Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Georgia lieutenant governor proposes DOGE-inspired legislation.
- Some Republicans criticize the president’s Jan. 6th pardons.
- Snow snarls state lawmakers’ budget hearings.
President Donald Trump’s spree of executive orders last week is already reshaping Georgia policy. By Sunday, Georgians were starting to see the impact firsthand.
Federal authorities launched an “enhanced targeted” immigration enforcement operation in metro Atlanta, Cartersville and Savannah, the latest effort by Trump to carry out the mass deportations he promised on the campaign trail.
It was unclear how many were arrested during the operation in Georgia and beyond. Trump dispatched two top deputies to Chicago, the main focus of the long-promised immigration blitz.
“Promises made, promises kept,” said House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, who echoed other Republicans with praise of the crackdown. “Here in Georgia, we will always stand for legal immigration — and against illegal immigration.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
The actions had far-ranging ripple effects. Trump last week rescinded policies that kept federal immigration officials from making arrests in places such as churches and schools.
On Sunday, Pastor Luis Ortiz told the AJC at least one arrest was made outside a church in Tucker. And several school districts sent notes to parents assuring them the safety of students would be paramount.
Georgia Republicans are poised to aid the administration in its immigration crackdown. The state Senate today is scheduled to take the first procedural vote on Senate Bill 21, which would require all sheriffs and jailers to comply with detainer requests from federal immigration authorities.
Senior Democrats worried fear could spiral. State Rep. Sam Park of Lawrenceville, one of the Georgia House’s top Democrats, said the wave of arrests “are the result of Republican anti-immigrant fervor that prioritizes fear over solutions, harming families, communities and our economy.”
“While I support efforts to remove violent criminals,” Park added, “indiscriminately targeting hardworking immigrants who contribute to Georgia’s industries and local businesses only disrupts economic stability and tears families apart. Georgians deserve better.”
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Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
GOOD MORNING! It’s the sixth day of Georgia’s legislative session, and it’s back to reality at the state Capitol as lawmakers return to work with a full slate of committee hearings.
Here are three things to know for today:
- In eight years of AJC polling, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has ranged from a low of 37% in January 2018 to a high of 52% in January 2020, the AJC’s Isaac Sabetai reports. Trump starts his second term with a 46% approval rating among Georgia voters, per the latest AJC poll.
- The AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu writes about the different ways Georgians marked the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized abortion only to be overturned by another court decision in 2022.
- Revisit Trump’s inauguration last week through the lens of AJC photographer Arvin Temkar, who spent four days in Washington to document history.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
GEORGIA DOGE. Georgia lawmakers and statewide officials can’t raise money when the state Legislature is in session. But that doesn’t mean the campaigning stops.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones gave us another example of the never-ending political cycle — and a preview of his expected run for governor — when he announced new legislation to require state agencies to review their rules and regulations every four years.
The MAGA influence was even more clear in his news release: “Georgia Does DOGE.”
DOGE, of course, is the acronym for the Department of Government Efficiency, the nongovernmental advisory board aimed at cutting costs that President Donald Trump launched with billionaire Elon Musk at the helm.
It’s one of many recent examples of Jones aligning himself with the president. He vouched for Trump at rallies, hosted a town hall with him and professed his unerring support for his policies after he won the presidency.
Trump backed Jones for Georgia’s No. 2 job in 2022 and could endorse him again when he enters the race for governor. His main opponent, Attorney General Chris Carr, comes from the party’s more mainstream wing and isn’t close with the president.
Jones hinted that DOGE could just be a taste of more MAGA-inspired efforts this session.
“I look forward to Georgia leading the way and joining President Trump in reducing the size and scope of government, while promoting the growth of businesses across our state,” Jones said in a statement.
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Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Credit: Jose Luis Magana/AP
REPUBLICAN RIFT. Georgia Republicans were across the map over President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Some defended the act of clemency, others tried to deflect criticism by pointing out former President Joe Biden’s own controversial pardons. Two senior Republicans rebuked Trump’s attempt to erase the crimes of the pro-Trump mob four years ago.
“Anyone who harms a law enforcement officer should be held fully accountable for their actions,” Gov. Brian Kemp said, “and presidents should not issue blanket, preemptive pardons for their family members in the final minutes of their tenure.”
Likewise for Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, who said he doesn’t “like the idea of blanket pardons for family members or for anyone who assaulted law-enforcement officers.”
Carr and Kemp are among several prominent Republicans who voiced concerns. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told CNN she was “disappointed” by the pardons and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said they raise a “legitimate safety issue” on Capitol Hill.
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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
BUDGET CRUNCH. Hurricane Helene is taking a half-billion dollar bite out of this year’s budget, and Georgia lawmakers couldn’t even meet in person to talk about it last week because a snowstorm blanketed much of the state and kept them at home.
