Senators Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) have collaborated to amend the one "Big, Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) by reducing its spending cuts and mitigating its effects on health insurance. This work has yet to pay off, though, as Republicans continue to block their efforts and double down on the OBBB.
The Senators first announced their collaboration on X with a video of themselves standing outside the chamber. In the video, they discussed amending the bill to mitigate what they consider to be a budgetary disaster.
The senators made sure to discuss how the OBBB negatively impacts Georgians by driving up healthcare premiums and taking others off Medicaid. “This bill is a disaster for the state of Georgia in just about every way imaginable,” Sen. Ossoff stated.
When they returned to the chamber, Sen. Ossoff introduced an amendment mitigating the increase in health insurance premiums. Sen. Warnock endorsed this amendment and derided Republicans for voting it down.
While advocating for the amendment, Ossoff warned, “If we allow Affordable Care Act benefits to expire, as this bill would, more than a million Georgians will pay more for health insurance next year.”
“I just voted YES on (Sen. Ossoff's) amendment to stop health care premiums from increasing,” Warnock commented. “Senate Republicans voted it down. They want YOU to pay more for your health care while billionaires get a tax cut.”
Sen. Warnock introduced an amendment of his own preserving clean energy jobs in Georgia and nationwide, supposedly endangered by the OBBB. Republicans blocked this amendment as well.
Sen. Warnock grew frustrated with Republicans blocking amendments that would save rural hospitals, stop medicaid cuts, and stop health insurance premium hikes. He asked on X, “If they were serious about protecting health care, why didn't they vote yes on these simple amendments?”
After voting and deliberating for nearly twenty-four hours, Warnock released another video of himself standing outside the chamber, talking to the camera. In the video, he reiterates how the OBBB is an attempt to give billionaires tax cuts and have the working class pay for it.
Warnock speculated that the Republicans were having difficulty finding the necessary votes. He stated, “I have a feeling that they’re having a hard time cobbling together the votes, even on the Republican side.”
