ATLANTA – While some school districts across Georgia have announced plans to start school next month with online instruction only, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., is introducing legislation aimed at helping schools reopen safely
The Safely Creating Healthy Opening Options Locally (SCHOOL) Act would help schools prepare reopening plans amid the coronavirus pandemic based on input from health care professionals.
“With the school year quickly approaching, parents, teachers, and students are understandably anxious about eventually going back to the classroom in this current environment,” Perdue said Monday.
“I want to make sure schools can make the best decisions about reopening locally. I want to provide teachers with the tools they need to stay safe and keep our kids learning. I also want to make sure parents have some peace of mind knowing that their students will still have a positive learning experience, while protecting their families from COVID-19.”
Perdue’s bill would provide funding schools could use to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) and clean and disinfect school buildings. It also would make nurses and other health-care workers available to help with symptom checks and help schools develop procedures for notifying parents of potential COVID-19 cases.
Perdue is a close ally of President Donald Trump, who has made it clear he wants schools to reopen their doors this fall.
However, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia’s largest school district, announced Monday it would open schools next month with 100% digital instruction. Atlanta Public Schools made the same decision more than a week ago.
Other school systems will be conducting a hybrid of in-person classes and online instruction.
Marjorie Taylor Green (left) and John Cowan (right) held no punches during debate in the race for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District on July 19, 2020. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Acrimony and insults flew in a debate Sunday between two Republican candidates vying for Northwest Georgia’s congressional seat who showed little daylight separating them on policy issues but much disagreement over which of their backgrounds should appeal more to conservative voters.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a construction business owner, leveled accusations of falsely impersonating a police officer and weak support for gun rights against opponent John Cowan, a neurosurgeon who owns a toy shop.
Cowan punched back, slamming Greene for accepting federal COVID-19 assistance for her company while accepting campaign donations and questioning why she did not vote for President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential primary.
Both candidates met in a debate held by the Atlanta Press Club ahead of a runoff election for the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District set for Aug. 11. The winner is poised to face the race’s only Democratic candidate, implementation specialist Kevin Van Ausdal.
The contenders are aiming to replace U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, a Republican, who announced late last year he will not seek re-election to a sixth term. The reliably Republican district stretches from Paulding and Haralson counties north through Rome, Calhoun and Dalton to the Tennessee line.
Since then, Greene has faced backlash over past online videos reported in the Washington Post and Politico in which she appeared to promote the anti-government conspiracy theory QAnon and dismiss the racial-justice underpinnings of the Black Lives Matter protest movement.
In Sunday’s debate, Greene did not answer a yes-or-no question on whether she believes in the QAnon theory, opting instead to condemn former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
She also voiced belief in the “deep state” theory concerning alleged conspiratorial acts by U.S. intelligence officials that have been discussed by many conservative media commentators.
“I like many Americans am disgusted with the deep state who’ve launched an effort to get rid of President Trump,” Greene said.
Greene was also pressed by Cowan on whether she would return federal money given to her construction company for COVID-19 relief while also soliciting donations for her campaign. She called Cowan out-of-touch with Georgians’ struggles due to COVID-19, which she labeled “Chinese virus.”
Greene took aim at China again by criticizing Cowan for purchasing items for his toy shop from the country, saying he purchases “cheap trinket toys [from China] instead of creating jobs here in Northwest Georgia.”
Cowan responded that he buys “goods overseas just like her construction company does” and that he works with local distributors and small-business owners.
Greene then accused Cowan of falsely posing as a reserve deputy in Floyd County despite not receiving that status, calling it “shameful” to do so. Cowan pointed to Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter’s statement that he was sworn as a “special reserve deputy for attachment to the SWAT Team.”
“There’s lots of squirrels and bats in that attic,” Cowan said, dismissing Greene’s accusations.
Cowan also fielded attacks from Greene over certain campaign contributions and a lack of endorsements from gun-rights groups that she framed as weak support for the Second Amendment. She described him as “compensating” in pro-gun campaign ads.
Cowan rejected the assertion, touting his pro-gun platform and claiming Greene donated to a political action committee that has contributed to Democratic candidates.
“She’s making a ridiculous campaign because she’s a ridiculous candidate,” Cowan said.
Beyond the sniping, both candidates expressed desire to reform immigration laws and work with county and city governments to address issues stemming from opioid addiction.
Each candidate also questioned the other’s support for Trump, with both angling to emphasize that they would strongly back the president if elected.
“I have passionately supported President Trump from day one,” Greene said.
