Congressman Collins Talks Health Care, Tax Reform and Still Supporting President Trump
Politics May 19, 2017
Georgia’s 9th District Congressman Doug Collins talks with BKP today about the health care bill. Collins also states that he believes and hopes they will be able to start working on the tax reform this year. BKP also asks the Congressman if he is still a supporter of President Donald Trump. Lastly Collins discusses issues that he and his team are working on that are more specifically focused in the 9th District: Dodd Frank Act, the VA – veteran’s health care, police week, and human trafficing week.
OBAMACARE VICTIM ACCOMPANIES COLLINS TO JOINT SESSION
Featured, Politics February 28, 2017
OBAMACARE VICTIM ACCOMPANIES COLLINS TO JOINT SESSION
02/27/17
WASHINGTON—Congressman Doug Collins (R-Ga.) will attend President Donald Trump’s speech to the joint session of Congress with a guest from Toccoa, Georgia. Members of Congress each receive one guest ticket to the president’s annual speech.
Congressman Collins has invited his constituent Brittany Ivey to the joint session. The working mother and her husband have struggled under the consequences of the Affordable Care Act. Ivey was working part-time at a small business that provided her family with health insurance until the effects of Obamacare on the insurance market raised her premiums sharply. This drove the Ivey family into the individual market, where a mid-level plan took 65% of her monthly gross income—even after a small federal subsidy.
“There’s no better occasion than the president’s annual address to Congress to bring attention to the victims of the Affordable Care Act and the urgency of repealing Obamacare. Northeast Georgia is full of individuals who work tirelessly to care for their families, and Mrs. Ivey’s story illustrates the destruction wrought by the failed health care law,” said Collins.
“Unable to afford insurance through her employer, Mrs. Ivey turned to the federal exchange, where she obtained a plan that neither her nor her children’s doctor would accept. The government has robbed our loved ones of their access to affordable, meaningful health services, and the only remedy before us is to return competition and innovation to every dimension of our health care system by repealing Obamacare.”
“I’m looking forward to the president’s remarks on how our unified government is rescuing health care for millions of people injured by the misguided Affordable Care Act.”
Ivey is relieved that members of Congress seem to understand her family’s plight, and she is eager to see substantive health care reform.
“I’m grateful that Congress is taking action to fix our health care system. For the last several years, my family has experienced how Obamacare hurts hardworking, middle-class Americans. All I wanted was to be a stay-at-home mother to my daughter and sons, but the skyrocketing prices of health insurance drove me back into the labor market full-time,” explains Ivey.
“My husband and I have been punished for working hard, driven to the edge of financial disaster as we paid thousands and thousands of dollars in premiums for a federal plan that our doctors rejected. Even though we’re healthy, this law has crippled our family.”
President Trump is scheduled to address members of the House of Representatives and the Senate at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28.
Congressman Collins Op-ed on Our Path Ahead in Washington Post Today
Featured, News November 30, 2016
Congressman Collins is already making good on his promise to bring Northeast Georgia values and vision to national conversations about our country’s path forward.
Collins: SCOTUS ruling a tragedy for women, states’ rights
Featured June 27, 2016
June 27, 2016
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court struck down a state law regarding health and safety standards for Texas abortion clinics. In the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Court voted 5-3 to strike down HB-2, a Texas law requiring abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles, and that abortion clinics must comply with state standards for outpatient surgical centers. The Court stated the law placed an “undue burden” in the way of women seeking an abortion. Congressman Collins, a Baptist pastor who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas earlier this year, issued the following statement in response to the ruling:
“The Court’s decision endangers women and removes valuable safety precautions, and is an erosion of states’ rights. The elected representatives of the Texas legislature passed this law to ensure patient safety in their state, and the law was signed by the Governor. The Supreme Court decision inserts the court into patient safety decisions where they don’t belong.”
“I have voted to protect the sanctity of life throughout my time in both the Georgia state legislature and the House of Representatives. This ruling will allow abortion clinics to proliferate with little oversight. As we saw with the case of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, whose abortion clinic was a real life house of horrors, these largely unregulated clinics jeopardize the lives of mothers and babies alike through the use of unsafe medical procedures. I stand by my pro-life principles, and will continue to speak out on the negative consequences the abortion industry has on our society.”
Dawson Elections Chief Pleased with Early Turnout
News, Politics May 13, 2016
DAWSONVILLE — With the May 24th General Primary election day fast approaching, Director of Elections and Registration Glenda Ferguson and her staff have been kept busy during the advanced voting period.
“So far, as of 9 a.m. Friday, 990 ballots have been cast for an average of about 100 per day,” Ferguson said. “I always want to see more, but I’ve been very pleased with the turnout so far. ”
Ferguson said in 2012, about 40 percent of the county’s 15,800 voters waited until election day to cast a ballot. If that percentage holds true this year, total turnout could approach 8,000.
