With Georgia Facing Drastic Budget Cuts in a Public Health Crisis, Will GOP Senate Contenders Stand up to McConnell and his “Bankruptcy” Stance?

Georgia GOP still silent on McConnell’s comments that states should “use the bankruptcy route” with essential services on the line

ATLANTA — As state agencies begin to roll out their plans for “more than $3.5 billion in cuts to essential services that Georgians rely on” as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Georgia’s Republican Senate contenders remain silent on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comments that states should have “an option” to just “use the bankruptcy route” instead of supporting needed federal relief for state and local governments.

These latest proposed budget cuts are so drastic that they could force the Department of Public Health to “furlough epidemiologists…and reduce funding to county health departments” in the middle of a pandemic. And as Georgia reaches record levels of unemployment, these potential cutbacks could throw even more Georgians out of their jobs — including teachers and workers within the state education system, which would see “the largest cut.”

But where are Republicans Senate candidates in this budget crisis? Senator David Perdue has already proclaimed that “we don’t want to bail out” states, and earlier this month even joined a conference call hosted by his Koch network backers that called for rejecting “handouts” for state governments. Senator Kelly Loeffler, meanwhile, has already pledged to stand behind McConnell and Republican leadership “100%,” while her opponent, Congressman Doug Collins, has dismissed the need for more aid to state and local governments.

Now, with 200,000 Georgia public employees on the line and the state already facing “the worst fiscal crisis…since the Great Recession” before this outbreak, Georgia’s Republican Senate contenders continue to be more focused on scoring points with Washington Republicans than looking out for Georgia families.

“Cutting public health budgets and throwing workers out of a job is the last thing we should be doing in the middle of an economic and public health crisis. But Republicans would clearly rather play political games with Georgia’s budget than denounce Mitch McConnell’s reckless ‘bankruptcy’ rhetoric and help bring needed federal relief back to Georgia,” said Alex Floyd, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia. 

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