U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, in just his second term in office, has been appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee. The high-ranking perch becomes all the more notable when you recall that Clyde was among the 20 far-right lawmakers who initially blocked Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker, but eventually relented.
It’s not clear how Clyde, a Republican from Jackson County, managed to secure the plum spot, but he was one of four of the Freedom Caucus members Wednesday, to be appointed to top-tier committees. McCarthy agreed to a series of concessions during the heat of negotiations to secure his spot leading the House. Among them was agreeing to appoint more conservative House Freedom Caucus members to high-profile committees.
Serving on Appropriations may give Clyde a different kind of prominence in national politics, who so far has been a lightning rod for controversy.
He exploded onto the national scene during a 2021 House Oversight Committee hearing when he described scenes on television from January 6 as “just a normal tourist visit.” He also said, “There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a boldfaced lie.”
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Clyde will be the only Georgia Republican serving on the committee and one of just two Georgians on the panel. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, is a long-time member.
He’ll also be a powerful voice on federal spending during the next two years of the Biden administration. He called last year’s omnibus appropriations bill “a shameful waste of taxpayer dollars and deceitful advancement of the harmful policies destroying our nation.”
He has also refused to participate in the earmark process.
In addition to his job in Congress, Clyde still owns two large gun stores in Georgia, along with a contracting business that supplies weapons and munitions to federal agencies and state governments across the country.
In a new release following his appointment, Clyde noted Georgia’s 13 military installations and said: “It is imperative that a Republican Member of the delegation has a seat at the table and a role in responsibly shaping federal appropriations.”
***
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
MORE SEATS. Among other announcements rolled out Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, was added to the Energy and Commerce Committee, another top-tier assignment. Rep. Buddy Carter is already a member of that committee.
Look for more committee updates to roll out in the coming days. Because Democrats lost the majority, the number of seats party leaders have to fill have decreased. But the Republicans’ delays have also held up decision-making by Democrats on committee assignments.
***
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 3:
- 9:30 a.m.: The state House and Senate will meet jointly at the Georgia State University Convocation Center for Gov. Brian Kemp’s Inauguration.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
CHAPTER 2. Today marks the beginning of Gov. Brian Kemp’s second term as he’s inaugurated to serve another four years as governor.
The day begins with a prayer service in Buckhead, followed by the 9:30 swearing-in ceremony for Kemp and Georgia’s other statewide constitutional officers. Members of the Georgia General Assembly will also be on hand, in joint session, for what we’re assured will count as Legislative Day 3.
Look for Kemp to lay out his second-term priorities in his inaugural speech and be sure to follow along for live updates from us and our colleague Maya Prabhu at ajc.com.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
CHICKEN BISCUITS & ISSUES. A very Georgia menu of Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits welcomed lawmakers and business leaders Wednesday morning at the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Your Insiders were on hand for speeches from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Gov. Brian Kemp, House Speaker Jon Burns and incoming Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
Kemp used the breakfast to sketch out a handful of business-and-budget related plans he’s got for the new year, including a focus on workforce housing, a statewide income tax rebate, and pay raises for teachers and statewide employees. Greg Bluestein has the full write-up.
***
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
MR. CHAIRMAN. Like Washington lawmakers, leaders in the state House and Senate will spend the next week hammering out new committee chairmanships and assignments.
Leaders expect to have announcements ready by the end of next week, but one assignment already announced was that of Matt Hatchett, the Republican from Dublin, who will lead the House Appropriations Committee. Hatchett takes over for former state Rep. Terry England, who retired last year.
Hatchett’s was the single committee assignment House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones made during her time as Speaker at the end of last year. She said it was also a decision she discussed with the late Speaker David Raslton before he died unexpectedly in November.
“I’ll never forget, I was in Walmart for groceries, and he called and he sounded great,” she said during an interview. “We had a long conversation and he had indicated we had told the caucus that he intended to appoint (an appropriations chair) at least a month in advance so that person could get to work. He also indicated his preference for Matt Hatchett.”
Ralston asked Jones’ thoughts, and she agreed. “Matt is a smart, capable person and I thought it would be a good role for him,” she said.
But Ralston’s death left the decision to Jones when she rose tospeaker. After final discussion with incoming Speaker Jon Burns, she made the announcement publicly.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
PRICE TAGS. Want to know which issues could come up this session? Take a look at the fiscal note — the no-frills financial analysis of how much this or that hot-button issue will cost in tax revenue.
A round of these write-ups from the Department of Accounting and Auditing was released this week, and they offer an early glimpse at the fiscal impact of major tax overhauls and minor legislative tweaks. Let’s take a gander.
A Democratic proposal to require that prison inmates be paid “market wage” for any goods or labor they produce while behind bars would cost at least $228 million. Another proposal to more than quadruple the state excise tax on cigarettes would generate nearly $500 million next year.
A push by Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans to expand the Hope scholarship to fund full technical school tuition would cost roughly $3 million a year. A separate proposal to exempt menstrual products from sales tax would cost at least $11 million in lost tax revenue.
The biggest ticket item? A Republican proposal for a “fair tax” overhaul that would result in an estimated $3.2 billion less in state revenue by fiscal year 2028.
The fiscal notes are also a way to handicap whether a legislative proposal could have juice this session — or just a very high price tag.
***
Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House will vote on a measure barring the sale of U.S. petroleum reserves to China.
- U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., will lead a series of floor speeches highlighting issues that veterans and families have faced since TriCare changed its pharmacy network.
- President Joe Biden will deliver remarks from the White House on the economy and efforts to tackle inflation.
- The U.S. Senate is out until Jan. 23.
***
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
PARK OR PORK? When the list of federal earmarks was released alongside Congress’s vote late last year on a $1.7 trillion spending package, some Republicans zeroed in on a line item in DeKalb County as an example of questionable spending.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller called a trail named after former First Lady Michelle Obama “woke nonsense.” DeKalb County’s own local GOP chairwoman, Marci McCarthy, also questioned the funding and suggested the project was already complete.
But that isn’t so. As the AJC’s Tyler Estep reports, the $3.6 million in funding successfully requested by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson for a 4.5 mile extension of the existing Michelle Obama Trail in DeKalb. About 6 miles of trail have already been constructed under two previous phases.
The original sponsor of the effort, DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson, was perplexed by the backlash. “Who would be against a walking trail that’s gonna help citizens?”
The AJC has a searchable database of all earmarks requested by our delegation here.
***
BOOM. Today’s inaugural ceremonies will include plenty of pomp and circumstance and, according to Gov. Brian Kemp’s Communications Director, Andrew Eisenhour, cannon shots.
Eisenhour sent a note on Twitter Wednesday assuring anyone downtown, who might have thought they were hearing explosions, they were in fact hearing practice for Thursday’s ceremonies.
“For those hearing loud booms in downtown Atlanta, worry not!” he wrote. “Those are practice cannon fires in preparation for tomorrow’s inauguration. We know how to throw a party in Georgia!”
***
AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
About the Authors
