Summary

News

Kelly Loeffler

Current Position: US Senator since 2020
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

A senator from Georgia; born in Bloomington, Ill., November 27, 1970; graduated Olympia High School, Stanford, Ill., 1988; B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992; M.B.A., DePaul University, Chicago, Ill., 1999; finance firm chief executive officer; co-owner of Atlanta Dream professional women’s basketball team; appointed as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Johnny Isakson, and took the oath of office on January 6, 2020.

For more information about Kelly Loeffler, see her post.

Raphael Warnock

Current Position: Pastor
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

Reverend Raphael Warnock grew up in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah. The family was short on money, but long on faith, love and humor. Raphael and his eleven brothers and sisters were taught the meaning of hard work.

Reverend Raphael Warnock is running for Senate to fight for affordable health care, protect voting rights, and ensure the dignity of working people.

For more information, see this Raphael Warnock post.

Issues

Democracy

Kelly Loeffler 

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

Voting Rights

Ensuring Every Vote Is Counted

After the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, our state became ground zero for voter suppression. With partisan gerrymandering, long lines in minority communities, polling place closures, and voter purges, the state of Georgia has followed every strategy in the voter suppression playbook. Whether through vote-by-mail or in-person voting, all Georgia voters must have the opportunity to use their voice at the ballot box. And with the United States Postal Service now under siege, the right to vote is at risk for millions of Georgians.

But in the spirit of his mentor and parishioner, the late Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Warnock understands that our vote is our voice, and that the ability to use our voice is a matter of human dignity. He believes that the best way to honor John Lewis’ legacy is not to simply offer pious platitudes, but to get busy restoring the Voting Rights Act that was gutted by the Supreme Court. And in the middle of a global pandemic, it also means giving states the resources they need to protect access to the vote for all. Our elections must be fair, open, and safe for every eligible citizen, and Americans should never have to choose between their life and their vote.

Voting rights have been central to Reverend Warnock’s advocacy work for decades. In the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and only six months into his role as Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor, Reverend Warnock helped organize Freedom Caravans that drove from Atlanta to New Orleans to help Louisiana voters access the polls and exercise their right to participate in municipal elections. In his ministry, Reverend Warnock and Ebenezer Baptist Church have participated for years in ‘Souls to the Polls’ to encourage voter mobilization in the Black community. And he has helped register hundreds of thousands of voters as the former Chair of the New Georgia Project.

That’s why he is proud to have earned the endorsement of Fair Fight Action and the Voter Protection Project.

In the Senate, Reverend Warnock pledges to fight to ensure that every eligible voter can participate in our democracy under the American promise of “one person, one vote”, by:

• Protecting the sanctity of voting by restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act/John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act;

• Pushing for expanded Vote-By-Mail options, especially to protect Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic;

• Expanding in-person Early Vote and no-fault Absentee Ballot options;

• Increasing training and resources for state election officials and volunteers;

• Advocating for resources to protect the security of elections;

• Supporting efforts to make Election Day a federal holiday; and

• Standing up to protect and fund the United States Postal Service.

Economy

Kelly Loeffler 

Jobs and Economy

Enabling businesses – large and small – to flourish is the fastest path to economic prosperity. That’s why I support pro-growth policies that empower job creators, roll back regulations that hinder growth and allow employees to keep more of their hard-earned money. I firmly believe that through a thriving economy we can lift up all Americans. Georgia is the best state for business and I will continue to partner with the people of Georgia to push policies that encourage companies to stay in the U.S. and create new employment opportunities for all.

Agriculture

Raphael Warnock 

Jobs & The Economy

Rebuilding An Economy That Works For Everyone

Reverend Warnock knows the global pandemic has fundamentally impacted the daily lives and economic security of Georgians and that in many cases the pain is being felt most by families who were already struggling to get by.

With tens of millions of Americans having lost work or totally unemployed, it’s clear our leaders have failed not only in their response to the health impacts of the virus, but also in answering its financial toll.

In Georgia, we’ve experienced failed leadership from our state department of labor’s delayed payments to citizens for weeks, while nationally leaders have fallen down on the job getting support to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and keeping needed programs for everyday families in place.

