LOEFFLER OP-ED: BIDEN MUST CHANGE COURSE TO PREEMPT FOOD SHORTAGE
April 26, 2022
In case you missed it, Greater Georgia Chairwoman and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler penned an op-ed for the Washington Examiner
yesterday discussing the urgent threat of America's impending food shortage and the liberal policies that have pushed our nation to the brink of an inflationary and supply chain crisis. Read the full text of Kelly's op-ed below:
In America, the availability of everyday goods such as groceries and gasoline is generally a given. Even in 2020, amid the fallout of a pandemic, well-documented shortages were relatively short-lived. But as the economy recovered heading into 2021, the shift in Washington toward Democratic policies may now make hunger pangs familiar in a way unseen since the Great Depression.
While America is the world’s breadbasket, reliance on Russian and Ukrainian wheat, barley, fertilizer, and, most of all, energy has made every mouthful cost more, as have increased regulations and taxes on our farmers here at home. Russia and Ukraine produce
25% of the world’s wheat, and Russia exports 20% of the world’s natural gas supply, both vital to the food supply chain. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion has disrupted these exports and left the world in a precarious position.
A recent article in
Parade listed
basically every food as at risk of being in short supply in 2022, from eggs and dairy to produce and meat, but then laughably blamed climate change as one of the key causes. Particularly since shortages will be felt most by the more than 10% of Americans who are food insecure, President Joe Biden should be working to avert this looming crisis. Instead, he shrugs and says, "With regard to food shortage, it's going to be real," and then plays the solutionless blame game.
The buck never seems to stop at this president's desk, but facts speak louder than spin. Biden's harsh regulatory policies, trillions in reckless government spending, and his insistence on paying people not to work have triggered rampant inflation. Russia's aggression threw fuel on the fire, but it doesn't singularly explain away the price of beef shooting up 16%, the price of poultry increasing 13%, or the recent rationing
of baby formula, not to mention skyrocketing wages shouldered by small businesses, which employ the majority of the public today.
Here in Georgia, farmers now pay over $1,400 for the same $400 bag of fertilizer they bought two years ago, in part because petroleum products are a key fertilizer ingredient. That is just one example of many products, such as diesel, seed, and equipment, the price spikes of which are exceeding gains in commodity prices. Supply and demand dynamics for all commodities, the building blocks of food, clothing, and fuel, will be discussed in 2022 like we’ve not seen in decades.
When the administration "helped" farmers by making it more difficult to keep animals and use water on their land, it made it more costly to produce food. Rising prices borne by families aren’t a concern of the elites, with
Bloomberg telling
us to try lentils instead of meat.
The Biden administration's irresponsible policies threaten to leave grocery shelves even more bare than during the pandemic. Democrats in Congress play their part in the Kabuki theater, too, hauling in energy and agriculture executives for what amounts to show trials, hoping we forget that Biden inherited a nation that was a net exporter of oil for the first time in 80 years, where food stamp usage hit a record low, and where the post-pandemic economy was starting to boom.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has even attacked grocery stores for rising prices, as if they haven't seen their costs rise. Finger-pointing and climate schemes won’t make food more affordable or save the many family farms and other small businesses in danger of being lost in the inflation wave.
More regulation and bureaucracy, which Biden continues to roll out as the solution to our problems, has tightened the screws on farmers tilling our soil just as climate schemes such as canceling the Keystone Pipeline and banning drilling on federal lands have hurt thousands who work in the only industry that can reasonably provide energy security for all. The longer Democrats cling to big-government policies, the more likely it is that Biden’s prophecy of a real food shortage will be self-fulfilling.
Recently, a reporter asked former President Barack Obama if he had anything to say to Democrats worried about their fate in the midterm elections. "We got a story to tell," he replied. "Just got to tell it." But the story they have to tell is of a president, whose party controls both the House and the Senate, with an uncanny knack for making things worse, not better, with every move.
We are walking a tightrope between prosperity and a bleak future of fuel and food shortages. Unless we get back to putting the needs of the public ahead of the needs of activists on their Twitter feeds, we will be coping with the consequences of Biden's reckless policies for years to come.