Among the key races to be decided are Dawson County Sheriff where Tony Wooten, Jeff Johnson, Jeff Perry and Frank Sosebee are the candidates.
Voters must also decide who will fill the Ninth District Congressional seat currently held by Doug Collins. Collins is facing a serious challenge from former 10th District Congressman Paul Broun, Lanier Tea Party Patriots founder Mike Scupin, White County educator Roger Fitzpatrick and retired Army and National Guard Brigadier General Bernie Fontaine.
At the state level, District 51 State Senator Steve Gooch of Dahlonega is being challenged by John Williamson, co-founder of the Gilmer County Tea Party.
Locally, voters must fill two vacant seats on the Board of Commissioners after Chairman Mike Berg and District 2 Commissioner James Swafford decided not to run again.
Bill Thurmond and Peter J. Hill will compete for the Chairman’s seat and Chris Gaines and Tim Davis are the candidates in District 2. In District 4, incumbent Julie Nix has drawn a challenge from Heather Hulsebus, former Chairwoman of the Dawson County Republican Party.
The Tax Commissioner race features four candidates, Andi Henson Juliette, Karin McKee, Johnny Glass and Nicole Stewart.
No Democrats have qualified in any of the races, so the winner of the General Primary will take office in January.
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Fitzpatrick Has Strong Performance at Town Hall
News, Politics May 10, 2016
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Roger Fitzpatrick, an ex-Marine and former White County administrator, appears to have established himself as the No. 1 contender for 9th District Congressman Doug Collins’ job with a strong performance during the AccessWDUN/Gainesville Times town hall meeting at Brenau Downtown Center last night.
Fitzpatrick demonstrated confidence, knowledge of the issues and likeability in responding to questions from a near-capacity crowd that showed its appreciation with loud and frequent applause for the Cleveland, Georgia native.
In addition to Fitzpatrick and Collins, the 90-minute event featured Lanier Tea Party Patriots founder Mike Scupin, retired Army and National Guard Brigadier General Bernie Fontaine and former 10th District Congressman Paul Broun. The challengers took turns answering questions from attendees as well as tweets from WDUN Radio’s listening audience.
Fitzpatrick, who served nine years in the Marine Corps Reserves and 32 years as a White County teacher and administrator, said veterans would be better served by getting rid of the Veterans Administration and allowing private industry to fill that role. He also called for an end to the Department of Education, saying, “The federal government has no business in education.”
He borrowed a line from President Bill Clinton when asked what is the most important issue facing the nation. “It’s the economy stupid,” he said. But, he added that getting government out of the way so businesses can thrive was a close second.
An issue that has plagued Collins throughout the campaign and has him in deep trouble with voters in the ultra conservative 9th District has been his support for President Barack Obama’s Omnibus bill. The bill provides funding for Planned Parenthood, the Muslim refugee program, sanctuary cities and a foreign worker program that costs Americans jobs at a time of increasing concerns about terrorist threats against the United States.
When Collins tried to explain his vote, he was shouted down by angry voters and his response was drowned out until Fitzpatrick’s Marine training kicked in and he stepped forward to admonish the audience, saying, “Show some respect, please.” The intervention earned Fitzpatrick the crowd’s admiration.
Collins then continued, saying, “The facts are if you could have gotten Planned Parenthood out of the Omnibus bill you would have done it but you couldn’t. The way you get it done is through the reconciliation act or a bill which I had voted for prior to that.” But that explanation failed to sway his opponents.
Fitzpatrick said, “Anything that would violate the moral conscience of a decent individual or the original intent (of the Constitution), you cannot vote for.” He also pointed out that Planned Parenthood is now paying for transgender operations.
Scupin called Collis’ explanation the “Doug Collins Dog and Pony Show” and said, “It doesn’t just happen with Planned Parenthood. It happens with nearly every vote he makes up there. He’s against the Department of Education because of how it effects his wife when she teaches and yet he votes to fund it. This has got to stop. Either you’re for it or against it.”
Broun said, “I would not have voted for the Omnibus bill. I never have.”
Voters also wanted to know if the candidates would support presumptive Republican nominee for President Donald Trump.
Fontaine said, “Of course I support Donald Trump.”
Scupin said, “Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party and as such I definitely will support him. Donald Trump rose to the top of the Republican Party not because of Donald Trump but because of the Republican Party.Their failure to do the right thing when they had the opportunity is what gave him a path to this victory.”
Broun said, “The people have spoken. We need to have the people’s choice be the nominee of our party. I don’t want to see the establishment try to steal away the people’s choice.”
Collins seemed a bit more hesitant, saying, “If Trump is our nominee, I’ll support the nominee. But what about the values Donald Trump has. The question is where do you stand on conservative values? Will you be the standard bearer of our party’s values? The fact is that nobody in this room would be happy with Hillary Clinton in the White House. Nobody who would be happy with a socialist running the White House.
