Senator Reverend Warnock spoke with Georgia county commissioners and other local officials during the national conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo)
Senator Reverend Warnock: “And as a new Congress begins, and I began finally in my first full six-year term, I’m still committed to building what Dr. King called the beloved community. And as a lawmaker, and as a pastor, I’m willing to work with anybody”
Washington D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) Warnock spoke with a group of Georgia county commissioners and other local officials visiting Washington, D.C. for the national conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Senator Warnock spoke with the local leaders on public policy that will improve people’s lives and support the state’s local economies.
During his remarks, Senator Warnock highlighted the 2023 Farm Bill as one of his top legislative priorities this year, including his focus on protecting vital nutrition benefits, bolstering Georgia’s major commodities, boosting farmers’ access to new markets, and investing in vital agriculture research.
“Georgia is a big ag state. Agriculture is still the biggest part of our economy. And it’s important we bolster our state’s commodities like cotton and peanuts; that we boost our farmers’ access to new markets; and that we invest in vital ag research, rural development and in strengthening rural broadband,” said Senator Warnock.
Additionally, Senator Warnock spoke about the important work he will continue leading to bring reliable broadband internet access to every corner of the state. Senator Warnock has championed robust federal investments in broadband access for Georgians in rural and underserved areas.
“Broadband is to the 21st century what electricity was in the 20th century. You can’t farm effectively without a broadband connection. If you’re talking about telehealth, you’re talking about the homework gap: it’s hard to overstate the importance of broadband within the state and around 10% of Georgians don’t have a good, decent broadband connection: disproportionately in rural areas. And so, I look forward to working with our counties on this,” said Senator Warnock.
Last December, Senator Warnock led the entire Georgia delegation in calling on the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop more accurate federal broadband maps and better reflect Georgia’s needs. Additionally, in December 2022 Senator Warnock announced $250 million in American Rescue Plan funding will be invested in expanding and improving Georgians’ broadband access. He has secured more than $570 million in federal funding to bolster Georgia’s broadband infrastructure.
See below for key excerpts from Senator Warnock’s remarks:
“And as a new Congress begins, and I begin finally in my first full six-year term, I’m still committed to building what Dr. King called the beloved community. And as a lawmaker, and as a pastor, I’m willing to work with anybody.”
“I think we can get anything done as long as we center people”
“Georgia is a big ag state. Agriculture is still the biggest part of our economy. And it’s important we bolster our state’s commodities like cotton and peanuts; that we boost our farmers’ access to new markets;And that we invest in vital ag research, rural development and in strengthening rural broadband.”
“Broadband is to the 21st century what electricity was in the 20th century. You can’t farm
effectively without a broadband connection. If you’re talking about telehealth, you’re talking about the homework gap: it’s hard to overstate the importance of broadband within the state and around 10% of Georgians don’t have a good, decent broadband connection: disproportionately in rural areas. And so, I look forward to working with our counties on this.”
“And as long as we work together, I think we can do great things for the people that you’re working with. At the same time, we got to continue to work on housing, affordable housing. Housing is security. Housing is dignity. Housing is prosperity in the American dream, and we got to make sure that people have a path to homeownership.”
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