Keeping Georgians Informed – Senator Reverend Ralph Warnock (GA)
GEORGIA -U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock announced he secured millions in the annual government funding bill for MANA Nutrition Factory in Fitzgerald, Georgia. The funding will go towards supporting Georgia jobs manufacturing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) which will be distributed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in some of the most famine-stricken parts of the world. RUTF is largely composed of peanuts, a major South Georgia commodity. The Senator successfully pressured House and Senate to include robust funding for RUTF to support Georgia jobs and address global famine. Additionally, the Senator advocated directly to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack for the immediate use of RUTF to address global hunger and is pushing USAID to utilize RUTF to fight hunger in Gaza.
“Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food supports South Georgia peanut producers, creates good-paying Peach State jobs, and saves lives around the world,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “I’m grateful to MANA for their mission-driven work and USAID for recognizing the value of investing in Georgia companies. I’m thrilled to see these federal dollars go towards South Georgia manufacturing and peanut producers while fighting famine around the world.”
Last week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, a member of the Senate Commerce committee, called out Congress’ inaction on funding the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and how a potential lapse or end would be detrimental to the more than 23 million Americans who depend on it—including 720,000 Georgians.
Senator Warnock questioned Blair Levin, a Policy Advisor for New Street Research, who was part of a panel of expert witnesses during the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband hearing. During the Senator’s opening statement and questioning, he highlighted the importance of affordable, reliable broadband access to provide vital services relating to education, health care, veteran services, and economic opportunity, also emphasizing the potential impact on specific communities if the program lapses or ends as it is slated to do later this month.
Over the last week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff (GA) announced that they secured $80,049,510 in federal housing investments for Georgia through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) FY 2024 Public Housing Capital Fund Formula Grant Awards. The investments will flow to 149 localities across the state and will provide affordable housing options for Georgians of all income levels.
In another move, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, a member of the Senate Commerce committee, which oversees national transportation and aviation policy, joined Bloomberg TV’s “Balance of Power” to underscore the importance of passing the FAA reauthorization bill. During the interview, Senator Warnock highlighted provisions he secured aimed at bolstering the aviation workforce and advocated for adding an additional five daily round trips at DCA, increasing access to the nation’s capital. Senator Warnock is leading the charge to add the additional five trips to DCA and successfully crafted the bipartisan agreement with House and Senate leaders included in the bicameral FAA bill.
U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, a member of the Commerce committee’s subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, joined his colleagues to pass the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill, which included provisions championed by Senator Warnock that will transform the aviation industry—including strengthening aviation workforce development provisions that will address the current shortage of pilots, mechanics, and manufacturers, and investing in consumer protections and safety for Georgians. The reauthorization passed by a vote of 88-4. Thanks to Senator Warnock’s leadership, aviation educational institutions will now have access to the resources they need to train the strong, 21st century workforce that will take the industry and economy to greater heights. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the Senate-passed reauthorization next week, and the President is expected to sign it into law.
Additionally, Senator Warnock secured critical investments for airport improvement projects in Georgia, which will bring millions of federal dollars to the state over the next five years; these grants will help construct and upgrade aviation infrastructure at the state’s airports—including terminal space, runways, security, and more. The Senator also led the effort to include new roundtrip flights to Washington’s Reagan National Airport. Lastly, thanks to Senator Warnock’s leadership, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is better positioned to remain in control of the city of Atlanta.
At the end of last week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock celebrated his year-long effort to secure five additional roundtrip flights to anywhere in the county out of Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA), opening up greater access to the nation’s capital.
