Georgia’s two new U.S. senators have a lot on their plate these days as they set up their offices and prepare for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. But both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock say their No. 1 priority is getting a new round of COVID-19 relief through Congress.
Landing more aid for Georgia families and local governments was a big focus on the campaign trail, and both senators have stressed to colleagues that they want to make good on their promises to constituents right away. They are encouraging fellow Democrats to move as fast as they can and get as much money as they can to families and local governments.
“I am committed to getting the people of this country the aid that they need,” Warnock said Tuesday. “I think that we want to see how we can get as much aid to as many people as quickly possible.”
Both senators campaigned on a promise of increasing the payments to $2,000 per person. President Joe Biden proposed a new round of $1,400 checks that would reach that goal when added to the $600 that lawmakers approved in December. A new Republican proposal calls for $1,000 checks but limits the number of families that would qualify.
In addition to supporting another round of stimulus checks to families and money to increase vaccine production and distribution, Ossoff also wants to ensure that midsize and small municipalities qualify for federal dollars.
“I’m working with colleagues to urge that the upcoming bill includes funding that will go directly to Savannah, Rome, Augusta, Columbus, Milledgeville, Thomasville and counties who didn’t get the kind of direct aid they needed in the last package,” he said.
Processwise, both senators said they are more worried about speed than gaining the support of Republican colleagues.
“The people are with us,” Ossoff said. “We need to go big and bold and fast to deliver the economic relief that people need. If anything, more ambitious fiscal stimulus is warranted.”
Warnock expressed support for the budget reconciliation process that will be used to push through a new round of COVID-19 relief in a manner that cannot be blocked by Senate Republicans. The Senate approved its budget bill Tuesday afternoon, and the House was expected to follow suit as early as Wednesday.
That will begin the process of ironing out the bill’s details before final passage in the coming weeks. Lawmakers from both parties will be allowed to suggest changes in the form of amendments, but Democrats have a majority in each chamber. That means a bill can get to Biden’s desk even if every Republican in Congress objects.
“It still leaves open the possibility of a bipartisan effort,” Warnock said. “So, I think the onus is on the Republicans to demonstrate that they are focused on the American people and not on the politics.”
Meanwhile, both senators still have to prepare for the impeachment trial that starts next week.
Most of their colleagues have already experienced the grueling days and intense scrutiny that comes with charging a president with “high crimes and misdemeanors.” They went through it with Trump last year, and about one-fourth were also in Congress when President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998.
The timing of Trump’s second trial adds another layer of difficulty for Ossoff, Warnock and a few other new senators. It will take place during the crucial first days of their terms as they are also trying to adjust to the ways of the Senate. Warnock, Ossoff and other freshmen are still working out of temporary office space.
These lawmakers just learned their committee assignments Tuesday. Ossoff will serve on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees; Warnock was placed on Agriculture and Commerce. Both will serve on the Banking Committee.
Staff hires are ongoing. While Warnock hired Capitol Hill veterans to serve as his communications director, legislative director and chief of staff, Ossoff is still vetting candidates for his top jobs. His only announced hire so far is that campaign spokesman Jake Best followed him to Washington.
Ossoff posted an ad in The New York Times and a bulletin for congressional staffers looking for an experienced chief of staff.
He does have a bit of a leg up because he has worked in Washington before. Ossoff spent a summer as a Capitol Hill intern for U.S. Rep. John Lewis. After he graduated from college, he worked as a legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson.
Warnock, whose day job is pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has said his experience in Washington is limited. During his last visit to Capitol Hill prior to his swearing-in, he was arrested in a Senate office building along with other clergy during a protest over health care.
Senators are preparing to serve as jurors and weigh evidence in a trial that could last several days or several weeks. Their votes will help determine whether Trump is allowed to ever run for office again.
During the legal proceedings, the rules are stringent. No snacks are allowed on the Senate floor, and only approved beverages such as water and milk can be consumed. Members can leave their seats to take quick breaks, but long absences are frowned upon.
Both Ossoff and Warnock said they are open-minded and want to hear all the evidence before deciding whether Trump is guilty of “incitement of insurrection” tied to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Coincidentally, that was the same day it became clear both men had won their runoffs and flipped the Senate to Democratic control.
They were sworn in on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, and participated in their first votes that evening, confirming Biden’s choice for director of national intelligence.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, said he has chatted a bit with his new colleagues, and if they were to ask him about preparing for the trial, he would outline three steps.
“First, to keep an open mind, read historical precedent,” he said last week. “Second, get a lot of sleep in advance so that you can stay focused. And third: Clear your calendar.”
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Democrats took the first step on Tuesday to push through President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, using a budgetary maneuver that could eventually allow the measure to become law without Republican support. A3
President Donald Trump’s impeachment is set to start Tuesday. Briefs filed Tuesday offer a preview of how the two sides will present their cases next week. Axx
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