ATLANTA – This week’s budget hearings confirmed Georgians’ worst fears as state agency heads finally shared details of how Brian Kemp’s extreme, “life-robbing” budget will impact Georgians. From Nathan Deal’s criminal justice reforms to crucial programs for rural health care, no program was spared – and Georgians will be paying the price for years to come.  

DPG Chairwoman Nikema Williams said: 

“Brian Kemp has always made it clear that he’ll put his extreme agenda over the lives of Georgians, and his budget proposal is a cruel display of that truth. Make no mistake: Georgians will feel the devastating cost of this budget, whether it’s more rural hospitals closing or lives lost due to lack of necessary medical care. Democrats will keep fighting tooth and nail to protect the essential services that Georgians need – because we know our future depends on it.”

Here’s a snapshot of some of the revelations from this week’s hearings: 

• Dangerously cutting Georgia’s mental health budget. The head of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Development testified that Kemp’s cuts would result in an increase in suicides and substance abuse problems across the state – which one Republican called “life changing, life robbing.” 
• Trashing Nathan Deal’s bipartisan criminal justice reform. Kemp’s budget slashes funding from Deal’s nationally acclaimed bipartisan criminal justice overhaul, which saved taxpayer money, reduced racism in the justice system, and expanded treatment programs for nonviolent offenders. 
• Gutting health care access for rural Georgians. Rural Georgians will lose nearly 15 million dollars in funding to local health departments, which are often the “frontline” of care in areas where medical providers are scarce. Kemp’s budget also cuts half a million dollars from the crucial program that is designed to recruit doctors to work in rural Georgia. 

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