FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011

Contact: Eric Gray
Communications Director
(678) 278-2108
[email protected]

Jack Kingston Shirks Leadership
Admits Savannah Port project will create jobs; refuses to ask for funding.

Savannah – Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA) has admitted that deepening the Port of Savannah will result in massive economic activity for the state of Georgia and create a wealth of jobs, but refuses to ask Congress to fund the project.

“This is a project which creates jobs, it does have bipartisan support… for every dollar you spend, there’s a four and a half dollar return,” said Kingston in a CSPAN interview last week. However, Kingston has followed orders from republicans in Washington DC and declined multiple times to request federal funding.

Both parties acknowledge that deepening the Port of Savannah is a critical part of Georgia’s future success, and Kingston is in a unique position to make this project happen; he sits on the appropriations committee, is a member of the republican majority in the House of Representatives, and the port lies in his own congressional district.

“Kingston is shirking his leadership responsibilities,” said Mike Berlon, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “He is choosing Washington DC republicans over the working class households in his own district. He promises to fight for Georgia’s future every election year, but where is he now when Georgia needs him?”

Rep. Kingston’s interview on CSPAN can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zZ9teGFIKTg