Abrams about progressive supporters “who don’t believe paying cops more is the right move.”
Here’s how Abrams responded:
“I start with first principles. I believe in a living wage. We cannot with one breath say that we believe in a living wage and then say, ‘but…’ If leaving law enforcement and going to work in an Amazon warehouse gives you the exact same benefits, why are you going to take those risks? Why would you?”
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PRICE CUT. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has been pushing for legislation to cap the cost of insulin at $35-per-month for patients with insurance. The Warnock bill was recently folded into a larger bipartisan package, which is still pending.
But last week, Reuters reported French drug maker Sanofi moved without legislation and will now cap the cost of insulin for uninsured American patients at $35-per-month, starting in July.
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CHINA COMPETITION. Three members of Georgia’s congressional delegation are among the 107 lawmakers appointed to the conference committee on a bill to address the microchip shortage. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and David Scott are pushing for the final package to include funding for Georgia universities and businesses.
The short supply of semiconductors has roiled American manufacturers, including plenty in Georgia like the Kia plant in West Point, since the start of the pandemic. The overall package is designed to make the U.S. manufacturing more competitive with China’s.
For now, much of the discussion is happening behind closed doors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer have said they want the bill finished before the end of July.
But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said last week he’ll block the China competition bill if Democrats move forward on a separate, Democrat-only measure focused on climate change, prescription drug costs and Obamacare insurance premiums.
Tia Mitchell has more details on the bill and what could be in it for Georgia.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House and Senate are in recess for the July 4th holiday.
- President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor to four U.S. Army combat veterans who fought in the Vietnam War.
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NEW YEAR, NEW LAWS. Dozens of new state laws went into effect Friday as Georgia kicked off the fiscal year.
Among them, our AJC colleagues Mark Niesse and Maya T. Prabhu write, were:
- An overhaul of the state’s mental health system aimed to increase access to mental health and substance abuse care, including money to create several new programs;
- A $2,000 pay raise for teachers;
- Pay raises for state employees, including law enforcement officers;
- Medicaid expansion for low-income mothers, who can now receive benefits up to one year after the birth of a child;
- New rules for schools for how they teach about race and other “divisive concepts;”
- An income tax cut.
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EQUAL PAY. A key provision of the new Mental Health Parity Act is, of course, parity.
State Reps. Todd Jones and Mary Margaret Oliver, the Republican and Democratic authors of the bill, spoke with Capitol Beat to detail how the new law will affect insurers in the state, which are now required to cover mental health treatment at the same level as physical illnesses.
“Parity kicks in immediately,” Jones said.
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JAN. 6 in 2022? We’ve all heard the speculation about whether the events of January 6 will impact the midterm elections in 2022.
A fascinating test case is emerging in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, where Democrat Wade Herring is challenging incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter. Herring is focusing his campaign on Carter’s effort in the House on Jan. 6 to block Georgia’s electoral votes from being counted for Joe Biden.
In an interview with the Savannah Morning News, Herring said:
“We go to the same church. We’ve sat on boards together. He knows better, but has refused to do better. And that is why January 6 is so deeply offensive. I mean, I don’t care who it is. It’s wrong. But this isn’t some person I just know from TV or reading the newspaper. I know him, and it’s fundamentally wrong, what he did on January 6.”
Carter has called the Capitol attack “one of the saddest days of my life,” and told the Morning News in his own Q&A, “My opponent has decided to make an issue out of some things that I don’t think should be made an issue out of, particularly our church. And I think that’s very sad, and very unfortunate. But no, they look, this is about policies.”
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ALWAYS RUNNING. The annual Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race drew tens of thousands of early morning exercisers out for the July 4th tradition Monday, including plenty of Georgia politicos.
Spotted among the July 4th joggers were U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who said he clocked his personal best for the race, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who was sporting a boot on his left foot and had to skip the run because of a recently broken foot.
Even a few of your Jolters made it out, either to run or to cheer on from the sidelines.
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BREAKDOWN. GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker didn’t move quite as fast during his own appearance at his hometown July 4th parade in Wrightsville.
The Johnson County football legend has been a perennial favorite in the parade for years, where locals cheer on as he brings out his classic car collection to round the town square.
On Sunday, the car Walker was driving broke down in the middle of the parade, requiring a push from helpful onlookers.
A Walker campaign aide, always on message, told one of your Insiders, “Gas was too expensive and he’s a fiscal conservative, unlike his opponent. Don’t fret - the people carried him across the finish line, like they will this fall.”
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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