Taxpayer dollars at work: What your U.S. senators from Georgia are doing for the week ending July 7

This summer, GPB News Democracy intern Ambria Burton is following the activities of U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

Each week on Fridays, we'll run down a list of activities that follow your dollars back to communities in Georgia.

This week's activity was cut short in observance of the Fourth of July on Tuesday. Still, Ossoff and Warnock were in Georgia and made appearances in Savannah and Macon to address issues concerning antisemitic protests, affordable insulin, and aviation investments and also delivered resources to the city of Augusta and Hancock County to improve early childhood education.

Macon unity rally against antisemitic protests

After several antisemitic demonstrations took place last week in various communities in the state, Ossoff, Georgia's first Jewish U.S. senator, appeared at a Macon rally addressing antisemitism. 

He discussed his experiences learning from his Holocaust survivor family members on antisemitism and "the importance of speaking out against all symbols of hate and murder," according to a July 2 press release.

"As we react in this beautiful, united, and determined way to what happened last weekend, it's painful but important to remember that the swastika is not merely a symbol of hate — hate is an idea or a feeling — the swastika is a symbol of massacre, slavery, medical experimentation, extermination and genocide," Ossoff said at the rally.

Savannah visit for affordable insulin and aviation investments

Warnock visited Savannah at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital to promote his work on affordable insulin and investments in Georgia's aviation industry.

Per a July 5 press release, Warnock briefed Georgians on his aviation workforce development legislation and "examined progress on federally funded projects at Savannah's airport."  

Earlier this year, Warnock introduced new legislation that would cap the cost of insulin to $35 per month. While at Candler Hospital, Warnock listened to health care providers and insulin-using patients on the high insulin prices and why Congress should expand the Medicare cost cap.

On insulin, Warnock said: "Insulin is not a partisan issue, it's a health care issue. There are some 20 states that now cap the cost of insulin, blue states and red states. And I'm hopeful that we could come together and get this done at the federal level."

Early childhood education

Ossoff is delivering resources to the city of Augusta and Hancock County to improve early childhood education in those areas. 

The senator will have resources delivered to the Head Start Programs of the Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority Inc. in Augusta and Hancock County's Early Head Start. Head Start programs, as stated in a July 6th press release, "help Georgia families access early childhood education and developmental programs and give kids the opportunities to learn and grow."

The resources will provide services that help children strengthen their cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Ossoff, with Congressional bipartisan support, secured $14.9 million for CSRA's Head Start Program and $2.5 million for Hancock County's Head Start Program. The grants for both programs are under the Head Start Projects program and originate from last year's government funding package.