Reverend Warnock is committed to putting politics aside and listening to the experts making sure we’re containing the virus and standing up for struggling families that have been treated as political pawns throughout this crisis.

While Reverend Warnock has felt Georgian’s pains from the pandemic, his perspective on economic fairness and the dignity of work is rooted in his upbringing.

Growing up in Savannah’s Kayton Homes public housing, Reverend Warnock had eleven brothers and sisters and learned the value of hard work from his mother, who spent summers picking tobacco and cotton, and his father, who sold junk cars before standing up on Sunday mornings and preaching to poor, ordinary working-class people who themselves felt discarded.

See post for more info.

Doug Collins 

Agriculture

Northeast Georgia is home to a thriving agriculture industry and hardworking farmers, ranchers, growers, and processors who contribute to America’s economy and our communities. In our corner of the state, more than 10,000 farm operators grow products from peaches to cattle, chicken to strawberries, and many need relief from burdensome federal regulations.

Georgia remains the country’s number one broiler producer, while the Ninth District leads the state in both poultry and cattle production. Keeping our agricultural industry competitive means reining in government overreach. For this reason, I advocated tirelessly to overturn the Waters of the United States Rule, which amounts to a bureaucratic land-grab that could devastate farmers and ranchers. I’ve also worked on legislation to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In recent years, the ESA has had little success in strengthening populations of certain species, but federal authorities have frequently employed the law to limit land use and impose new burdens on farmers and ranchers.

The Georgia delegation worked together to bring the country’s premiere poultry lab to the University of Georgia. Additionally, I have advocated to the Department of Agriculture to review the use of increased line speeds in poultry processing facilities, to help the U.S. remain competitive in a global market in which some countries have outpaced our production speeds.

Tax Reform

America’s tax code has grown complex and burdensome. Hardworking Americans and job creators deserve relief from the demands of a bloated government, and conservative tax reform can help reignite our economy and leave our citizens with more of their own money to pursue their goals on their terms. For these reasons, I supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which would lower tax rates for individuals and businesses, when it passed the House in the 115th Congress.

After all, the United States’ economy remains the most productive in the world, and the American worker is the foundation of that economy. Conservatives who embrace tax reform want to ensure that Americans enjoy and invest more of what they earn because we recognize that the American worker is industrious and innovative, and that’s what is fueling our economy and building our future.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Education

Kelly Loeffler 

Education

Education is the foundation to developing a skilled workforce and a competitive economy. It is critical that we equip the next generation with the tools and resources they need to become our nation’s future leaders, whether those talents are harnessed through a 4-year degree, an apprenticeship program, or a trade school. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I am dedicated to ensuring our children are receiving the best education possible.

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Education

As the husband of a school teacher and father of three children who graduated from Georgia public schools, I’ve seen the critical role education and educators have in a child’s life.

Too often, the federal government takes an ineffective, top-down approach to education. Common Core, for example, was initially established as a voluntary, state-led effort to institute a set of educational standards for grades K-12. Unfortunately, the federal government under the Obama Administration further eroded states’ control over education by tying federal grant funding to whether or not a state adopted Common Core.

Decisions about education should not rest in the hands of unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. So, in 2015, I supported the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to move education in the right direction by removing many of the federal government’s rigid, one-size-fits-all educational requirements. Importantly, ESSA specifically stated that the federal government could not use funds to coerce or incentivize states to adopt Common Core. ESSA returned educational authority to states by allowing school districts to develop their own accountability formulas and implement tailored plans for underperforming schools.

As we work to restore local control of education, I support efforts that put more decisions back into the hands of parents, teachers, and state and local school officials instead of federal bureaucrats.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Health Care

Kelly Loeffler 

Health Care

Many hardworking families know firsthand how expensive health care costs are these days. I believe the solution is not a government-run system that would get rid of employer-provided insurance, shutter our hospitals and raise taxes on the middle class.

Instead, we need to implement reforms that will lower health care costs, empower patients with more choice and increase access to quality care. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I am committed to delivering real relief for all Americans.

