Atlanta native and United States Sen. Jon Ossoff sees the direct impact of the Trump administration on his home state of Georgia, and he says we’re living in serious times. In an interview on “Closer Look with Rose Scott,” the Democratic lawmaker addressed those issues as he’s also seeking to maintain another term in office.
Ossoff spoke to host Rose Scott after the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran surpassed its 50-day mark. The war has cost numerous lives, including as many as 15 U.S. Troops. It has also been linked to fuel prices escalating 30% since the war began. President Donald Trump named the military action Operation Epic Fury.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said on the evening of Feb. 28 when the major combat operation began.
“A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
Meanwhile, polls show the war against Iran is unpopular with Americans, and members of Congress are divided as the war continues.
“The administration’s policy has been incoherent from the start,” Ossoff said. “And this is precisely the risk when a president takes the nation to war without evidence of any imminent threat without clearly defined objectives, without a plan for the aftermath and without the consent of Congress.”
Ossoff said the war has also sparked skyrocketing inflation, a growing global energy crisis, and cost the U.S. its power and standing in the world.
“Severely weakened and undermined by the way the president has carried out this action,” he said.
Sen. Ossoff is also taking action on issues closer to home.
He just announced an inquiry into how AI data centers are impacting consumers’ power bills in Georgia. He is also backing a bill that would require the federal government to gain local approval before acquiring property to build immigration detention centers, including the one in Social Circle.
Plus, along with fellow Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, he is demanding answers from the federal government about why 150 windows at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have yet to be repaired after a gunman fired hundreds of shots at six agency buildings back in August 2025.
The incident resulted in the death of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose and the 30-year-old gunman, Patrick Joseph White. Ossoff called it a disgrace that the federal government has yet to repair the windows.
“The CDC, one of the crown jewels of America’s public health system and the world’s public health system, and it still has hundreds of bullet holes,” Ossoff said.
“It speaks to, frankly, the contempt that Secretary Kennedy and this administration have for the CDC. They have been trying to demolish the CDC from the moment they took office. They don’t value the CDC.”
On a more optimistic side, Ossoff mentioned he’s looking forward to the opportunities the FIFA World Cup 2026 will bring to Atlanta this summer. He also believes the nation will see a large Democratic turnout in the November midterm elections due to a need for checks and balances on the Trump administration’s political power.
“But nothing can be taken for granted,” said Ossoff. “This is a very, very tight and crucial battleground state. And I encourage everybody to make a plan to participate in our democracy and exercise your rights as citizens, because the times are serious.”