Fitzpatrick said, “I voted for Ted Cruz and would do so again but Donald Trump won the nomination and I will support the nominee. Whoever gets in there — and I sure do hope it’s Donald Trump — you’ve got to work with and if he stands up and does something I don’t like then he needs to be called out on it even if he is a Republican.”
Union County Republican Party / Union-Towns TEA Party 51st State Senate District, 9th Congressional District, and U.S. Senate Forum
Featured, Featured Stories, Politics May 1, 2016
Union County Republican Party / Union -Towns TEA Party Forum 4/30/2016.
Scroll down to watch video of each forum.
Moderator Brian K. Pritchard
Republican U.S. Senate Candidates Dr. Mary Beth Bacallao and Mr. Derrick Grayson
51st District State Senate Republican Candidates John Williamson and Steve Gooch
Republican 9th District Congressional Candidates Roger Fitzpatrick, Paul Broun, Bernie Fontaine and Mike Scupin
Advanced Voting Begins Monday in Dawson County
News, Politics May 1, 2016
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — After months of political campaigns, voters will have a chance to vote for their favorite federal, state and local candidates when advanced voting begins Monday (May 2) in Dawson County in the May 24 General Primary.
Advance voting runs through May 20 (Mon. – Fri.). All advanced voting takes place at the Dawson County Board of Elections Office, 96 Academy Avenue, Dawsonville.
At stake at the federal level is the Ninth District Congressional seat where incumbent Republican Congressman Doug Collins has come under fire from conservatives for his support of President Obama’s Omnibus bill and former House Speaker John Boehner. The challengers are former 10th District Congressman Paul Broun, Lanier Tea Party Patriots founder Mike Scupin, White County educator Roger Fitzpatrick and retired Army and National Guard Brigadier General Bernie Fontaine.
At the state level, District 51 State Senator Steve Gooch of Dahlonega faces a strong challenge from John Williamson, co-founder of the Gilmer County Tea Party.
Locally, voters must fill two vacant seats on the Board of Commissioners after Chairman Mike Berg and District 2 Commissioner James Swafford decided not to run again. Bill Thurmond and Peter J. Hill will compete for the Chairman’s seat and Chris Gaines and Tim Davis are the candidates in District 2. In District 4, incumbent Julie Nix has drawn a challenge from Heather Hulsebus, former Chairwoman of the Dawson County Republican Party.
There is also a four-way race to replace retiring Sheriff Billy Carlisle and all four candidates have many years of experience in law enforcement. The candidates are Frank Sosebee, Jeff Johnson, Jeff Perry and Tony Wooten.
The Tax Commissioner race also features four candidates, Andi Henson Juliette, Karin McKee, Johnny Glass and Nicole Stewart.
No Democrats have qualified in any of the races, so the winner of the General Primary will take office in January.
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Challengers Blast Congressman Collins In Live Debate Broadcast on FYN TV
News, Politics April 22, 2016
ELLIJAY, Ga. — In a fiery hour-long debate broadcast live on FYN TV and moderated by Fetch Your News owner Brian K. Pritchard Friday, four challengers — Paul Broun, Mike Scupin, Roger Fitzpatrick and Bernie Fontaine — took turns attacking Georgia’s 9th District Congressman Doug Collins on issues ranging from his support of President Obama’s Omnibus bill to what they see as his less than conservative voting record.
Fitzpatrick, a long time educator from White County, said Collins’ voting record is not representative of the 9th District, which he called, “the third most conservative district in the entire United States. If you look at the Conservative Review website, which grades everybody according to the original intent of the Constitution, Mr. Collins has a 59 percent voting record,” Fitzpatrick said.
By far the number one issue his opponents used to batter Collins was the Omnibus bill which most conservatives view with contempt because it provides funding for the Dreamer’s Act for children in the U.S. illegally, sanctuary cities, refugee programs, Middle East immigration programs that have been exploited by terrorists and Planned Parenthood.
Former 10th District U.S. Congressman Paul Broun said “The greatest moral issue we face as a nation is the killing of over one million babies every year and it must stop. The Omnibus bill funds Planned Parenthood while they go on butchering babies and selling baby parts.”
Broun added, “I have never voted for an omnibus bill and I never will.”
That gave Collins an opportunity to launch a conter attack. Collins claimed Broun voted for an omnibus bill in December 2007. “Either that’s an incompetence issue or you’re just lying,” Collins shot back.
Broun said his vote was not for the bill at all, but an amendment to the bill and that every Republican but one voted for the same amendment. “This is just more of the lies and distortion we get out of the Congressman,” Broun countered.
Lanier Tea Party Patriot Founder Mike Scupin said he would never have voted for the Omnibus bill and questioned how Collins could “swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States then vote for it when it had so many unconstitutional things in it.”
