(Georgia Recorder) — Vice President JD Vance spoke in Peachtree City Thursday where he promoted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) as a “tax cut for families” while mounting a campaign against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia.
Vance, who spoke for just over 30 minutes at the ALTA Refrigeration facility, promoted OBBBA as an “American tax cut,” which he said was designed to benefit American families and workers.
“If you’re working hard every single day right here in the United States, or if you’re building a business right here in the United States, you ought to have a tax code that rewards you instead of punishes you,” Vance said, claiming that OBBBA would increase take-home pay for working class A Americans by over $10,000 over several years, primarily through tax cuts, specifically pointing to a deduction in overtime tax and tips, as well as an increased child tax credit.
He contrasted these policies with what he said was Sen. Ossoff’s opposition to the bill, alleging that Ossoff voted against it “because he is allegedly worried about people getting paid while they’re healthy.”
Ossoff, who is up for reelection in 2026, said in a statement that Vance’s visit to Georgia was to defend the “hugely unpopular budget law.” According to a press release from Ossoff’s campaign, Vance’s visit came during a week when multiple news outlets reported how Trump’s budget law was creating a crisis for rural health care in Georgia.
“I think it is embarrassing for the Vice President to be coming to Georgia to sell a policy that is already resulting in harm to hospitals in the state of Georgia, that’s projected to throw more than 100,000 people off of health care in the state of Georgia,” Ossoff said in a statement.
Vance repeatedly linked immigration to the strain on public resources, particularly health care, and repeatedly used strong language regarding immigration, framing it as a threat to American workers and public services. He claimed in his speech that cuts to Medicaid would only impact “illegal aliens,” claiming that cuts are “not about kicking people off the health care.”
“It’s about people kicking illegal aliens the hell out of this country so we can preserve health care,” Vance said.
He said that government-provided benefits like Medicare and Medicaid should be reserved for American citizens, not “illegal aliens” who he claimed have no legal right to be in the country.
Derek Dooley, a former football coach and candidate for U.S. Senate, also took aim at Ossoff, accusing Ossoff of supporting policies that led to high inflation and borders that were “wide open.”
“And now, he resists any type of progress we’re making, especially all the common-sense provisions of the big, beautiful bill,” Dooley said.
U.S. Rep Mike Collins from the 10th Congressional District, who is also running for U.S. Senate, also used his time to criticize Ossoff, saying that Ossoff “doesn’t reflect Georgia’s values” and called him a “trust fund kid” who comes to Georgia to pay “lip service” who goes to Washington to vote with “the woke.”
“He never had to work hard in his life. He doesn’t know how to build a business, make decisions and have results,” Collins said.
Congressman Buddy Carter, another Republican seeking to run for Ossoff’s seat, also praised OBBBA, blamed immigrants for endangering Medicaid and called for work requirements for the program.
Less than two miles from where Vance spoke, people gathered to protest his appearance. Phyllis Williamson, a 77-year-old resident from Fayetteville, said this was her 21st protest in five months due to deep concern over the budget cuts. She said she was concerned that budget cuts would lead to more hospital closures, as well as cuts to food assistance programs.
“All these cuts are going to hurt us. They’re taking money from poor people,” Williamson said. “Stop hurting the middle class. Stop hurting seniors and children and poor people. Do something for somebody besides the rich.”
Another demonstrator, Loretta Keith, a 65-year-old resident of Fayetteville, said she was protesting the “fascism going on.” She said that as a retired school teacher, she was “doing OK,” but pointed to the children at the protest, saying she was worried about their future.
“I’m 65, but look at these babies out here,” she said. “I’m worried about it going further than it’s gone, and we can’t bring it back, that people are just going to die, just like Nazi Germany, and it breaks my heart.”
