NOW MORE THAN EVER, WE NEED A BIPARTISAN PATH FORWARD!

Throughout my time in Congress, I have found ways to work across the aisle to deliver for Georgians and the American people.

Working Across the Aisle within the Georgia Delegation 

For over a decade, I worked with Rep. Austin Scott (R) in the neighboring 8th Congressional District to protect Georgia's pecan growers from unfair tariffs, and last year I teamed up with Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) to ensure our national defense by protecting funding for the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center.

Standing Strong for Agriculture and Rural Communities

Earlier this year, I led a bipartisan effort to demand a better Fiscal Year 2024 Ag, Rural Development, and FDA funding bill so that Americans have affordable access to the best food, fiber, and medicine.

Congress has passed two bipartisan, temporary funding bills as we craft a full-year federal funding bill. I will be working across the aisle to follow a path forward that Democrats, Republicans, and the President can get behind. In the meantime, the government remains open and working for the people.

This provides stability for our departments and agencies that ensure safe road, rail, and air travel as well as continues federal programs that support our local law enforcement. It also means that our active duty and civilian military personnel get paid. For families, the elderly, veterans, and those working hard to make ends meet, crucial programs remain open and at their service to ensure access to affordable food, housing, and care through departments and agencies like the Veterans Administration, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

At the end of September, the 2018 Farm Bill lapsed, ending authorization of and funding for nutrition programs as well as programs on which our agriculture producers rely. This would leave families facing hunger and farmers facing uncertainty. But, Congress came together before the Thanksgiving holiday to pass a one-year extension of the Farm Bill while the House and Senate work out a full, five-year agreement.

Caring for Our Military Families 

I co-chair the Congressional Military Family Caucus with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05). This August, I hosted the 2023 Military Family Summit at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Moore.

As the Biden Administration continues to implement the bipartisan Honoring Our PACT Act that I supported and Congress passed last year, the VA has screened 4,599,009 Veterans for toxic exposures, which is crucial to catching and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions as early as possible.

Bringing Manufacturing Jobs to Middle & Southwest Georgia

Middle and Southwest Georgia continue to benefit from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) as well as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which I supported in Congress last year. The IIJA provided funds to Anovion which it is using to build a new manufacturing facility in Bainbridge that will produce electric vehicle battery components.

Because of the Clean School Bus Program created by the IIJA, dozens of school districts across the country have already purchased over 120 clean school buses from Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley.

The IIJA and IRA energy and technology incentives are helping create hundreds of good-paying, manufacturing jobs and supporting hundreds more in Middle and Southwest Georgia. These laws also can help diversify America's energy resources and how the U.S. uses energy, reducing the likelihood of a bottleneck in our country's supply chain that can inflate energy costs for families and businesses because of an overreliance on any one type of energy.

I remain committed to fighting for Georgians and hope that Democrats and Republicans can find common ground to keep the federal government open and serving all Americans.

-Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
Member of Congress
Georgia's 2nd Congressional District

*** If you need assistance with a federal department or agency, you can contact my office. Visit my website for more information!

Helping Local Law Enforcement & First Responders

This summer, several local fire and emergency services departments in Middle & Southwest Georgia received Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to help update equipment crucial for protecting firefighters and keeping our communities safe.

• Columbus FD & EMS ($315,757.89)
• Crawford County FD ($577,295.23)
• Grady County FD ($505,418.18)
• Montezuma FD ($105,942)

In September, the Lumpkin City Law Enforcement Department received $34,150 in USDA Rural Development funds to replace outdated equipment in their patrol vehicles.

Reducing Electric Bills, Bolstering Local Energy Grids

This autumn, businesses in Crawford, Peach, Early, and Thomas Counties received grants through the Rural Energy for America Program. These grants, totaling $265,410, will help four small businesses install solar energy systems.

According to the USDA Rural Development project descriptions of these awards, combined, they will realize an estimated $66,737 in savings a year due to the improvements. As an added bonus, the projects help reduce strain on local energy grids which benefit from additional local energy production.

Read more about the Crawford & Peach County awards. Read more about the Early and Thomas County awards.

Supporting STEM Education for the 21st-Century Economy

In September and October, two of our local universities received federal funds to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. These fields are vital to America’s national security and economic prosperity. In 2022, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS & Science Act to stoke a resurgence of manufacturing jobs in America, including in Middle and Southwest Georgia. By engaging students from all across our community, colleges, and universities, it can help Georgia produce the skilled workers it needs to fill these jobs and strengthen our economy.

Fort Valley State University received $398,058 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through this grant, FVSU will improve its outreach efforts to underrepresented and nontraditional students – including minorities and veterans. These students will benefit from an enhanced STEM curriculum as well as workshops, research experience, and scientific exchange opportunities with fellow STEM students and scientists at research conferences. The students will also receive career guidance to connect their education with new and high-demand STEM jobs as well as graduate studies in the field.

Albany State University received $40,000 through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize Inspire Track. The HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize supports President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which directs 40% of proceeds from certain federal investments to flow to disadvantaged communities by helping to build a diverse STEM pipeline to support America’s clean energy future.

Working with Senators Ossoff and Warnock, I secured $4 million through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill (approved in December 2022) to help design, engineer, and start construction on a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) Collaboration Center which brings together Columbus State University and the Muscogee County School District to expand the education pipeline from elementary school through college that will inspire and train the next generation of American innovators, entrepreneurs, and 21st-century economy workers.