Kemp’s budget “increases” still leave Georgians underfunded when accounting pre-pandemic slashes to the budget and come alongside GOP support for legislation to potentially strip over $2.5 billion from public education funding
ATLANTA — After cutting Georgia’s budget amid a pandemic, Brian Kemp is now promoting budget “increases”— made possible in part by federal support — that still fail to fully fund services critical to Georgians.
Kemp’s new budget still does not fully expand Medicaid (which would provide coverage for some 500,000 Georgians). Instead, he continues spending taxpayer dollars to try and defend his request for costly waivers that cover far fewer Georgians. And in his political tenure, over 10 rural hospitals have closed, leaving too many communities behind.
As Kemp touts pay raises, he fails to mention the over $950 million in cuts to public education funding he oversaw prior to the pandemic. His “full funding” of public education still leaves our children and their schools underfunded thanks to his massive, earlier cuts. And all the while, over 30 Georgia Republicans are pushing HB 888 in the state legislative session, which could slash “hundreds of millions of dollars” from public schools. According to PEMGA, HB 888 could slash at over $2.5 billion from public schools.
“Our health care infrastructure, public education system, and small businesses have been left behind. Georgians need a budget that gives our teachers and students the resources they need, fully expands Medicaid, and invests in our workers now,” said Fair Fight Action Organizing Director Hillary Holley. “But Instead, Georgians are suffering as a result of Brian Kemp’s dangerous budget cuts. As Kemp tries to take a victory lap, he has still failed to fully fund life-saving services for our most vulnerable Georgians and his party is still pushing legislation that could strip over $1 billion from Georgia’s public schools.”
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