State Senator Larry Walker III (R–Perry) has released a letter addressed to Senators Raphael Warnock (D–GA) and Jon Ossoff (D–GA), urging them to take immediate action and end the ongoing federal government shutdown, now entering its 29th day.
In the letter, Sen. Larry Walker highlighted the growing hardship faced by Georgia families, including the potential expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This would affect an estimated 1.5 million Georgians, with over 300,000 of them being children.
The letter begins with the State Senator calling out the political games and political posturing of Senate Democrats, and how the risk of crisis only grows larger in Georgia. He then points to his district in Middle Georgia, which is particularly at risk of food insecurity.
“The expiration of these benefits is not a distant threat; it is imminent, and it will exacerbate hunger and food insecurity at a scale we have not seen in years,” Walker wrote in his letter. “Georgia’s children, seniors, and working poor deserve better than to bear the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction.”
Walker noted the severe impact on the 22,000 employees and contractors at Robins Air Force Base, the state’s largest single-site employer, where hundreds of essential workers have already been furloughed.
“The shutdown has furloughed hundreds of essential non-exempt employees in my district, halting critical maintenance, research, and support operations that underpin our national security and local economy,” Walker explained. “These dedicated public servants—many of whom are veterans and single parents—are now facing delayed paychecks, mounting bills, and the fear of financial ruin.”
The State Senator also appealed to Ossoff and Warnock as fellow civil servants and invoked the oaths that they all took to protect and represent Georgians.
He called on them to “set aside partisan divides and lead the charge in the Senate to pass a clean continuing resolution,” emphasizing the urgent need to restore federal funding and protect both Georgia families and the national defense operations anchored in Middle Georgia.
