Democrats rebuke Kemp for turning down food aid for Georgia families in need

Georgia Democrats are turning up the heat on Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to opt out of a federal government program that helps lower-income families with school-age children pay for groceries.

Georgia is one of roughly a dozen states that didn’t join the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program which is designed to help struggling families during months when their children would otherwise get free or reduced price lunches at schools.

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Marietta and Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff are among the Democrats who have pressed Kemp to commit to the program for next summer ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

“It can be tough in the summertime when school’s out and suddenly there aren’t school meals anymore,” Ossoff told reporters Monday after addressing the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. “I’d urge that the governor accept these federal resources to help families across Georgia afford food in the summertime.”

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

McBath and state Sen. Jason Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat and the former chair of the Atlanta School Board, will hold an event today to urge Kemp to accept the funding.

Kemp spokesman Garrison Douglas said it was “disappointing that the Biden administration continues to ignore reasonable concerns surrounding the program’s lack of nutrition standards and fiscal sustainability.”

He pointed to other state-based programs, including the Department of Education’s “Seamless Summer Option,” designed to provide breakfast and lunch meals to needy students during the break.

***

BEARING DOWN. A judge ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s petition to appear on New York’s presidential ballot as an independent candidate is invalid. The decision could jeopardize his attempt to gain access to ballots in Georgia and other states.

The ruling by Judge Christina L. Ryba found Kennedy used a “sham” address in suburban New York to establish his residency. Georgia officials say he used the same address to petition to be on the state’s ballot.

It’s not immediately clear whether the ruling, which is likely to be appealed, would affect his candidacy here. Meanwhile, a separate legal challenge to Kennedy’s Georgia candidacy, along with other third-party candidates, remains active.

***

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

ATTACK MODE. Former President Donald Trump again went after a favorite target — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis — during an interview Monday with X owner Elon Musk.

When Musk brought up “lawfare” — a buzzword of conservatives who accuse Democrats of weaponizing the criminal justice system — Trump repeated conspiracy theories that his opponents used “local DAs, they use local attorneys generals, like Fani” to target him.

Willis is no stranger to broadsides from Trump and his allies ever since she opened the election interference investigation into Trump in February 2021.

Trump’s Georgia allies have pursued various ways to punish Willis and her office for seeking racketeering charges against Trump and 18 codefendants. Willis, meanwhile, has routinely said she’s simply upholding the law.

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

SHOTS FIRED. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — the Democratic vice presidential candidate — “bailed out on his unit” when he retired from the Army National Guard shortly before he was to be deployed to Iraq.

“Somebody else had to take his spot, somebody that was not planning on deploying,” said King, who retired as a major general from the National Guard after multiple overseas deployments. “They had less time to prepare his unit for combat. And I think that’s a disservice.”

King’s comments came during an interview with conservative radio host Erick Erickson last week during an annual conservative conference dubbed “The Gathering.”

Credit: Caroline Yang/The New York Times

Credit: Caroline Yang/The New York Times

Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, served 24 years in the Army National Guard in a variety of roles. Walz retired in May 2005 as he was preparing to run for Congress. A few months later, his unit was mobilized and eventually deployed to Iraq in March 2006.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has pushed back on criticisms of Walz’s military record, noting that while in Congress he chaired the Veterans Affairs Committee and was “a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform.”

***

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

WATER FIGHT. Citizen referendums are an ever-increasingly popular tool with residents seeking to veto local government legislation, particularly in southeast Georgia. A Camden County Commission decision regarding a proposed spaceport was repealed at the ballot box in 2022 and a controversial McIntosh County Commission zoning change is scheduled for a vote on Oct. 1.

The latest referendum front is in Bulloch County, where a citizens group launched a petition signature drive Monday. The Bulloch Action Coalition seeks 6,000 signees in hopes of triggering a pair of referendums meant to block the drilling of water wells related to Hyundai’s massive electric vehicle and battery plant being built in a neighboring county.

The group holds its first petition signing event tonight at a local high school. The drive is being held at the same time and in the same place that Georgia Environmental Protection Division officials are hearing public comments on draft permits that would allow the installation of the wells to go forward. Insider Adam Van Brimmer unpacks the details behind the petition drive in a story that published this morning.

The Bulloch County effort has renewed conversation among state lawmakers regarding the citizens’ veto-by-referendum powers. General Assembly members explored ways to limit citizen referendums ahead of the 2024 session, heeding warnings from the Georgia Supreme Court that activists could use referendums to overturn even mundane government acts, such as zoning decisions and taxation rates.

Legislators took no action, and the McIntosh and Bulloch initiatives are moving forward. Another referendum push, this one seeking to block the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, is in limbo as an appeals court has yet to issue a decision that could impact which signatures count based on when they were collected. Petitioners said they submitted more than 116,000 signatures, well above the 58,231 needed to trigger a referendum.

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

SEABAUGH CHARGES. More information has trickled out about the events surrounding Georgia House Rep. Devan Seabaugh’s recent arrest for drunk driving.

According to reporting by the Marietta Daily Journal, Seabaugh refused a field sobriety test after striking a cyclist with his vehicle while driving in Grant Park on Thursday. In addition, a spokesman for the House GOP caucus acknowledged via social media that two other Republican House members, Reps. Jordan Ridley of Chatsworth and Holt Persinger of Winder, along with a senior caucus staffer were passengers in the car Seabaugh was driving.

Seabaugh, a Marietta Republican, was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs and five other infractions. Seabaugh took to social media over the weekend to say he was not drunk and has never used drugs.

***

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” former Gov. Nathan Deal weighs in on the presidential race and talks about his new children’s book featuring his own pet, “Veto, the Governor’s Cat.”

The AJC’s Mark Niesse also joins the show to talk about election issues and recent controversial decisions made by the State Elections Board.

Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

On Monday’s show, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, talked about how Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid has re-energized Democrats. Bishop also shared why he thinks his former House colleague, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will contribute to the ticket.

Atlanta area immigration attorney Charles Kuck joined the show as well and fact-checked the presidential candidates on their statements about border policy.

***

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

***

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

HONORING ABIT. U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, and Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, have filed a bipartisan bill that would rename the United States Department of Agriculture National Poultry Research Center in Athens after Francis “Abit” Massey.

Massey died in June at the age of 96. He was president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation and a legendary poultry industry lobbyist. He retired in 2009 but remained active in the industry, his Gainesville community and state politics.

“Abit Massey was a Georgia icon who is already deeply missed,” Carter said in a news release. “His dedication to our agricultural industry cannot be overstated, rightfully earning him the nickname ‘Dean of the poultry industry.’”

Bishop said he worked with Massey over the years and watched his work to grow the state’s poultry industry.

“This bill rightfully honors the man and his legacy, and I proudly join my friend and colleague, Congressman Buddy Carter in this bipartisan effort to rename the USDA poultry facility in Athens after Abit Massey,” Bishop said.

Every other member in Georgia’s House delegation signed on as cosponsors of the bill except for U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, an Athens Republican who represents northeast Georgia, including Gainesville.

***

AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.

This story has been updated to correct information regarding the signature petition push seeking a referendum on the Atlanta Public Safety Center.