The snow — the second winter storm to hit Georgia in two weeks — was a reminder that the weather remains undefeated. It led to the cancellation of a series of joint budget hearings that likely will not be rescheduled. The public also lost valuable time to hear Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration explain and defend its spending decisions in a complicated multibillion-dollar budget. (The governor submitted his comments to lawmakers in writing).
Top Republicans in the House and Senate are working to revamp the schedule, but there are few good options given the tight timeline lawmakers face to pass a balanced budget during a 40-day session.
“You could say we’re like the Post Office,” House Appropriations Committee chair Matt Hatchett said. “We’ve got to get it done through rain, sleet, snow or hail.”
Budget staff have still been doing the thankless tasks of making sure the budget balances, including checking the math behind a request to give judges a pay raise. Lawmakers were working, too, it was just mostly through phone calls and Zoom meetings.
But what about public meetings? Senate Appropriations Committee chair Blake Tillery says those will still happen, it will just mostly be through the various budget subcommittees instead of the traditional joint hearings.
“You’ll probably see those be a little bit longer and a little more detailed than they normally were,” he said.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
AGRICULTURE COPS. You may have noticed more enforcement actions out of the Georgia Department of Agriculture recently. That’s likely because of a newly revived law enforcement function inside the department that was a top priority of Commissioner Tyler Harper when he came into office in 2023.
After federal and state approval, the department now has seven sworn law enforcement officers who deal with things such as animal cruelty, drug and labor trafficking, and enforcement of Georgia’s new hemp laws.
Last week, the department announced a raid of a South Georgia dog kennel, where agents seized 136 neglected dogs. After veterinary checks, the dogs are in the process of being sent to local rescue organizations for adoption.
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Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
AD WATCH. A new TV ad airing in Georgia and other key farming states is pressuring Republicans to push back on what it says is China’s plan to control the U.S. agricultural industry.
The ad is backed by a “five figure” buy from the Protecting America Initiative, which is run by Richard Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany who was briefly acting director of national intelligence during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The ad is airing on national cable channels like Fox News in Georgia, Idaho, Iowa and Missouri. The group wants Republican lawmakers to loosen regulations on companies that make agricultural products to prevent the U.S. food supply from being outsourced to China.
The ad also calls for a ban on “Chinese nationals from purchasing our land.” Georgia already does that. A state law bans people from buying farmland in Georgia if they are not a U.S. citizen or legal resident and are acting as an agent for a “foreign adversary.”
The federal government defines foreign adversary as anyone from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia. It also includes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro — but only him, not people from Venezuela.
Lots of other states, mostly the ones controlled by Republicans, have similar laws on the books that are driven by fears that China is buying up U.S. farmland in a plot to control the global food supply. Critics, including some Georgia Democrats, have said laws like this are discriminatory.
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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
TODAY UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s “100% Renewable Day” at the Capitol, sponsored by Georgia Conservation Voters.
Lawmakers’ schedule:
- 9 a.m.: House Game, Fish and Parks Committee.
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 1 p.m.: House Appropriations subcommittees on public safety, judicial and economic development.
- 2 p.m.: House Health Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
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Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
LISTEN UP. This is the last week you can hear Bill Nigut as co-host of the “Politically Georgia” podcast. The veteran journalist is retiring on Friday after a 40-year career.
In his farewell column, Nigut reminisced about the biggest moments from his career, including conducting the final interview with former President George H.W. Bush before the 1992 election that he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton.
The team has a busy week ahead. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the AJC’s Samantha Hogan discusses her investigation into deadly police force. And the AJC’s health reporter Ariel Hart joins the show.
Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE.
On Friday’s show, immigration attorney Charles Kuck talked about President Donald Trump’s policies. Then, the AJC’s Zachary Hansen discussed Trump’s executive order about electric vehicles.
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Credit: Ben Cutis/AP
Credit: Ben Cutis/AP
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Donald Trump will meet with U.S. House Republicans who are holding a retreat at his resort in Doral, Florida.
- The U.S. House is out this week while Republican members gather for their annual policy retreat.
- The Senate will consider more nominations, including Scott Bessent for treasury secretary.
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Credit: Rebecca Wright for the AJC
Credit: Rebecca Wright for the AJC
SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:
- Former Georgia state Rep. Gregg Kennard, R-Lawrenceville.
Belated birthday:
- State Rep. Karlton Howard, D-Augusta (was Sunday).
Transition:
- Jonathan Rodbell, co-founder of Atlanta Property Group, is the new chair of the local business group Buckhead Coalition. Rodell replaces outgoing chair Eric Tanenblatt, the global chair of public policy and regulation for the Dentons law firm. The Buckhead Coalition had opposed efforts to create a new city apart from Atlanta. Now it will focus on priorities like public safety, transportation and infrastructure within the wealthy neighborhood.
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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