###
Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA, GA — Today, Greater Georgia Action, Inc. announced a statewide education tour to inform Georgians about consequential legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session, with a heavy focus on Governor Brian Kemp’s civil judicial reform package. Engaging speakers and innovative event formats will allow Georgians to learn about the impact of these laws and ask questions in an approachable environment. Each unique event, ranging from small business roundtables to town halls, will feature key civic leaders, elected officials, and topic experts. Additional information will be made available closer to the event. Greater Georgia is excited to visit: April 16, 2025 - Dekalb County (Stonecrest, GA) featuring Insurance Commissioner John King Bibb County (Macon, GA) Fulton County (Alpharetta, GA) Chatham County (Savannah, GA) Whitfield County (Dalton, GA) Gwinnett County (TBD) Doughtery County (Albany, GA) Athens Clarke County (Athens, GA) Lowndes County (Valdosta, GA) “Educating diverse and disengaged communities is a key mission of Greater Georgia, so we’re taking our message on the road to reach voters where they are,” said Terry Fye, Director of Outreach for Greater Georgia. “Georgia took an immense step toward balanced court rooms and competitive insurance markets, and these events will help Georgians understand the full benefits of tort reform and provide real- time feedback to their elected officials.” “Session is out, and now our work begins in earnest to educate voters on the legislation passed that will impact them and their families. This tour will empower voters and provide them with the resources they need to make informed decisions next November.” For additional information about Greater Georgia and to receive updates about the education tour, please visit our website, https://www.greatergeorgia.com/.
ATLANTA, GA — Today, Greater Georgia Action, Inc. announced a statewide education tour to inform Georgians about consequential legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session, with a heavy focus on Governor Brian Kemp’s civil judicial reform package. Engaging speakers and innovative event formats will allow Georgians to learn about the impact of these laws and ask questions in an approachable environment. Each unique event, ranging from small business roundtables to town halls, will feature key civic leaders, elected officials, and topic experts. Additional information will be made available closer to the event. Greater Georgia is excited to visit: April 16, 2025 - Dekalb County (Stonecrest, GA) featuring Insurance Commissioner John King Bibb County (Macon, GA) Fulton County (Alpharetta, GA) Chatham County (Savannah, GA) Whitfield County (Dalton, GA) Gwinnett County (TBD) Doughtery County (Albany, GA) Athens Clarke County (Athens, GA) Lowndes County (Valdosta, GA) “Educating diverse and disengaged communities is a key mission of Greater Georgia, so we’re taking our message on the road to reach voters where they are,” said Terry Fye, Director of Outreach for Greater Georgia. “Georgia took an immense step toward balanced court rooms and competitive insurance markets, and these events will help Georgians understand the full benefits of tort reform and provide real- time feedback to their elected officials.” “Session is out, and now our work begins in earnest to educate voters on the legislation passed that will impact them and their families. This tour will empower voters and provide them with the resources they need to make informed decisions next November.” For additional information about Greater Georgia and to receive updates about the education tour, please visit our website, https://www.greatergeorgia.com/.