Raphael Warnock 

Health Care

The Right To Access Affordable, Quality Care

Reverend Warnock’s belief in affordable health care comes from his understanding of the dignity of human beings and his confidence that courageous, principled leaders can stand up to special interests and make our health care system work better for all. That’s why he’s rejecting corporate PAC money, because he knows that for too long the insurance and pharmaceutical companies have had their say in Washington.

In fact, Reverend Warnock is such a fierce health care advocate, he’s proud of his legacy protesting in Governor Nathan Deal’s office for Medicaid expansion, and in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol fighting back against an immoral budget that would have cut funding for children’s health care.

Doug Collins 

Health Care

Americans need a health care system that provides them affordable access to effective care, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is failing to achieve this. Instead of government mandates, we need free-market solutions that bring our hardworking neighbors choices of insurance providers, coverage options, physicians, and cost structures.

Northeast Georgians have felt the nominal positives and crushing negatives of the ACA as they struggle under fewer choices and less access to meaningful care, and the rest of the country has suffered with them. We must reform our health care structure to move toward a patient-centered system, focused on consumer choice and free-market innovation.

Since coming to Congress, I have voted more than 50 times to repeal the ACA. Holistic health care reform may also include elements like making health savings plans more accessible and allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines.

One of the ways I’m working to reduce medical costs and improve care is by addressing the pharmacy middlemen that drive up prescription drug costs. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have increased prices for consumers and community pharmacists, making it harder for people to receive the medicines and advice that they need. I introduced the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act to promote transparency in drug pricing and prevent PBMs from secretly increasing the prices of prescription medications.

I also have supported additional legislation, including the Improving Transparency and Accuracy in Medicare Part D Drug Spending Act, to shine light on anti-competitive practices and reduce prescription drug prices for Americans. Our community pharmacies represent critical health resources, and I will continue to champion policies that ensure these providers can serve our communities effectively.

Matt Lieberman 

Health Care

Everyone in the United States, the richest country on earth, deserves access to affordable, quality healthcare. That’s why I support a public option. We have made great strides forward with the Affordable Care Act but have been challenged at every turn by conservative courts and a Congress more focused on obstruction than good governance. We can build on what we have to improve healthcare and lower costs for tens of millions of Americans.

Immigration

Kelly Loeffler 

Immigration and Securing the Border

America is a welcoming country based upon the rule of law. For far too long, our immigration system has been broken and our law enforcement officers have been left vulnerable to loopholes that risk our nation’s sovereignty. Tolerating illegal immigration serves only to undermine the law and threatens our national security.  I support policies that secure our border, keep our country safe, and defund dangerous sanctuary cities.

Raphael Warnock

N/A

Doug Collins 

Immigration

America boasts one of the most generous legal immigration systems in the world. As we address the problem of illegal immigration, we must begin by enforcing the laws already in place. Border security should be our first priority, and our authorities must not reward individuals who break our laws.

In previous years, our immigration laws have too often been ignored, and some policies from the last administration actually encouraged local authorities to violate the rule of law. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I have stood on the front lines of these issues, advocating to strengthen our immigration laws, while reforming our current system to achieve its intended outcomes—a smart, fair system that protects Americans, promotes ingenuity and innovation, and upholds the rule of law.

I introduced the Tax Credit Accountability Act to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for years in which they file taxes or when they retroactively file taxes. The Obama Administration issued certain illegal aliens Social Security numbers and allowed them to receive the EITC benefit, even for years in which they had never filed taxes to begin with. This practice is unjust and unacceptable. It penalizes hardworking Americans and workers who reside in the U.S. legally, and my legislation would stop the practice decisively.

I have also worked alongside members of the Judiciary Committee to advance interior enforcement legislation such as the Davis-Oliver State and Local Law Enforcement Act. This legislation enhances national security measures and promotes better cooperation among state, local, and federal officials. It strengthens existing immigration statutes and prevents federal dollars from flowing to sanctuary cities that ignore the law and put Americans at risk.

