In just one month back in office, President Donald Trump has upended Washington with dizzying speed by firing thousands of federal workers, slashing budgets and pushing a maximalist vision of executive power. And top Georgia Republicans are all in.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a likely candidate for governor, called it the “most successful start to a presidency in history.” Attorney General Chris Carr, who launched his gubernatorial bid last year, said Trump is “doing exactly what he said he would do.”
Insurance Commissioner John King, who could challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., pointed to Trump’s immigration crackdowns and his executive order banning transgender girls from competing in women’s sports.
“If that’s not success,” King said, “they should rewrite the definition.”
And Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a potential Senate candidate with a history of run-ins with Trump, offered praise for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting initiative.
“Every elected official in America should start every day remembering that they are stewards of the tax dollars of hard-working Americans,” he said, “and I’m glad we finally have an administration that takes this responsibility seriously.”
Several have taken extra steps to show their loyalty. Jones traveled to the White House twice during Trump’s first month to promote his agenda. Carr filed court briefs backing the administration’s buyout program and DOGE-sponsored spending cuts.
Their stances follow Gov. Brian Kemp’s remarks after more than 1,000 employees were laid off at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Government can stand a little rightsizing.”
The unified support shows how Trump has all but stamped out dissent within his party’s top ranks as he races to capitalize on what could be a narrow window to push through his agenda. Democrats say the warning signs are mounting.
“Republicans are doubling down on attacking the most vulnerable of the vulnerable because they know they can’t fight back,” said Democratic state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes. “And they’re competing to be the most MAGA candidate out there.”
Here are the full statements:
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Attorney General Chris Carr:
“President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do. There is no doubt that the federal government is too big, too bloated, and full of waste, fraud and abuse. I firmly believe good programs will be maintained, but we’re going to have to separate the wheat from the chaff. We have a $37 trillion national debt — doing nothing is not an option.”
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones:
“President Trump is undoing the damage of the Biden presidency with incredible speed and effectiveness, and we are witnessing the most successful start to a presidency in history. Here in the Peach State we’re following his lead and bringing the Trump agenda to Georgia.
“We are bringing DOGE to the state level, keeping men out of women’s sports, and ensuring that law enforcement can do their jobs to deport dangerous criminals from our state. President Trump and I are going to continue to deliver on the common sense issues Georgians voted for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the media during this difficult time.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Gov. Brian Kemp:
“I would tell people too, I know they have some layoffs at the CDC and other things, but government can stand a little rightsizing. I know from the state of Georgia’s perspective, if you take out higher education and you look at the number of people we have in state government, it’s close to what we had back in 2008. But we are doing more work because we got more efficient with technology. We are paying our people more. So instead of hiring people at the same pay rate, we are paying people more, keeping the same numbers but doing more work because we are using technology. Why can’t the federal government do that?”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Insurance Commissioner John King:
“Elections matter and President Trump is doing what he promised. He’s secured our border, deported criminal illegal aliens, and protected girls’ sports. The Senate has confirmed his nominees at a clip not seen since 2001. If that’s not success, they should rewrite the definition.
“As for DOGE, the only reason it exists is because career politicians in both parties didn’t have the guts to stop the government from growing to an unsustainable, unaccountable level. Everyone knows there’s waste and fraud; the difference between DOGE and AWOL politicians like Jon Ossoff is that DOGE is doing something about it.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger:
“I ran a business for more than 40 years and I can tell you that it if we ran our company with the waste and fraud we’re seeing in the federal government we would have shut down instantly. I think the people of Georgia are seeing these ridiculous stories of how their tax dollars are being spent and they’re angry. So I’m very glad to see this administration taking this seriously. Now I’m not privy to all the details of their proposed cuts, and of course we want to do all we can to make sure the cuts are justified. But every elected official in America should start every day remembering that they are stewards of the tax dollars of hard-working Americans, and I’m glad we finally have an administration that takes this responsibility seriously.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
