Senator Perdue Speaks with Georgia’s Capitol Beat News about His Results, Experience as a Job Creator
U.S. Senator David Perdue spoke with Dave Williams of Georgia-
Read Capitol Beat’s profile of Senator Perdue here and below.
Here are some highlights:
On his 40-Year Business Career:
Both Perdue, a former CEO at Reebok and Dollar General, and Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV show star, were running for elective office for the first time, vying to put their decades of business experience to work in government.
Four years later, as the two Republicans seek re-election on the same Nov. 3 ballot, they point to the jobs they have created as proof positive that they deserve another term. Only the coronavirus pandemic has gotten in the way of what was a booming economy early this year.
“I created tens of thousands of jobs in my work environment,” said Perdue, whose business career also included stints as a vice president at Sara Lee Corp. and Hagar Clothing. “Then, [after joining the Senate], we created 7½ million new jobs before COVID.”
On Providing Historic COVID-19 Relief:
Perdue said it wasn’t easy for him – as a fiscal hawk – to step up and vote for $2.9 trillion in federal relief for businesses and workers affected by COVID-19, including the $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“We saved 1.5 million jobs in Georgia because of the PPP,” he said. “Our community banks did a tremendous job getting this money to the businesses.”
On His Rural Healthcare Solutions During COVID-19:
In recent months, as the COVID crisis left hospitals – particularly in rural communities – short of health-care workers to handle a growing number of patients – Perdue introduced legislation to let rural hospitals employ unused immigration visas to bring in doctors and nurses from overseas.
Perdue also has played a leading role on the overall immigration reform issue, introducing a bill back in 2017 calling for a “merit-based” system based on bringing in more highly skilled legal immigrants into the U.S. and de-emphasizing family connections.
“We have to secure the border and at the same time have a balanced immigration system that allows us to import the right workers to grow our economy,” he said.
On Always Protecting Coverage For Pre-Existing Conditions:
Perdue has joined fellow Senate Republicans in trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which then-President Barack Obama pushed through a Democratic-controlled Congress a decade ago. That stand has opened him up to attacks from Democrats that he opposes requiring health insurance companies to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions.
“I did vote against the Affordable Care Act a number of times,” Perdue said. “But I also voted to protect pre-existing conditions a number of times. … This is a total misrepresentation by the Democrat side.”
Perdue said he supports cracking down on “surprise” billing of health-care costs, along the lines Georgia’s General Assembly pursued during this year’s legislative session.
On The Stark Contrast In This Election:
Perdue campaign ads have portrayed Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff as backing his party’s “radical” agenda, including defunding the police and supporting a government takeover of health care.
“It’s a crystal-clear contrast between a radical takeover of individual freedom and economic opportunity, limited government and individual freedom,” Perdue said. “We’re trying to reopen our economy and get schools reopened.”