As a member of the Rules Committee, I have also shepherded legislation to the House floor that would check criminal aliens and sanctuary cities. Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act passed the House with my help in 2017. Kate’s Law would enhance penalties for criminal aliens who re-enter America illegally. The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act would crack down on sanctuary cities by denying them certain federal funds while enabling local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials more effectively.

I will continue to labor to restore the rule of law within our borders and enact smarter immigration policies that protect all Americans.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Safety

Kelly Loeffler 

National Security

In an era of unprecedented threats, uncertainty, and evolving technology and tactics, ensuring that our armed forces are agile, ready, and lethal is vital to securing our nation’s safety. The Trump administration is working hard to restore America’s leadership on the world stage, and I am a proud ally in this mission. I strongly support a robust national defense that provides our warfighters with the tools, technology, and training necessary to protect our nation against enemies.

Raphael Warnock 

Criminal Justice Reform

Ending Mass Incarceration And Giving Everyone A Fair Shot

Reverend Warnock believes that in the Land of the Free, it is a scandal and a scar on the soul of America to imprison more people at a higher rate than any other country in the world. With our country containing only 5 percent of the world’s population while warehousing nearly 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, real and immediate change is needed.

The prison population of America is fed by a system that criminalizes poverty, imperils the bodies of its most vulnerable citizens, and incarcerates people of color at disproportionate levels. Reverend Warnock sees this issue as a spiritual problem, with the soul of America itself endangered by mass incarceration. Only by living up to the twin American promises of liberty for all and equal protection under the law can our nation begin to heal.

Reverend Warnock also believes that it is morally wrong and economically backward to close the doors of social re-entry on the formerly incarcerated. That’s why he has worked with Fulton County officials to expunge arrest records for those arrested but not convicted of a crime. He understands that arrests, even for minor infractions, can devastate generations of Georgians when parents and children are stripped of their potential for upward social mobility. Reverend Warnock believes that people who have paid their debt to society in prison can continue to make contributions to their communities after they have served their time.

In his ministry, Reverend Warnock has spoken about the dangers of mandatory minimums, the lack of effective rehabilitative programs, and the thousands of Georgians who are in jail, not because they have been convicted of a crime or are a danger to society, but because they can’t afford bail. And as someone whose own family has faced the pain of seeing a loved one incarcerated, Reverend Warnock understands that behind each statistic is a family broken by a failed justice system. As a Senator, he will fight to move the nation toward justice and away from the harmful, ineffective, and costly policies that have devastated so many Georgia families.

Reverend Warnock also believes we need to responsibly fund the police while reimagining the relationship between police departments and the communities that they serve. In order to ensure accountability and build trust, he understands that we need to invest resources into the training of police officers and into building genuine bonds of community rather than sowing the seeds of distrust. For this relationship, it’s equally critical for communities to trust that the justice system is designed to support them, which is why Reverend Warnock also supports appointing independent prosecutors to handle police-involved shootings.

See post for more info.

Doug Collins 

Criminal Justice Reform

An effective criminal justice system is an essential part of a safe and just society. We must hold those who break the law accountable, but we must also pursue justice in a way that is compassionate, sensible, and fair. If we focus on improving our criminal justice system, we will make our country safer for law enforcement and communities while saving taxpayer money, helping offenders turn their lives around, and reducing the number of future victims.

Ninety-five percent of individuals incarcerated in prisons will be released at some point. These individuals will rejoin our communities, yet our current criminal justice system does little to help them reintegrate in a way that protects neighborhoods and restores individuals. In Georgia, we’ve seen the impact that meaningful reforms can have on the criminal justice system, and I’ve worked in Congress to build on that success.

The Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, which I introduced, became law in 2016 as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. This law is designed to help state and local governments train law enforcement and other first responders to recognize individuals suffering from mental illness and interact with them more safely. It also provides resources to expand mental health and veterans treatment courts, while encouraging greater collaboration among the justice system and community members. The Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act recognizes that it doesn’t make sense to use our jails as mental health institutions, and it moves us away from that flawed model.

