Georgia Republicans in Congress stick with Trump and his policies

“I’m flying back to Washington on Monday, and I am going in there and ripping some people apart,” she said during the 14th Congressional District GOP convention in Paulding County, where she delivered a keynote speech. “And it’s not because Marjorie is not working with Republicans. It’s because Marjorie ran for Congress the first time to hold Republicans in Congress accountable to the American people’s agenda. And it’s not the Republicans in Washington’s agenda — it’s Donald John Trump’s MAGA America First agenda.”

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

But national polls show Americans are not happy with how Trump’s agenda is playing out. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will release the results of an exclusive poll of Georgia voters on Wednesday.

If Trump’s popularity continues to slip, it could create a gloomy outlook for Republicans in the midterms, where, historically, the party occupying the White House loses seats in Congress. That matters less to the nine members of Georgia’s congressional delegation who represent “safe” GOP districts where it would be difficult for a Democrat to win in a general election.

Still, Democrats have been sounding the alarm on Trump and using Republicans’ support for his policies against them in hopes of gaining seats in Congress in 2026. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Atlanta, who is considered the most vulnerable Senate Democrat on the midterm ballot, has often framed his reelection as part of the resistance to Trump.

“Georgia will bow to no king,” Ossoff said at the end of a speech during his rally in March that served as an unofficial campaign kickoff.

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

There have been Republicans from other states, often representing swing districts, who have expressed concerns particularly when it comes to the Department of Government Efficiency, the budget-slashing initiative known as DOGE, and the president’s shifting message on tariffs. But not so for Georgia GOP lawmakers. Even those who, in the past, were considered mainstream Republicans have remained in lockstep with Trump.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, told constituents in an email over the weekend that Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on foreign goods would be a boon to Georgia industries. He said shrimpers in his southeast Georgia district have been harmed by foreign competitors who undercut them on prices.

“These are the kinds of inequities that President Trump is seeking to address through his tariff policies, and we are already seeing results from his America First leadership,” Carter wrote. “For the first time in a long time, domestic shrimpers are able to compete on a level playing field, and with a superior product, this vital industry for our coast is stronger than ever.”

Others, like U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, have framed some of Trump’s controversies in a positive light. Loudermilk, a Cassville Republican, recently said on 11Alive’s “The Georgia Vote” program that he supports DOGE because he believes the federal government should have the ability to fire workers who are underperforming.

When asked whether he believed the cuts to Veterans Affairs that could reach up to 25% of the department’s workforce represented only “bad apples,” Loudermilk was circumspect.

He expressed confidence in VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former Georgia congressman, and said the department had a history of performance issues. He said any cuts should be measured and ensure they improve the way government operates.

“You have to look at it from an efficiency standpoint,” Loudermilk said. “And that’s something that the federal government hasn’t done before: looking at everything from what is the value you’re getting out of the dollar?”

In the rare case of a public split with Trump, lawmakers have focused on the process and not the policy.

That was the case when U.S. Reps. Andrew Clyde and Rich McCormick joined a handful of lawmakers who hesitated to oppose Senate-passed legislation allowing Congress to move forward with the reconciliation package championed by Trump. It is likely to include more spending on national defense and border security while also extending tax cuts and reducing federal spending in other areas.

After the vote was delayed for a day, both Clyde, R-Athens, and McCormick, R-Suwanee, voted in favor of the measure. Clyde, who had initially complained that the legislation did not guarantee $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal spending, said after the vote that his beef was with fellow conservatives in Congress and not Trump.

“As a fiscal hawk, I will hold both my House and Senate colleagues accountable in delivering on this promise,” Clyde said in a statement explaining his change of heart. “After all, we can — and must — achieve President Trump’s America First agenda in a fiscally responsible manner.”