ATLANTA – Today, Greater Georgia announced that its 2024 pre-election voter registration push registered over 7,000 new conservative voters and re-engaged over 4,000 inactive conservative voters. Inactive voters are those who had not participated in an election in the last five years - in this case, since at least 2018. "Greater Georgia has become the leading conservative voter registration group in our state - working year-round to expand the tent, rather than taking it down after every election," said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. "Since 2021, we have registered more than 55,000 new voters, who just became part of the landslide that elected President Trump. We've proved our thesis that we can keep Georgia red as long as we work year-round, every year, to grow the conservative movement. Today, as we prepare for the next election cycle starting with municipal elections in 2025, we can confidently say that the movement has never been stronger or more energized." Greater Georgia is the state's leading conservative voter registration organization. Since it was founded in 2021, the group has registered and re-engaged more than 55,000 voters. It has also worked to build diverse coalitions and advocate for election integrity. In 2024, the group invested in multiple six-figure campaigns, including an 8-week voter registration campaign that ran from August to October, featuring digital ads, text messages, in-person voter registration drives, and over 115,000 phone calls to unregistered voters. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA – Today, Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler applauded the efforts of Greater Georgia, the Georgia GOP, the RNC, and other conservative groups after Republicans won decisive victories up and down the ballot across the state. President Trump won with a record-breaking 2.65 million votes, the most ever received by a Republican candidate in Georgia. Republicans in the State Senate maintained their 33-23 majority and Republicans in the State House will also preserve their majority, having defended three key tossup districts and flipped one Democrat-held seat. “I founded Greater Georgia to apply the strategic lessons we learned in the 2020 election, with the singular mission of creating a winning conservative infrastructure in our state. Over nearly four years, we have invested millions and worked every day to drive voter registration, diverse community outreach, and election integrity, building a new conservative coalition and solidifying Georgia as a red state,” said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. “Last night’s victories, from the state legislature to the presidency, were years in the making. They are a testament to the candidates, campaigns, and preparation of groups like Greater Georgia, the Georgia Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and other key partners. From the ground game to election integrity, 2024 was a massive step change for conservatives despite being outraised at every level. “We’re already evaluating the data to find ways to sustain these gains for the long term - and I look forward to collaborating with our conservative counterparts to build on this solid foundation to engage Georgia voters and keep our state red.” Leading up to this election, Greater Georgia invested over $1M in voter registration and several get-out-the-vote campaigns, making more than 14,000,000 voter contacts. Greater Georgia targeted - and saw gains from - the following conservative-leaning groups: Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters Voters aged 18-29 South Georgia voters impacted by Hurricane Helene Low-propensity male voters in North Georgia Conservative and swing voters in Fulton County Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
ATLANTA – Tonight, Greater Georgia Chairwoman and Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler issued the following statement after President Donald Trump won Georgia’s 16 electoral college votes in the 2024 presidential election. “Tonight’s win is one of the greatest political victories in modern history. Despite the relentless attempts to jail, bankrupt, slander, and assassinate him – Donald J. Trump has flipped the state of Georgia red in a decisive victory for his America First movement. Voters rejected Kamala Harris’ failed record and, along with millions of their fellow Americans, cast their ballots to restore strength, security, and the American Dream. “This is a significant milestone for Georgia, and I join our voters in thanking President Trump for his relentless commitment to making America greater than ever before, and for the sacrifices of the entire Trump family. The future of our nation is bright thanks to his willingness to fight for it. And as Chairwoman of Greater Georgia, I also thank our staff, volunteers, and interns who have spent nearly four years building a winning conservative infrastructure that just helped move our state back into the solidly red column.” Senator Loeffler is the top donor to President Trump in Georgia, having contributed more than $6,000,000 in support of his re-election campaign. Greater Georgia has made over 14,000,000 voter contacts in the last six months, as part of the organization's effort to register and mobilize voters ahead of the presidential election. Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
(ATLANTA) – Today, Greater Georgia announced a new digital ad, text message, and phone call campaign to drive up voter turnout in key Republican counties. Early voting turnout is currently strongest in counties that President Trump won in the 2020 election. However, Greater Georgia is targeting 80,000 Republican voters in four major counties with a turnout of less than 40%: Bartow, Carroll, Walker, and Whitfield. "Republican counties are outpacing Democrat counties on turnout, which is a clear sign that conservatives have the enthusiasm advantage in Georgia,” said Greater Georgia Chairwoman and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler. “But Greater Georgia is taking nothing for granted – which is why we’re closely watching the data and making real-time adjustments to drive up turnout in key areas. By flooding the state with get-out-the-vote efforts where they are needed most, we will augment our margin of victory – and help President Trump and the entire ticket deliver a clear victory next Tuesday." Bartow, Carroll, Walker, and Whitfield counties are the only Republican strongholds in the state with a turnout of less than 40%. As of this morning, the average turnout in counties that went for Trump in 2020 is 41.5%. The average turnout in counties that went for Biden in 2020 is 38.9%. Several Republican stronghold counties are seeing high turnout, including Forsyth with 56.3% turnout and Cherokee with 49.6% turnout. Meanwhile, Democrat strongholds like Dougherty and Clayton counties have only achieved 28.6% and 36.4% turnout, respectively. This is the latest GOTV campaign from Greater Georgia, which has also launched targeted campaigns to encourage Black, Hispanic, Asian, and young voters to support President Trump . ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com