Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Good morning! In the news today: Focus shifts to Gov. Brian Kemp as state lawmakers adjourn; lawmakers representing Coastal Georgia in Washington react to tariffs; anti-Trump and Musk protesters in Savannah and Brunswick say “Hands off;” and we note some news you may have missed. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com
ANALYSIS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Over to you, governor
Now it’s Brian Kemp’s turn.
Mounds of legislation approved by the Georgia General Assembly during its 40-day, Trump-fueled session, which adjourned Friday, now rest on the desk of the state’s governor and top Republican.
Kemp already has signed into law some of the measures, notably the “religious freedom” bill. He has 40 days to consider the rest. Besides signing a bill into law, he can either veto it or do nothing, in which case it automatically becomes law.
No doubt Kemp will approve what he championed as his main legislative priority this year: limiting lawsuits. How he opts to handle the other bills stacked on his desk may signal how the term-limited plans to position himself politically for a possible run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Ossoff next year or the GOP presidential nomination in 2028.
The Current’s Craig Nelson looks at the bills that made it to Kemp in the session’s waning hours, many of them with a Coastal Georgia imprint.
NEWS: ECONOMY
Elected officials on tariffs, effects
As the stock market plummeted last week following President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on trading partners around the world, reactions from lawmakers representing Coastal Georgia in Washington was predictably mixed.
Republican Congressman Buddy Carter, who holds Coastal Georgia’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, said the set of tariffs announced by the president will yield gains in the long run.
“Yes, it’s going to cause some short-term pain, but it’s a long-term solution. It’s going to result in higher wages and more jobs for American workers, something that they welcome, and we welcome. So, I applaud this president for what he’s doing,” Carter told Savannah’s WJCL-TV.
Georgia’s two Democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, weren’t so buoyant.
“It’s baffling that in a time when the cost of living is already too high, the president, who campaigned on lowering prices, would put in place policies that will surely make everyday goods more expensive. This is a cynical sales tax on ordinary people put in place to excuse a massive tax cut for millionaires and billionaires,” Warnock said in a statement.
Ossoff said he was “deeply concerned” about the potential impact of tariffs on the state.
“We have the Port of Savannah, the third busiest deep-water port in the country. Georgia relies upon international commerce. I know that our farmers are deeply concerned about the prospect of losing access to global markets,” he said.
The tariffs announced by Trump last week were another example, Ossoff said, of “a pattern of recklessness” by this administration.
NEWS: COMMUNITY
‘Hands off’
At least a thousand anti-Trump demonstrators thronged downtown Savannah on Saturday to demand that the Trump administration cease cutbacks in federal programs and stop what they say are assaults on their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
Chanting “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Trump and Musk got to go,” the gathering of protesters, which was made up of at least as many people over the age of 40 as under it, snaked from the bandshell at Forsyth Park up Bull Street to City Hall.
How Saturday’s protesters in both Savannah and Brunswick think Trump and his billionaire lieutenant Elon Musk can be pushed aside was unclear. Still, amid no evidence of efforts by local Democratic Party leaders and groups to organize opposition to the administration, the turnout for Saturday’s protest was a sign that there’s a section of the public ready to be rallied, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
NEWS
ICYMI
- Savannah Agenda’s Eric Curl says Chatham County residents need to know when county officials are giving away large tracts of real estate.
- “Although the plaintiffs have not prevailed in this court of law, their advocacy has helped spark real legislative action,” U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg writes, in dismissing long-running lawsuit challenging the security of Georgia’s electronic voting machines.
- Headlines from the tariff front: “Farmers fear tariffs could cost them one of their biggest markets in China.”
- Headlines from the DOGE front: “Trump administration ends key grant program that helps communities prepare for disasters”; “Layoffs threaten US firefighter cancer registry, mine research and mask lab”; and “Trump’s PEPFAR cuts upend the lives of Kenyan families battling HIV.”
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With Kemp hovering, Georgia lawmakers wrap up business
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has 40 days to consider a slew of bills approved by the state legislature, including a n “America First” license plate and expanded childcare tax credits.
Demonstrators crowd Savannah streets Saturday protest federal program cuts
Demonstrators in Savannah demanded that the Trump administration cease cutbacks in federal programs and stop assaults on their rights under the U.S. Constitution, with chants of “Hands off” democracy and “Hands off” libraries, personal data, veteran services, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Failure of speed-zone cameras bill leaves bad blood between Georgia House and Senate
House Bill 651, which sought to restrict school-zone speed cameras, was shelved until next year due to the unexpected early end of the 2025 General Assembly session.
Open records bill stripped of new loopholes for state lawmakers
A proposed bill to limit the public’s access to police reports and communications with state lawmakers was abandoned after First Amendment defenders expressed opposition. Original bill heads for governor’s desk.
Culture war bills, election tinkering left behind as Georgia lawmakers abruptly leave Gold Dome
The 2025 legislative session in Georgia ended abruptly when the Senate adjourned early, leaving many bills left in limbo, but the House did pass a bipartisan landlord bill and a budget for the next fiscal year.
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