I’m also committed to efforts to strengthen other aspects of the justice system. States like Georgia and Texas have paved the way for conservative criminal justice reform, which can save money and improve lives. I introduced the Prison Reform and Redemption Act to create a federal prison-wide system for evaluating the risk of every individual prisoner for reoffending and then offering evidence-based resources—like mental health care, vocational skills, substance abuse treatment, and faith-based programs—that make them less likely to reoffend when they are released. I’ve seen the results of similar state-level programs, and thoughtful prison reform works.

By building on proven reform efforts, we can continue to make the United States a safer place.

Matt Lieberman 

Gun Safety

We are the only developed country to experience mass shootings at the frequency we do, and we must put an end to the gun violence epidemic in this country. I proudly support universal background checks and a ban on the civilian purchase of weapons of war. As a former teacher, it is the highest priority to me that we keep our kids safe. The time for talk has long since passed. We need action and legislation now.

Veterans

Kelly Loeffler 

Veterans

America owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. Our veterans selflessly risked their lives in defense of our freedoms and way of life, and it is our duty to ensure our heroes have the tools to transition back to civilian life, receive the benefits they rightfully earned, and have easy access to quality care. With over 700,000 veterans in the state of Georgia, I’m fighting for those who fought for us. Through my work on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I will work hard to support the very people who have made America what it is today.

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Veterans

As a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and an Iraq veteran, I have witnessed the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. Our nation must provide its military members, veterans, and their families the benefits they’ve earned serving their fellow Americans. Unfortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has fallen short of that goal far too often in recent years.

In response to the VA’s clear need for reform, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 created the Veterans Choice Program to give veterans the option of receiving VA-covered care through some private providers if certain obstacles to receiving care at a VA facility exist. This program serves veterans in northeast Georgia and across the country as they pursue the quality care they’ve earned defending our nation and its freedoms.

I also introduced the Expanding Veterans’ Access to Choice Act after learning that a Ninth District resident was unable to qualify for the Choice Program despite the fact that his local VA facility had reached its capacity. The Expanding Veterans’ Access to Choice Act would block the VA from exploiting bureaucratic loopholes to prevent veterans from receiving health care through the Choice Program.

I have also advocated for the continued stability of the Choice Program while Congress works to strengthen it. In 2017, the House passed legislation to continue funding for the Choice Program and to address significant shortcomings at VA facilities. The bill was signed into law and appropriated $2.1 billion for the Veterans Choice Program to remain available until expended.

Far too many veterans have been mistreated by the VA through mismanagement and employee misconduct. I voted for the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act when it passed the House in 2017. This legislation was signed into law and will improve VA services by instituting accountability reforms to ensure our veterans are receiving the high-quality care they deserve and to better protect the many VA employees who are doing their jobs properly.

Additionally, I introduced legislation to ensure that the infants of female veterans receiving maternity care from the VA also receive high-quality care from VA physicians. The Newborn Care Improvement Act would require the VA to extend post-delivery care services from seven days to 42 days after the birth of a child delivered in a VA facility should such care be medically necessary.

I also supported action by the House to ensure that veterans can use their education benefits under the GI bill whenever they choose. The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act expands the GI bill to ensure that veterans can pursue their education without impending time limits. This legislation was signed into law in 2017 and also makes it easier for post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients to receive GI bill benefits.

We must keep working to ensure that the VA undergoes meaningful reform and veterans and their families receive the benefits they deserve.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Governance

Kelly Loeffler 

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Federal Budget & Spending

Currently, the federal government is spending far more than it takes in, and the result is a national debt of more than $20 trillion. In order to strengthen our economy and encourage job growth, we must rein in government spending, reform entitlement programs, reduce costly red tape, and cut out waste and fraud in government programs.

It’s time for Congress to make fundamental improvements to our federal budgeting process. A constitutional amendment requiring Congress to adopt a balanced budget is a good way to accomplish this, and I have co-sponsored a bill to send such an amendment to the states to ratify. Requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget—rather than sink Americans deeper into national debt with each fiscal year—remains a necessary and commonsense step toward strengthening our economy and global position for future generations.

