Taxpayer dollars at work: National IV shortage; post-hurricane funding; hazardous chemicals oversight

Caption

Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff pictured greeting a family during an Oct. 2 trip to Augusta to meet and distribute food to families affected by Hurricane Helene.

Credit: Ossoff's Office/X

Note: In this recurring digital news series, GPB follows your federal tax dollars back to the state of Georgia each week. Neither Sen. Jon Ossoff nor Sen. Raphael Warnock is up for reelection this year — the former will run again in 2026 and the latter in 2028. 

For the week ending Oct. 18, the senators worked on urging the Biden administration to help Georgia amid the national IV shortage after Hurricane Helene, improving federal oversight of manufacturing facilities storing hazardous chemicals after the BioLab plant fire in Conyers, requesting Congress cover the costs for Hurricane Helene clean-up and recovery, and passing legislation cracking down on contraband in U.S. federal prisons.

BioLab chemicals

On Oct. 9, Warnock led a bicameral push to urge the Environmental Protection Agency to improve the federal oversight of facilities manufacturing or storing hazardous chemicals in the wake of the recent BioLab plant incident in Conyers, Ga.

Warnock, along with Ossoff, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), and joined by U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-GA-13), Lucy McBath (D-GA-07), and Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan to request the agency "to enhance federal oversight of facilities that manufacture and/or store the hazardous chemical Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (TCCA), which is at the heart of the incident at the BioLab plant in Conyers," per a press release.

"We are concerned that facilities like BioLab Conyers, which manufacture and/or store TCCA, are improperly managing these substances," the lawmakers wrote. "When not handled correctly, these chemicals can contaminate local air, water, and soil, posing severe public health risks which include respiratory issues, skin irritations, and long-term conditions like lung and heart disease."

The lawmakers are also asking the EPA to add TCAA to the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program (RMP), which would allow federal and state agencies to create more safety protocols and standards for facilities using the chemicals.

Prison contraband

On Oct. 10, Ossoff announced the U.S. Senate passed his bipartisan legislation, which would help crack down on contraband and crime in U.S. federal prisons.

According to a press release, the Lt. Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act would crack down "on the smuggling of contraband cellphones into federal prisons by upgrading the charge of smuggling of a contraband cellphone into a Federal prison from a misdemeanor offense to a felony."

The legislation honors Lt. Osvaldo Albarati, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officer who was murdered in 2013 after a shift at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Guaynabo in Puerto Rico. An inmate had placed a hit on him for continuously seizing contraband, including cellphones.

"My bipartisan investigations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the federal prison system have revealed systemic challenges that allow for the dangerous flow of contraband, which is a threat to safety and security," Ossoff said in a statement. "Bringing Republicans and Democrats together, we've passed our bipartisan bill to strengthen penalties for smuggling contraband into federal prisons."

Ossoff worked on the legislation with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and his co-sponsors Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Ted Cruz (R-TX). The legislation is now headed for the U.S. House Of Representatives.

High-speed internet

On Oct. 16, Ossoff announced that he is delivering $1.3 billion under the bipartisan infrastructure law's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to expand high-speed internet throughout Georgia.

Per a press release, the investment "will be administered and deployed through the State of Georgia with a particular goal of bringing broadband internet to rural and underserved communities that are lacking this essential connectivity."

"Our historic bipartisan infrastructure law continues to deliver for Georgia," Ossoff said in a statement. "Last year, we announced this $1.3 billion in federal funding to surge broadband connectivity across our state, and today's announcement is a major next step toward ensuring every Georgia family and business has high-speed Internet."

Disaster funding

On Oct. 16, Warnock led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the White House to submit a government funding request via letter to Congress that will cover the costs for the cleanup and recovery following hurricanes Helene and Milton to help affected communities begin to heal.

Per a press release, Warnock, along with Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ted Budd (R-NC), "requested the White House Office of Management and Budget to rapidly submit a detailed supplemental government funding request to Congress that considers the full cost of recovering from these storms so Congress can quickly pass aid for American families."

"We urgently request the White House's Office of Management and Budget rapidly submit to Congress a detailed supplemental appropriations request that considers the full cost of recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as other devastating natural disasters, so Congress can quickly consider supplemental appropriations this year, and affected communities can begin to heal," the senators wrote.

"Given the immense need, we respectfully ask that the Office of Management and Budget work quickly to determine the costs of recovering from Hurricane Helene and Milton and immediately submit a supplemental appropriations request to Congress that includes this full cost. Congress stands ready to ensure the federal government and our communities have what they need to recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and future natural disasters," concluded the lawmakers.

Mental health, substance abuse, and opioid treatment

On Oct. 17, Ossoff shared that he is delivering $7.2 million in federal resources to Community Health Centers throughout Georgia under the Health Resources Services Administration to improve access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Per a press release, the funding will help establish and grow local programs helping those struggling with their mental health or substance use.

"I hear consistently from local leaders, health leaders, and faith leaders across the state about the need for a stronger safety net for mental health as well as investment in substance abuse prevention and treatment," Ossoff said in a statement. "I'm pleased to announce that with bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats, I've helped secure supplemental investments coming to Georgia to support mental health and substance abuse treatment."

The funding will be delivered to the following community health centers:

Atlanta/Northwest Georgia:

Augusta/Eastern Georgia:

Macon/Middle Georgia:

Savannah/Coastal Georgia:

On Oct. 18, Ossoff shared that he is also delivering $2.25 million in federal funding to rural health centers under HRSA to help those struggling with substance abuse.

Per a press release, the funding will help "improve access to treatment and recovery services, strengthen the behavioral workforce, and help coordinate social services in rural Georgia. 

"Like so many Georgians, I've lost friends to the opioid epidemic," Ossoff said via statement. "These resources, which I've secured with bipartisan support, will fund efforts to prevent and treat addiction, save lives, and help address the opioid crisis."

The following health centers will receive funding: 

IV shortage

On Oct. 18, Ossoff launched an inquiry urging the Biden administration to help Georgia's hospitals and dialysis centers, which were facing a national IV fluid shortage in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

The shortage came after Baxter International's factory in North Carolina, one of the country's largest suppliers of IV fluids, shut down after severe damage.

According to a FOX5 Atlanta report, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's most recent delivery had only 40% of its regular supply.

"In Georgia, hospitals are canceling non-emergency procedures and surgeries to conserve fluids," Ossoff wrote to President Biden. "I have heard many hospitals are down to a 7-day supply, and hospitals in southern Georgia are accepting patients from Florida in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which has increased the need for IV fluids. A prolonged shortage of IV and dialysis solutions would be disastrous for the health and safety of Georgians and would make it more difficult for medical professionals to provide care."