As Kemp Signs Budget Cutting Education by Nearly $1 Billion, Perdue Rails Against Relief for States

Perdue continues standing with McConnell to block needed federal relief for state governments even as GOP’s budget cuts education and public health in a pandemic

ATLANTA — The same day that Governor* Brian Kemp signed a devastating state budget featuring over $2 billion worth of cuts — including nearly $1 billion cut from education and millions cut from the state Department of Public Health — Senator David Perdue went on Fox News to rail against potential relief for states in the latest coronavirus response package.

Ever since Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed states should have “an option” to just “use the bankruptcy route” in the midst of this crisis, Perdue has stood right by his side to block needed federal relief for states struggling with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Perdue previously claimed that “we don’t want to bail out” states, and even joined a conference call hosted by his Koch network backers that called for rejecting “handouts” to state governments in this crisis.

Perdue already supported Republican efforts to block $150 billion for state and local governments from the last coronavirus relief bill. Yet even as Georgia faces devastating cuts to public education and public health at a time when the state is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases, Perdue still continues to put Washington Republican leaders over the needs of Georgia.

“Georgia is a crisis — but with the state cutting nearly $1 billion from public education and millions more from public health, Senator David Perdue is still standing behind Mitch McConnell to block needed federal relief for state and local governments,” said Alex Floyd, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Enough is enough. Georgia needs help, not more empty words from Perdue while he fails to stand up for our state and stands by Mitch McConnell to block relief we urgently need.”

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