What music some Georgia lawmakers were jamming to this year

That’s not a joke. It really happened. And it shows the extent some politicians will go to boost their local bona fides.

That got us thinking: what are Georgia politicians listening to? We’re not suggesting anyone here would stoop so low as to alter their stats. But we thought it would be fun to find out the soundtrack of Georgia politics for 2024.

We asked several politicians to share their stats from their music streaming service of choice. Unfortunately, many of the state’s top players didn’t play along. Maybe they don’t stream music. Or maybe they’re afraid of what we would say about their music tastes (editor’s note: that’s a reasonable fear).

Credit: Screenshots/AJC

Credit: Screenshots/AJC

But we did get a few. Here are the five most listened to artists for U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, who is a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate:

That’s a solid classic rock list, rounded out by Georgia’s own Allman Brothers Band.

Let’s check in across the aisle with a look at Democratic state Rep. Ruwa Romman’s top artists:

No Georgia artists there. But it’s never a bad idea to woo the Taylor Swift constituency.

When the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu called state Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, he said he didn’t have Spotify because he’s “just a country boy from the mountains.” Then his phone cut out. When he called back, he said: “We don’t have Spotify, but we have spotty cell phone service.”

Nice one.

Credit: screenshot

Credit: screenshot

Asked to share his Spotify stats, Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin said: “Hell no.” But he did offer us a tantalizing clue. In the month of September, Spotify says McLaurin’s music had “heist movie tunes soundtrack” vibes.

“When your year is structured around the adrenaline of regular session, you can go through withdrawal around this time,” he said. “I needed to feel like something was going on.”

While no one faked their stats — at least that we know of — we did have one person who begged us to make a last-minute change to their list. You know who you are.

MORE LISTENING: We made a playlist of Georgia politicians’ favorite songs, including picks from state Sen. Harold Jones II, D-Augusta, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Give it a listen. And tell us your favorite tracks of 2024.

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Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

Credit: Evan Vucci/AP

GOOD MORNING! Georgia’s legislative session starts in 25 days. Georgia’s unemployment rate ticked up just a hair to 3.7% in November, the state Department of Labor announced overnight. Jobs were down by 2,000 over the month, but they’re still up by 45,900 for the year.

Here are four things to know for today:

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Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

COUNTDOWN TO SHUTDOWN. When U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson released the text of a government funding package he negotiated with Democrats on Tuesday, it appeared all but certain a government shutdown would be avoided.

But the backlash to the legislation, which includes $100 billion in disaster aid and a cost-of-living pay raise for members of Congress, has come from President-elect Donald Trump and his closest allies. And that has thrown everything into chaos.

The House canceled votes Wednesday night and hasn’t said how it will approach the topic today with time running out as the deadline to avoid a shutdown is Friday at midnight. And it’s a problem created by Republicans, which means they will be on the hook for a resolution.

Trump said he preferred a “clean” continuing resolution that kept federal funding flat without additional spending but coupled with an increase of the debt limit so that this thorny issue wouldn’t fall on his lap as scheduled next year.

Georgia’s leaders are split. Republican U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome, Andrew Clyde of Athens and Mike Collins of Jackson all vowed to vote against the deal, with Collins declaring “no amount of lipstick would make this pig pretty.”

But Republican Gov. Brian Kemp urged Georgia’s delegation to pass it, saying it contains vital disaster relief funding for tens of thousands of residents. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, reposted Kemp’s message on social media.

The problem with Trump’s proposal is that without the additional spending to sweeten the deal, Democrats won’t support the package. Republicans have a slim majority in the House and there are hard-right lawmakers unlikely to support any type of temporary spending. Simply put, any spending bill needs Democrats’ help in the House. And it must also be negotiated with Senate Democrats, who retain the majority in that chamber.

There is no clear path forward right now. Congressional leaders in both parties do not want a shutdown that would cause tens of thousands of federal employees to not be paid and close down any government services not deemed essential.

But the problem is that Republicans in both chambers are deferential to Trump and don’t want to face the backlash the president-elect and his allies have promised for supporting the temporary funding legislation.

To be clear, there is still time for a deal. Even if it takes a few days, it is unlikely that the effects of a shutdown would be tangible as long as a bill is signed into law by early next week.

But first, lawmakers need to come up with a new plan or get Trump and his allies on board with the one on the table.

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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

NDAA APPROVED. Wednesday was a chaotic day on Capitol Hill with the breakdown in negotiations on government funding. But at least Congress accomplished one thing: keeping the streak alive for annual approval of the National Defense Authorization Act.

The U.S. Senate approved the bill 85-14. Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were both in favor of the legislation despite its provisions limiting some gender-affirming care for transgender children of defense personnel.

Afterward, Warnock celebrated the pay raises for members of the military included in the bill. Ossoff celebrated provisions like expanded educational options for children whose parents died while in the line of duty, construction of a new parachute training and maintenance facility at the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield and increasing the number of mental and behavioral health specialists within the Armed Forces.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

ANTE UP. The 2025 push to legalize casino gambling in Georgia is quickly taking shape, and supporters hope to use the results of a non-binding ballot question in the GOP primary earlier this year to make their case.

The question asked voters whether they’d back a statewide vote “to allow gaming in Georgia so the voters can decide this issue instead of politicians in Atlanta.” It drew about 81% of support.

“For too long, this topic has been used as a tool for fundraising and political maneuvering in Atlanta,” said state Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, who supports legalizing gambling. “It’s time to let the people decide.”

Summers said he’ll introduce a constitutional amendment that requires the first $2 billion generated from gambling to be distributed directly and evenly to each of Georgia’s 159 counties, which could use them for essential services such as infrastructure improvements or public safety.

This is a perennial issue under the Gold Dome. Gambling backers believe they have enough support to pass a referendum that allows casinos, but first it must get approval of two-thirds of the Legislature. That would require broad bipartisan support.

Bound up in the fight are concurrent efforts to legalize sports betting and horse racing that have picked up steam over the years but failed to reach final passage.

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Credit: David Barnes/AJC

Credit: David Barnes/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the AJC’s Atlanta City Hall reporter Riley Bunch joins the show to talk about the city finishing construction on its law enforcement training center. Then, Attorney General Chris Carr will discuss his bid for governor.

Be sure to download the AJC’s Politically Georgia on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.

On Wednesday’s show, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon talked about the state’s Republican electors casting their ballots for President-elect Donald Trump. The hosts also discussed Congress’ proposal to keep the government funded and provide $100 billion in hurricane recovery aid.

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Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais

PROTECTING KIDS. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and hotel heiress Paris Hilton are celebrating after the House voted overwhelmingly to pass their bill increasing federal oversight of institutional facilities where troubled youth are sent for treatment.

The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act passed the House 373-33 and now heads to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. All the “no” votes came from Republicans, including Georgia Reps. Andrew Clyde of Athens and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent earlier this month.

Hilton has traveled the country in recent years lobbying lawmakers on this issue, including testifying about the abuse she said she experienced at a boarding school in Utah years ago. Carter, R-St. Simons Island, said the legislation will help protect children from abuse.

“When this bill is signed into law, parents and children alike will have an accurate understanding of the practices, goals, and ethics of residential youth treatment centers before it’s too late,” he said. “This bill adds transparency and oversight to an industry with too many bad actors in it, and I want to thank Paris Hilton for her bravery that made this bill passage possible.”

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

SHOUTOUTS. New gig:

Belated birthday:

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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.