Taxpayer dollars at work: Foreign threats to U.S. elections, prescription costs, organized crime

Caption

Georgia U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock (left) and Jon Ossoff (right).

Credit: Screenshots

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 Jan. 17, the senators worked on questioning CIA Director nominee John L. Ratcliffe about protecting U.S. elections from foreign threats, addressing the negative impacts of cutting Medicaid to senior access to prescription, supporting an amendment to improve the Laken Riley Act, and inquire about mail delays affecting veterans.

Disability resources

On Jan. 6, Ossoff's bipartisan legislation, which he introduced last year with Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to build a website containing information for Georgians with disabilities, was signed into law.

Per a press release, the Think Differently Database Act "will help ensure that individuals with disabilities and their caregivers can find the services and support available in their state to live, learn, participate, and thrive in their communities."

Organized crime

On Jan. 8, Ossoff announced he is launching an inquiry to help protect Georgia businesses from organized crime retail theft.

Per a press release, Ossoff “urged the Department of Justice to strengthen investigations and stop organized retail theft.”

The inquiry comes after a May Congressional Research Service report shared that the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System doesn’t collect data on theft, separating organized retail theft from other theft types.

According to the release, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and Buy Safe America Coalition reported that Georgia businesses are estimated to lose more than $3 billion annually to organized retail theft.

“To effectively fight [organized retail crime], we must understand its scope and impact,” Ossoff wrote in the inquiry. “Therefore, I request information regarding the Department of Justice’s efforts to identify, evaluate the impacts of, and stop ORC.”

Veteran mail delays

On Jan. 10, Ossoff launched an inquiry with U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after receiving reports from Georgians that their prescriptions were coming in the mail late and that veterans were receiving Veterans Affairs appointment notices after the appointment dates.

“In addition to issues with receiving prescription medications over the mail, I have heard from constituents that notices for Veterans Affairs claim exams are not being delivered in a timely manner,” Ossoff wrote in the inquiry to DeJoy. “These notices with time-sensitive information, such as appointment information, must be delivered on time.”

“Access to medical information in a timely manner is vital for the well-being and health of all veterans who have served our nation,” Ossoff continued. “I urge you to investigate these issues specific to veterans’ health care."

Expanding DeKalb EV charging

On Jan. 10, Ossoff and Warnock, with U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, announced they are delivering $2.8 million to DeKalb County government to build more electric vehicle charging stations.

The funding comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program.

“This latest investment will help more Georgians around our state find charging ports when and where users need them,” Warnock said in a statement. “I believe we are called to be good stewards of our planet and its resources, and I will continue to do all I can in the U.S. Senate to support common sense solutions that will benefit both our ecology and our economy.”

FBI investigations

On Jan. 13, Ossoff and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) launched a bipartisan inquiry with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and then-FBI Director Christopher Wray to urge them to address the understaffing of positions meant to target reported child abuse and exploitation.

Per a press release, the inquiry “comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a new report last August of the FBI’s handling of tips of hands-on sex offenses against children, including a review of FBI case files for hundreds of incidents involving hands-on sex offenses against a child.”

The senators launched an inquiry into the matter in September 2023, but they did not receive a response from the Department of Justice.

“More than a year ago, Senator Blackburn and I wrote to express concern about reports of chronic understaffing among the FBI field office teams responsible for processing and investigating allegations of child sexual abuse,” the senators wrote. “These shortages reportedly force staff to manage heavy caseloads, allowing them insufficient time and resources to thoroughly investigate and respond to the numerous cases that come before them.”

The senators are requesting information about the resources used for crimes against children and information on any improvements made since the OIG report was released.

Rail crossings

On Jan. 14, Warnock and Ossoff announced that they are delivering resources under the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, made possible under the bipartisan infrastructure law, to improve rail safety and eliminate blocked crossings.

Per a press release, “these federal investments will help advance key projects in Atlanta, Cornelia, Powder Springs, and Gainesville aimed at enhancing safety, reducing traffic delays, and improving accessibility for Georgia families.”

Foreign threats to U.S. elections

On Jan. 15, Ossoff questioned then-President-elect Trump's nominee for CIA Director, John L. Ratcliffe, about protecting American elections from foreign threats.

The threats alluded to the bomb threats several Georgia polling locations faced in the 2024 election on Election Day, which Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said came from Russian actors.

Per a press release, Ossoff asked Ratcliffe "for an assurance that the CIA will sustain intelligence collection to identify threats to voting rights and election administration in the United States, which he did."

"I want to begin with a matter of impacts Georgia on Election Day 2024," Ossoff said at the hearing. "There were a series of bomb threats issued against polling places in DeKalb County, Ga., principally predominantly Black, predominantly Democratic-leaning precincts, that disrupted election operations and the ability of folks to vote in the afternoon on Election Day.

"Our state election officials attributed those threats to Russian actors. What assurance can you give my constituents in Georgia that the CIA will sustain collection to identify threats to voting rights and election administration in the United States?"

Elder prescription costs

On Jan. 15, Warnock highlighted his efforts to reduce prescription drug costs for senior citizens last year at the first Senate Aging Committee hearing of the 119th Congress to help improve access to health care.

According to a press release, Warnock “also addressed how Republican-proposed cuts to Medicaid could negatively impact home-and-community-based services.”

“Medicaid provides coverage for home and community-based services that allow older adults and people with disabilities to receive the care that they need from the comfort of their home without going broke paying for it,” Warnock said during the hearing.

Laken Riley Act

On Jan. 16, Warnock co-sponsored an amendment Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced to strengthen the Laken Riley Act.

The amendment would help enforce policies that would have prevented Laken Riley’s death while also improving law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe from violent criminals, per a press release.

“Laken Riley should be alive today,” Warnock said in a statement. “This amendment preserves provisions that would have prevented Laken Riley’s death while strengthening law enforcement’s ability to remove heinous criminals like Jose Ibarra from our communities. At the end of the day, bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform is the best way to fix our broken immigration system and keep our families safe. That should always be our north star.” 

As outlined in the press release, the amendment would do the following:

• Prioritize removing dangerous criminals from Georgia’s communities;
• Require mandatory detention for undocumented noncitizens convicted of a crime resulting in serious bodily injury, burglary, theft, or larceny;
• Detain noncitizens who have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense and fail to appear in court, which would have covered crimes committed by Jose Ibarra and could have prevented the death of Laken Riley; and
• Protect children from mandatory detention.

Read more on the amendment's provisions here.