The payments will begin in September, said Katie Byrd, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office. The move comes on top of Kemp’s proposals last week to spend $2 billion in a state surplus, split between property tax cuts and a second round of income tax cuts, if voters elect him to a second term in November over Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. Those separate plans will require legislative approval next year. Monday’s announcement will put money into the hands of less affluent Georgians in the months before a nationally watched election in a closely contested state. These are voters to whom Abrams has tailored her economic platform. He also supports another round of income tax credits like the ones Kemp has already pushed for, but argues that Georgia also needs to do more to invest in long-term health, education and small business aid expansions to try to create a less unequal economy. Kemp, however, seems to be betting that handing out cash now will offset the promise of future improvements. Under Georgia state law, he alone controls how billions in federal COVID-19 aid is spent, meaning he can hand out money even as he criticizes Democratic President Joe Biden and Abrams for inflation and high costs. The governor again said his reason for handing out cash was to help people squeezed by higher prices, even though economists agree that such spending exacerbates inflation by pumping more cash into the economy to push up the prices of goods and of the services. “This assistance will help some of Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens deal with the ongoing negative economic impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency and 40-year high inflation caused by disastrous policies implemented by the Biden administration,” Kemp’s office said. a statement. Kemp cited the same reason for the state’s repeated suspensions of natural gas and diesel taxes since March, a move that has cost the state more than $800 million in lost tax revenue. Abrams called on Kemp to guarantee a suspension of fuel taxes until the end of the year. Abrams has repeatedly accused Kemp of hypocrisy for taking credit for federally funded benefits while maligning Biden. Abrams spokesman Alex Floyd, in a statement Monday, called the move another of Kemp’s “vote-buying schemes during the election.” While Kemp is now boosting the income of the poorest Georgians, he ended a monthly boost of at least $95 in food stamp benefits in late May when he ended Georgia’s COVID-19 state of emergency. His administration is also behind in distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money meant to prevent evictions. “The reality is that Brian Kemp refuses to expand Medicaid, has cut food assistance amid rising prices, and has failed to fully expand federal rental assistance, leaving too many Georgians evicted,” said Abrams spokesman Alex Floyd. in a statement. “Now, in the midst of a re-election campaign, he’s taking money to stage more political stunts. Kemp’s PR stunt is too little, too late.” The state Department of Human Services said on its website that beneficiaries would receive the payment automatically, but urged people to update their contact information on a state website that manages health and welfare benefits. The state said people receiving food stamps and cash welfare benefits will not receive the money on the same debit card they receive those benefits, but did not immediately respond to questions about how the money would be sent. Only those who have registered since July 31st will receive the money. Anyone who enrolled later or who left the programs earlier is not eligible. If someone benefits from multiple schemes, they will only receive one payment of $350, but separate payments will be given to everyone in a beneficiary household, meaning a single parent with two children will receive, for example, $1,050. Georgia had 2.3 million people benefiting from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program in April, according to the most recent federal data, while it had 1.59 million people benefiting from food stamps in May.
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