Dem senator swipes credit for bill he opposed amid heated re-election bid: 'Disturbing pattern'
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is touting his advocacy for federal investment in Georgia military infrastructure despite having ultimately voted against the bill that secured the improvements.
Most recently, Ossoff highlighted new construction for an elementary school at Fort Benning, improved conditions at Fort Stewart, pay raises for military personnel and improvements to Georgia’s foster care system — all a part of the annual military funding bill known as Military Construction and Veteran Affairs (MilCon-VA).
At the time of its initial passage, Ossoff quickly released a press statement.
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"U.S. Senate passes Sen. Ossoff’s Bipartisan Bill that provides most funding for Georgia military construction in 15 years," his website announced.
When reconsidering it for final passage, Ossoff opposed the package.
Notably, Ossoff, as the ranking member on the Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veteran Affairs, voted in favor of the bill in committee and as a standalone bill but opposed its final passage later that year when it was bundled together with other government funding legislation.
When asked about the voting record, his office reaffirmed the federal support secured in Georgia.
"Let's be clear: Georgia's massive 2026 military construction budget, the highest in 15 years, is a direct and undeniable result of Senator Ossoff's work as the senior Democrat on the Military Construction subcommittee," an Ossoff campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"Senator Ossoff makes no apology for having tried to stop Mike Collins from doubling premiums for more than a million Georgians and throwing 300,000 off their health insurance," the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson was referring to Ossoff's Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and caps on federal health subsidies Republicans had championed at the time of MilCon-VA's passage.
Like many Democrats, Ossoff has struggled to oppose legislation championed by President Donald Trump while at the same time making his case for re-election in one of the country’s most competitive Senate seats. Ossoff won in 2021 with a 50.6% to 49.4% victory over incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.
In the case of the elementary school, Ossoff said he had been calling for those investments for years.
"I have been working for years now for a replacement for Dexter Elementary. That’s really important for those families down there in Columbus," Ossoff said. "I’m just a bit concerned by the lack of attention in this year’s base budget, so we’ll work together on that."
Ossoff made similar remarks about improvements to Fort Stewart, citing concerns in press releases about lead exposure affecting newborns' health on the base, mold contamination and flooded living areas.
Ossoff released findings in a seven-page report about the base’s conditions.
"Our military service members and their families make huge sacrifices for the country, and it’s a travesty how they’re being treated by privatized housing contractors in Georgia and nationwide," Sen. Ossoff said.
"The stories in this report should shock our conscience, and I will continue exposing the mistreatment of military families in privatized housing and working to protect them and improve conditions."
Notably, the package Ossoff ultimately voted against contained $8 million for Fort Stewart and $127.4 million to replace the Dexter Elementary School.
A veteran lawmaker ripped Ossoff for highlighting wins he didn’t participate in.
"Last year, he tried to take credit for my veterans housing bill, legislation he had absolutely nothing to do with. A politician who tries to erase a veteran’s work for political gain has forfeited the trust of the people he seeks to represent," Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said in a statement, referring to a bill he introduced last year.
Ossoff highlighted the bill on his website, calling it a "bipartisan bill backed by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff" and announcing that "Sen. Ossoff brings Republicans and Democrats together to protect veterans from foreclosure."
Ossoff was not a sponsor of the bill and, because it passed unanimously in a voice vote, did not cast a vote for it either.
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"Ossoff’s disturbing pattern of taking credit for work he didn’t do and claiming victories he didn’t support demonstrates both gross incompetence and a complete lack of integrity," Van Orden said.