Taxpayer dollars at work: Warnock visits CDC, Ossoff protecting election workers

Caption

Sen. Warnock pictured on June 28, 2024, during his first visit with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Credit: CDC

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. But 2024 is off to a busy start for both senators. In this recurring digital news series, GPB follows your federal tax dollars back to the state of Georgia each week.

For the week ending July 5, 2024, Warnock and Ossoff worked on protecting election workers ahead of this year's elections, visiting the CDC to discuss maternal mortality and federal funding's impact on public health, improving affordable housing in rural areas, and helping Georgia farmers export more pecans.

CDC visit

On June 28, Warnock visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for the first time as a senator.

The visit was for Warnock to learn about the agency’s work to protect public health, including combating maternal mortality, and how federal funding contributes to keeping people safe from diseases.

During his visit, Warnock:

• Met with CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen to discuss their “shared commitment” in protecting the health of Georgians and Americans;
• Met with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry to learn about CDC’s “readiness and response efforts for public health crises globally, efforts to combat maternal mortality;
• Toured the Insectary, where researchers study mosquito-borne diseases;
• Toured the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center, “a location for public health experts to monitor public health threats.”

Per a press release, Warnock “was particularly interested in mutual efforts to curb maternal mortality and support healthy women, mothers, and families.” The CDC has a few programs focused on maternal mortality prevention, including the Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) and the Hear Her Campaign.

Transportation infrastructure

On July 1, Warnock and Ossoff announced they secured $30 million in federal funding for transportation infrastructure to seven Georgia localities.

The funding will help fund projects across Georgia “aimed at upgrading sidewalks, installing new street lighting and signage, creating buffered cycling lanes, upgrading stormwater drainage, and funding critical planning phases for future projects,” per a press release.

The localities receiving funding are the following:

• Atlanta: $16 million; New sidewalks, buffered cycling lanes, sidewalk improvements, disability bus stop enhancements, lighting, and stormwater updates along Johnson Road, West Marietta Street, Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, Brady Avenue and 10th Street;

• Augusta: $1.7 million; Reimagining the Broad Street Transfer Facility;

• Camden County: $750,000; Camden County Joint Comprehensive Transportation Plan;

• Decatur:  $1.87 million; Reconnecting Scott Boulevard Complete Street Plan;

• Dublin: $1.5 million; Connect Dublin Multimodal and Streetscape Plan;

• Fairborn: $1,008,000; Warehousing and Distribution Center Community Safety Improvements;

• Lafayette:  $6,273,803; Upgrades along Villanow Street between Chattanooga Street and Duke Street.

Job training opportunities

On July 1, Ossoff announced that he, alongside Sens. Warnock and Mike Braun (R-IN), helped introduce bipartisan legislation to improve job training and skills programs at community and technical colleges.

The Pathways to Prosperity Act improves and expands the Strengthening Community Colleges Grant Program, a federal program that provides grants to community and technical colleges “to support partnerships between colleges and employers,” per a press release.

The partnerships intend to connect community and technical college workforce development programs to meet local workforce needs.

Rural housing

On July 1, Warnock announced his support for bipartisan legislation to improve federal rural housing programs and the amount of affordable housing for low-income Georgia in rural areas.

The Rural Housing Service Reform Act would apply changes to the USDA’s Rural Housing Service. This federal program provides grants, loans, and loan guarantees to build, fix, and buy housing and community facilities in rural areas.

According to a press release, the facilities include:

• Single and multi-family housing;
• Hospitals;
• Schools;
• Libraries;
• Child care centers;
• Nursing Homes;
• Housing for farm laborers;
• Police and fire stations;
• Vehicles and equipment for first responders.

“Our rural communities too often lack adequate access to housing and economic opportunity, so I’m fiercely committed to working in Washington to reverse that trend in Georgia,” Warnock said in a statement. "I am proud to join hands across the aisle to ensure aid that will flow to some of our most underserved rural communities. Georgians deserve to live in dignity with a roof over their heads."

Election workers

On July 2, Ossoff launched an inquiry with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to guarantee they are taking the proper steps to protect election workers and the administration of elections are well organized ahead of this year’s elections.

The inquiry comes after a Brennan Center survey of election officials from May reported that 38% of election officials experienced harassment or abuse in their role and have had a rise of concerns over their physical safety in the last year.

Ossoff is requesting “the federal agencies detail their processes for receiving and responding to threats, steps they are taking to ensure staffing needs are met, and how they plan to enforce existing laws to protect election workers,” per a press release.

“Protecting the integrity of our elections depends on protecting those who run them,” Ossoff wrote in the inquiry. “Yet over the last several years, election workers in Georgia and across the country have reported increased intimidation, harassment, and threats of violence.”

Georgia pecans

On July 3, Ossoff and Warnock announced that, via an inquiry, they are pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help Georgia farmers export more pecans.

According to a press release, the senators are “urging the USDA to provide adequate promotional resources for marketing Georgia pecans to the global market.”

According to USDA data, more than half of all pecan exports have been to only two countries since 2019.

The inquiry comes after the USDA announced the first portion of funding under the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which aims at increasing U.S. exports to new markets.

“According to USDA, RAPP is intended to build demand for American agricultural exports in high-potential markets around the globe,” the senators wrote. “Therefore, we were disappointed to see the U.S. pecan industry receive a woefully inadequate allocation under this program.”

“We urge you to give the fullest consideration to products like pecans, which have enormous potential to support the growth of American agricultural exports to countries around the world,” the senators continued.

In other news

On June 28, Ossoff shared that, in partnership with Girl Scouts, he hosted a roundtable with child advocacy and educational leaders in Savannah.

Also on June 28, Warnock wrote a letter to the Sundance Institute asking it to consider Georgia’s three cities applying to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. He explained to Deadline Hollywood why Sundance should consider a Georgia location.

On the weekend of June 29 through June 30, Ossoff attended the American Legion Department of Georgia's Annual Convention to show his appreciation to Georgia veterans.

On the Fourth of July, Warnock participated in the annual AJC Peachtree Road Race.

He also encouraged Georgians to have a safe and fun Fourth of July weekend.