“I consider my campaign for Congress to be entirely about supporting the president and his agenda,” Cowan said.
ATLANTA – The two Republicans seeking Georgia’s 9th Congressional District seat agreed Sunday on many of the most pressing issues facing the federal government.
But state Rep. Matt Gurtler and gun store owner Andrew Clyde tore into each other’s political and business records during a debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club.
Meanwhile, the two Democrats in the race – actor and Army veteran Devin Pandy and business owner Brooke Siskin – agreed with each other often during their 30-minute debate but drew a sharp contrast with the two Republicans.
The winners of the two Aug. 11 runoffs will square off in November for the right to succeed U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, who is leaving the House to run for the U.S. Senate.
The Republicans
Gurtler and Clyde supported Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision not to impose a statewide mask-wearing mandate on Georgians to discourage the spread of coronavirus.
“A lot it this has to come down to personal responsibility,” Gurtler said.
Clyde said requiring people to wear masks would violate their constitutional rights.
“There’s no pandemic exception in the Constitution,” he said.
The two also agreed on President Donald Trump’s determination to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico to deter illegal immigration.
But Clyde attacked Gurtler’s record in the Georgia House, while Gurtler targeted Clyde’s business dealings with the Internal Revenue Service.
Clyde took Gurtler to task for missing a vote last month on a bill aimed at protecting police officers from bias-motivated crime. Gurtler said he was meeting with constituents during a lengthy recess prior to the vote on the legislation and couldn’t get back in time to vote on it.
“I fully support law enforcement,” he said. “It’s wrong to paint and smear me in the campaign that I don’t.”
When Gurtler’s turn came to go on the attack, he accused Clyde of hypocrisy because his business entered into contracts with the IRS after Clyde successfully sued the taxing agency for wrongly confiscating more than $940,000 from his company.
Clyde said the contract his business has with the federal General Services Administration requires him to serve every federal agency, including the military and Secret Service.
“We can’t discriminate,” he said. “Every branch of government has the right to use that contract.”
The two Republicans did display a shade of difference on illegal immigration.
Clyde said no exception should be made for the so-called Dreamers, children who were brought to this country illegally by their parents.
“You need to come here legally,” he said.
But Gurtler said there should be an exception for the Dreamers.
“I don’t think we should be blaming the children for the sins of the fathers and mothers,” he said.
The Democrats
Siskin and Pandy drew sharp distinctions between themselves and Republicans on several issues, including masks.
“We are not wearing enough masks in this country, which is causing further spread of the virus,” Siskin said.
Pandy criticized Trump for imposing steep tariffs on Chinese imports of U.S. goods, which he said continue to impact farmers in the mostly rural 9th Congressional District.
“We have to realize tariffs do not hurt the country they’re on as much as our own people,” he said.
While neither Democratic candidate has held elective office, Pandy touted his experience of more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, including leading troops on the battlefield.
“My deployments have led me to a place where I have liaisoned with foreign governments,” he said.
Siskin said her “real-world” experience as a business owner would help prepare her to serve in Congress, as would her activism on behalf of victims of domestic violence. She was arrested in Gwinnett County earlier this month for refusing to comply with a court order to turn over guns and ammunition in her possession.
During Sunday’s debate, she said she owns one gun for protection against her ex-husband.
“Every day, women live in fear of their ex-husband or husband coming after them, and they have no protection,” Siskin said. “I have a right to own a gun to protect myself.”
Siskin called for universal health care in America as a right rather than a privilege.
Pandy said he supports former Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s call for a “wealth” tax on the top 1% of American income earners to raise the revenue necessary to pay for universal health coverage.
The two debates, which were live streamed on Sunday, will be broadcast Tuesday on GPB-TV. The Republican debate will air at 7 p.m., followed by the Democratic debate at 7:30.
Georgia’s 9th Congressional District covers Northeast Georgia from Gainesville and the northern end of Athens north and east to the South Carolina and North Carolina lines.
The U.S. Senate could take up coronavirus relief legislation next week.
ATLANTA – A diverse quartet of leaders representing cities and counties, schools, health-care workers and businesses across Georgia are calling on Congress to include local governments in a new economic stimulus package.
Legislation the U.S. House of Representatives passed in May includes $1 trillion for state and local governments suffering a huge loss in tax revenues resulting from the pandemic’s economic impact.
In a media call Friday, a Georgia mayor, school superintendent, health-care executive and business owner urged the U.S. Senate to take up the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act when Congress reconvenes Monday following the July Fourth holiday recess.