Fontaine, a retired Army and National Guard Brigadier General who ran against Collins four years ago, said, “Congress was dysfunctional then and its dysfunctional now. What we have is a systemic problem with two career politicians against three citizen candidates.”
FYN TV Presents – Camera, Candidates, and Issues Debate featuring 9th District Congressional Candidates Paul Broun, Doug Collins, Roger Fitzpatrick, Bernie Fontaine and Mike Scupin.
Politics April 22, 2016
FYN TV “Camera-Candidates-and-Issues”
9th Congressional District Debate. The Omnibus Bill, refugee resettlement, the national debt, Speaker Paul Ryan, sanctuary cities, abortion, and yes even the dog and pony show.
Scroll down to watch video.
Moderator FetchYourNews.com CEO BKP Candidate Dr. Paul Broun
Candidates Mr. Mike Scupin and Congressman Doug Collins
Candidates Mr. Roger Fitzpatrick and General Bernie Fontaine
9th District Congress Candidates Meet in Forum
News, Politics April 8, 2016GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Independence Day won’t roll around for three more months, but expect plenty of fireworks when the Hall County Republican Party hosts a forum for candidates for 9th District Congress at its headquarters on Queen City Parkway Saturday at 10 a.m.
In fact, the pyrotechnics have already started. Incumbent Congressman Doug Collins has three other challengers in retired White County educator Roger Fitzpatrick, Bernie Fontaine, a retired U.S. Army and National Guard Brigadier General, and Lanier Tea Party Patriots Founder Mike Scupin.
But so far, Collins and Broun have aimed most of their early firepower at each other.
A Collins campaign ad blasts Broun for “nearly bankrupting his congressional office budget with an excessive amount of taxpayer-funded mail” during a failed bid for the U.S. Senate.
Collins received extra ammunition this week when it was announced that Broun’s former Chief of Staff David Bowser was indicted for supposedly using taxpayer funds to cover the cost of a campaign consultant.
But as politicians often note, you can indict a ham sandwich. Broun a physician who was first elected to represent the 10th Congressional District in 2007 and served until his unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2014, calls the indictment a “political witch hunt.”
Broun calls his campaign the Fed Up Express and blasts Collins for being an establishment Republican who supported John Boehner for Speaker of the House and voted to pass President Obama’s Omnibus bill which, he said, funds everything from Obamacare to amnesty for illegal aliens to the Syrian refugee resettlement.
LTPP Hosts Challengers to Congressman Doug Collins
News, Politics March 18, 2016
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Bernard “Bernie” Fontaine, Mike Scupin, Roger Fitzpatrick and Dr. Paul Broun are the challengers to 9th District Congressman Doug Collins in the May 24 Republican primary. Thursday night they were featured speakers at the Lanier Tea Party Patriots (LTPP) meeting.
Fontaine is a Vietnam Veteran and retired Georgia National Guard Brigadier General who holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and master’s degree in business from Brenau University. He sits on the Board of Directors for NASCAR and is a firefighter in Jasper and Union counties.
Fontaine says, “The federal government is a runaway freight train. The president is taking over and Congress is inert. Obviously things have to change.” Fontaine said his campaign will focus on improving the local and national economy, addressing the nation’s debt and regulatory overreach.
Scupin, the founder of the LTPP said, “My heart isn’t in going to Washington. My heart is in trying to save this nation.” He added that he isn’t likely to introduce a lot of bills. “We don’t need a lot of bills to change things. If I stand up and vote against leadership then leadership isn’t going to let any bill I introduce go to the floor. The only thing I can promise you is if a bill violates the Constitution and God’s law then you’d better believe I’m going to vote against it.”
Fitzpatrick, a former Marine, educator and member of the White County Board of Education, said, “I want to fight for you. I want to fight for me. I want to fight for my children and grandchildren and the prosperity of this nation. I want you to vote for me because I’m a person of integrity. I’m going to do what I tell you I’m going to do.”
Dr. Paul Broun is the former 10th District Congressman who recently moved to Habersham County. He was commissioned as a medical officer and, in 2012, was deployed to Afghanistan to serve wounded soldiers there.
Broun said, “I am absolutely fed up with what is going on in Washington.”I’m fed up with the leadership and the Republican Party. We have been betrayed by John Boehner and Paul Ryan and Doug Collins.” Broun said the greatest example of that betrayal was the passage of the Omnibus bill, which Collins voted for. “That bill fully funds Planned Parenthood. It fully funds Obamacare. It fully funds the president’s amnesty program, the Syrian refugee program and all of the bad policies Barack Obama has put into place.”
Michelle Hall, a candidate for Hall County Superior Court Judge, John Williamson, who is challenging Dist. 51 State Senator Steve Gooch, and Lucretia Hughes, a candidate for state representative in Dist. 116, also attended last night’s meeting.