President Donald Trump attacked Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams in his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, suggesting she was involved in wasteful government spending uncovered by his Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump mentioned the two-time nominee for governor as he rattled off a list of questionable projects that received federal funding. One of them was roughly $2 billion awarded to a coalition of environmental groups working to combat climate change. Abrams worked as a senior counsel for one of the groups until December. Her spokesman, Joshua Karp, said Abrams wasn’t paid for her work by the federal government.
But Trump nonetheless assailed Abrams.
“Headed up — and we know she was involved … by a woman named Stacey Abrams,” he said. “Have you ever heard of her?”
Boos erupted from Republicans in the chamber.
Abrams fired back moments later on X.
“I’m proud of my work protecting civil rights & lowering energy costs for Georgians,” she said. “Someone has to deliver — because Trump is taking our hard-earned money to cut Elon Musk’s taxes.”
The grant, which funds energy efficient housing projects around the country, has become a political flashpoint.
Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and DOGE have called for the return of the money.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Georgia Senate last week unveiled plans to probe Zeldin’s claims, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones saying the “people of Georgia were defrauded” by Abrams.
PolitiFact has called the claims against Abrams false saying there is “no evidence Abrams directly received any of the grant money or engaged in illegal behavior.”
Abrams was a two-time Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia, seeking to become the state’s first Black governor. She was twice defeated by Republican Brian Kemp.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