As a former small business owner, I understand the hard work that starting, running, and expanding a small business demands. These enterprises bring jobs, growth, and opportunity to Americans, and Congress should strive to implement policies that shore up such cornerstones of our economy. To that end, I continue to advocate for small businesses as well as cuts in wasteful spending, reducing our national debt, and long-term fiscal responsibility.

Regulatory Reform

In recent years, federal bureaucracy has made over-regulation the norm. Meanwhile, hardworking Americans across the country suffer under the growing burden of misguided red tape. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the U.S. Rule, its Clean Power Plan, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s crystalline silica rule illustrate the problem with big government: Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. often don’t know what works in the real world or understand the impacts their rules have on northeast Georgia and across the country.

As a member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, I have been active in helping rein in the power that the federal government exercises too broadly. Congress needs to enact permanent reforms to the regulatory process to check executive agencies that have tried to write law in violation of the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution.

In 2017, I introduced the Regulations of the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which was one of the first pieces of legislation to pass the House in the 115^th Congress. This bill would require Congressional approval before any federal rules costing $100 million or more could take effect.

See post for more info.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

LGBTQ+

Kelly Loeffler 

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

Equality For LGBTQ+ Communities

Reverend Warnock is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community. As a civil rights advocate, he firmly believes that there’s no such thing “as equal rights for some.”

Reverend Warnock believes that our nation’s commitment to equality is sacred and inviolable. That belief has led him to routinely advocate from the pulpit on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, to mourn in moments of tragedy, such as after the Pulse Nightclub shooting, and to celebrate in times of triumph, as after the Supreme Court’s recognition of marriage equality.

As the Pastor of “America’s Freedom Church,” he also believes that the church should be the first institution to defend vulnerable communities.

As a Senator, he will fight for and support the Equality Act to protect members of the LGBTQ+ community from housing, financial, and employment discrimination; advocate for gender inclusive policies and resources to help at-risk LGBTQ+ youth who face higher risks of homelessness and other challenges; and push to ban discriminatory federal practices that stop trans people from serving in our armed forces.

Warnock would also fight to ensure that there is fairness and equality in health care, working to expand access to medications like PrEP and other life saving care for all communities.

Civigl Rights

Kelly Loeffler 

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Constitutional Beliefs

We must respect the Constitution and the God-given rights it protects. As political hostility towards the Bill of Rights—particularly the right to bear arms and religious liberty—increases, Congress has a responsibility to uphold the Constitution and fight for the values upon which America was established.

U.S. Representatives take an oath to defend the Constitution, and I will continue to champion the principles outlined in our nation’s defining document, including personal freedoms, fiscal responsibility, and limited government. I am constantly reviewing the best ways to promote these principles in Congress and will work to ensure that the federal government upholds these values at every level.

Religious Liberty

As a pastor and a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, I understand that the First Amendment guards the personal exercise of faith. We cannot become weary in fighting to protect Americans’ religious liberty.

During the government shutdown in the 113^th Congress, executive branch officials announced that they considered military chaplains non-essential workers, which impeded service members’ access to religious expression and counseling. I introduced a resolution to make clear that chaplains who had been furloughed during the shutdown should be able to continue serving our military, as federal law protects religious expression. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed this resolution affirming military chaplains as essential employees so that chaplains could return to their duties on behalf of America’s service members.

2nd Amendment

The Bill of Rights provides us with the freedom to keep and bear arms, and we must continue to uphold and safeguard the Second Amendment.

In the 115^th Congress, I introduced the Collectible Firearms Protection Act to ensure that collectors can import collectible rifles and carbines that were made in America and sent overseas to the same extent that Americans can buy and own other legal firearms of the same make. This legislation rolls back bureaucratic hurdles impeding the rights of firearms collectors.

I am also a proud cosponsor of the Hearing Protection Act, which would enable suppressors—devices that reduce the risk of hearing damage sustained while shooting—to be purchased in the same way as long guns by removing the application and tax.

I have cosponsored the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. Law abiding citizens have the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and that right shouldn’t end at state borders. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would ensure that individuals who lawfully obtain concealed carry permits in their home states can exercise their Second Amendment rights when visiting other states.