“Union City has been hit and hit hard by the public health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Vince Williams, mayor of the Fulton County city of 20,000 residents.
Williams, who also serves as incoming president of the Georgia Municipal Association, said the first economic stimulus package Congress passed in March included aid for 36 U.S. cities with populations of 500,000 or greater, including Atlanta. But smaller cities were left out, he said.
“What do we do about small-town America?” he asked. “We need to provide public services to our residents.”
Allen Fort, superintendent of the Taliaferro County School District in Crawfordville, said schools need federal aid if they are to reopen classrooms safely.
Fort said getting back to in-person instruction is critical in rural school districts that lack adequate internet coverage. He said 60% of Taliaferro County lacks internet connectivity.
“If [students] are not at school, they’re not receiving the education they need,” he said. “But bringing them to school in this situation is not the answer.”
Zach Robinson, senior manager at the Emory Heart and Vascular Center, said more public funding is needed to help hospitals that are losing money because they have had to cancel elective surgery in order to treat an influx of coronavirus patients
He said budgetary red ink is forcing hospitals to furlough and lay off employees at a time they’re most needed to serve on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
“We must build up our public infrastructure,” Robinson said. “Healthy employees make a healthy economy.”
While stimulus money for local governments doesn’t go to the private sector, more federal aid could benefit private businesses indirectly, said Chris Hart, who owns a home décor and gift store in Thomasville with his wife.
He said businesses can’t function in communities ravaged by coronavirus.
“If we don’t beat the virus, we simply can’t open the economy safely,” Hart said. “We’re going to need bold action from Congress to ensure our businesses can survive.”
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (left) and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (right, with Gov. Brian Kemp) are battling on the Republican side in a heated Senate race. (Photos by Beau Evans)
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., released a campaign ad Friday attacking Republican opponent U.S. Rep. Doug Collins’ record as a former criminal defense attorney, highlighting a growing focus on law enforcement issues in the race for her seat.
Campaign staffers for Collins, a four-term congressman and preacher who is vying to unseat Loeffler, slammed the ad as an example of elitism by the billionaire Loeffler and questioned her grasp of the criminal justice process.
The ad points out Collins’ stint as a defense attorney in Gainesville before joining Congress, noting that his firm Collins and Csider took on several clients facing gang, drug trafficking and assault charges.
Those were all court-appointed to Collins’ firm because they were indigent, his campaign explained. The campaign also said Collins did not represent any of the clients himself.
Even so, Loeffler’s campaign called the criminal clientele at odds with Collins’ conservative image as she seeks to cast herself as a law-and-order candidate opposed to defunding police agencies and the Black Lives Matter protest movement.
“Now, Doug Collins is a career politician who pretends to be a rock-solid law and order conservative,” said Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea. “He talks a good game on TV, but his dangerous record tells another story.”
Collins’s campaign punched back quickly with scoffs at Loeffler’s penchant for using a private jet to travel and insider-trading accusations that have dogged her for months. Campaign spokesman Dan McLagan said Loeffler’s wealth has left her out of touch with the workings of criminal courts.
“Poor people in Kelly’s world of mansions and private jets do not deserve representation in court,” McLagan said. “Accusation equals conviction if your bank balance does not have enough zeroes in it.”
Loeffler, a Buckhead businesswoman whose husband’s company owns the New York Stock Exchange, has pumped $15 million of her own money into her campaign – by far the heftiest bank account in the race.
But Collins’ campaign has trumpeted his recent outraising of Loeffler by about $400,000 in donations since April, which supporters say shows his clout with grassroots conservatives.
Meanwhile, the campaign for Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic front-runner in the race who is senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has touted reeling in more donations – nearly $3 million – than both Loeffler and Collins combined in recent months.
Lately, Collins has run several social-media videos attempting to tie Loeffler to the nonprofit Planned Parenthood, due to backing the birth-control group receives from the Women’s National Basketball Association. Loeffler co-owns a WNBA team in Atlanta.
But Loeffler has sought to flip her WNBA ties to her advantage by recently castigating the league’s decision to broadcast Black Lives Matter-related slogans on players’ uniforms. Loeffler called the outcry over stance against the uniform design as evidence of “cancel culture” trying to silence her views.
The race for Loeffler’s seat has drawn a field of 21 candidates in a special election to fill the remainder of former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term. Isakson retired at the end of last year, prompting Gov. Brian Kemp to tap Loeffler to hold the seat until the election.
The Nov. 3 election is an open election, meaning candidates from all parties will be on the same ballot. A runoff between the top two finishers will be held in January if no candidate gains a simple majority.
