Taxpayer dollars at work: Federal disaster assistance, port upgrades, Rivian plant

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. 

During the holiday week ending Nov. 29, the senators worked on introducing legislation to stop political discrimination in providing federal disaster assistance, providing infrastructure and security upgrades at the Port of Savannah, and announcing a conditional federal loan to help the Rivian electric vehicle plant restart construction.

Federal disaster assistance

On Nov. 25, Ossoff and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation to stop political discrimination in providing federal disaster assistance.

According to a press release, the Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act will "prohibit in federal law any political discrimination in the provision of federal disaster assistance."

"No American impacted by a natural disaster should ever, ever be denied assistance based on their political beliefs," Ossoff said in a statement.

The legislation's co-sponsors are Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Roger Marshall, MD (R-Kan.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Energy security

On Nov. 25, Warnock and Ossoff announced they are delivering over $49 million to the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) to improve Georgia’s port infrastructure and energy security.

Per a press release, the federal resources would allow the Port of Savannah “to create their own electric power distribution network at the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal, rather than having to rely on local energy sources.”

The funding for the Port of Savannah comes from the Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) under the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“These upgrades to the Port of Savannah will strengthen Georgia’s energy grid and support opportunity and prosperity in coastal Georgia and statewide,” Ossoff said in a statement.

“The investments we make in energy security today will help make our ports more resilient tomorrow,” Warnock said in a statement. "That is part of the reason I fought so hard to pass bills like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and ensure it included historic investments for Georgia’s ports. Sen. Ossoff and I will continue championing investments to keep Georgia’s ports strong."

Rivian plant

On Nov. 26, Ossoff announced that Rivian would receive about $6 billion through a conditional federal loan to restart the construction of its Georgia manufacturing electric vehicle plant, which paused this year.

The project is the second-largest economic development project in Georgia’s history.

According to a press release, Rivian and the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office will work to finalize the loan agreement.

“Our federal manufacturing incentives are driving economic development across the State of Georgia. I join all federal, state, and local leaders in congratulating Rivian on this conditional federal loan agreement and in celebrating yet another historic federal investment in Georgia electric vehicle manufacturing,” Ossoff said.

According to the Department of Energy and the Loan Programs Office, the project would support up to 2,000 full-time jobs under construction and about 7,500 operation jobs by 2030.