Matt Lieberman 

Voting Rights

 I am proud to be a member of the party that does all it can to promote voting, rather than a party here in Georgia that counts on suppression to win elections. I support the plan proposed by Stacey Abrams to ensure secure and fair elections. It is also why I support a Voting Rights Act for the 21st Century — because every American deserves to have a vote that counts and is heard.

Environment

Kelly Loeffler

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

N/A

Matt Lieberman 

Environment

The climate change crisis is real, and we need to take bold, immediate action to combat the effects. It is critical that we acknowledge the science and support steps like reducing the use of fossil fuels with the goal of achieving net zero emissions, re-entering the Paris Climate Accords, and investment in clean energy technology to protect our planet for future generations. We must and we can reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Infrastructure

Kelly Loeffler

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Infrastructure

High-speed internet access has become a pillar of our 21st-century economy. It’s a prerequisite for economic growth in America, yet some communities in northeast Georgia and other parts of the country lack meaningful access to broadband services because their infrastructure is under-developed.

To date, government efforts to support broadband expansion have seen limited success, and grant programs intended to fuel broadband expansion in rural areas have been routinely awarded to service providers that fail to make necessary investments in infrastructure.

We must ensure that our communities have the tools necessary for sustainable economic growth, and that includes high-speed internet access. To that end, I introduced the Gigabit Opportunity (GO) Act to incentivize firms to expand broadband infrastructure to communities that lack high-speed access. By streamlining the process of building up broadband infrastructure, the GO Act would encourage more companies to enter low-income rural and urban communities, replacing de-facto monopolies with meaningful competition.

As long as some internet providers accept federal dollars yet underserve their areas, Congress should exercise oversight. I continue to hold carriers accountable and work to expand broadband access at local and federal levels.

See post for more info.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Social Security & Medicaid

Kelly Loeffler

N/A

Raphael Warnock 

N/A

Doug Collins 

Medical & Social Security

Georgians should be able to count on the Social Security and Medicare benefits for which they’ve worked. However, the current structures of these programs are unsustainable. According to the non-partisan Medicare Board of Trustees, the Medicare program as currently structured will only remain solvent until 2024, and the Social Security Administration projects that funds for Social Security benefits will be exhausted by 2037.

Without meaningful reform, these programs will lead to higher taxes on American workers and job-creators, fewer retiree benefits, or both. Improving retirement security means making reforms that protect current recipients while ensuring benefits are available to future recipients. We can prevent tax increases and help ensure that Social Security and Medicare will be available to our children and grandchildren by putting responsible policies in place to guide these programs into the future.

Matt Lieberman 

N/A

Doug Collins

Current Position: US Representative for US House District 9
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

Doug Collins has served as a U.S. Representative for Georgia’s Ninth Congressional District since 2013. While Doug is a public servant, attorney, and practicing military chaplain, he remains foremost a husband to Lisa and father to daughter Jordan and sons Copelan and Cameron. Lisa is a lifelong educator in Georgia’s public schools, and together she and Doug are actively involved at Lakewood Baptist Church.

In the 116th Congress, Doug serves on the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. In this role, Doug works on a wide breadth of issues within the Committee’s purview, which include fighting to uphold and safeguard the Second Amendment, protecting the lives of unborn children, defending religious liberty, and overseeing our law enforcement agencies.

For more information, see this Doug Collins post.

Matt Lieberman

Current Position: Healthcare Entrepreneur
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

Matt Lieberman is running for the U.S. Senate to change a broken Washington and get things done for the people of Georgia.  Like many Georgians, Matt is fed-up with the arrogance and cowardice of the politicians in Washington and the hatred, division, and stalemate that has resulted from our corrupted politics.

As a former teacher and head of a Georgia school, Matt shares America’s frustration with Washington’s failure to do anything to protect kids from guns.  He supports a ban on the sale of weapons of war, like the AR-15. And he thinks Congress is long overdue to pass a real, meaningful, universal background check law to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.

For more information, see this Matt Lieberman post.