Senator Jon Ossoff sits with 13WMAZ's Frank Malloy to discuss topics impacting Central Georgians

MACON, Ga. — Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff joined 13WMAZ's Frank Malloy in the studio to discuss some of his key victories, biggest goals and thoughts on the future of the state.

Senator Ossoff tackled a number of topics including national security, the debt ceiling, and the agriculture industry.

Questions and answers have been edited down for brevity.

Some successes you have had so far include bipartisan support on a bill to improve security in prisons.

I led a long-term investigation of corruption, misconduct and abuse in the federal prison system. One of the things we found is the security systems in federal prisons are completely inadequate. It is not just a matter of safety inside, it impacts public safety. We are talking about outside criminal enterprises being run from within prisons. I passed bipartisan legislation, both bringing republicans and democrats together to upgrade security systems in federal prisons.

Pecan farmers are big in this area. You've been able to get some things done as far as reducing tariffs on U.S. exports.

I am focused on Georgia agriculture. Last June, I sat down with pecan growers in Tifton and they requested that I get involved to reduce the 100% import tax that the Indian government imposed on U.S. pecan exports. The tariff means that Georgia pecans really can't go there. I met with the Indian ambassador seven times. I led a trade delegation to India, I pressed the administration to make this their top priority. A couple of weeks ago, we were able to secure a 70% cut on that tariff. That is going to open this huge market for Georgia pecan growers.

How difficult is it to get that type of agreement done?

I find that persistence and hard work and relationship building are what enable me to deliver for Georgia. You’re not going to find me popping up on national cable news to stir up controversy or saying something ridiculous on social media to get attention. I try to stay out of the circus and instead build strong working relationships with Republicans and Democrats.

Maternal health is very important to you. What efforts are you making there?

It is a very high priority. I think it particularly resonated with me why this is so important. With a 14-month-old baby daughter at home and of course, my wife is an obstetrician, the maternal mortality rate in Georgia is completely unacceptable. I have worked diligently to increase resources for maternal healthcare, prenatal care, neonatal care and pediatric care for infant children.

Do the numbers alarm you?

The numbers are seriously alarming. Georgia maternal mortality statistics put us on par with some countries around the world that are much less developed than the United States. That’s why I’ve made maternal health and neonatal and pediatric health high priorities.

In Forsyth and Monroe County, people in the community there have been dealing with issues involving railroad crossings.

I launched an inquiry with the Federal Railroad Administration aimed at understanding how we can solve this problem. It is not just a matter of inconvenience. These can have very serious consequences in people’s daily lives. And it is not just here in the Macon area, it’s across Georgia and across the country right now. We're seeing serious delays in railroad crossings and that’s why I’ve launched this inquiry with the Federal Railroad Administration and I ‘m gonna press them to get some substantial answers.

People are worried about what’s going to happen with the debt ceiling.

think the first thing is that both sides have to talk to each other. We can't retreat into our partisan corners and make this into a political issue, we need to get to a solution that is in the national interest that is prudent and carefully considered. I think the most important thing is that the United States cannot default. That is an unacceptable outcome. If we didn't pay them, interest rates would skyrocket. Inflation would skyrocket, capital markets would be seriously negatively impacted, and folks, retirement savings would be seriously negatively impacted. And we would likely have a recession, if not a depression, default is not an option. I do want to point this out - what we did with the bipartisan infrastructure legislation that we passed, which is removing lead pipes from drinking water systems, it's upgrading seaports and airports across the state and across the country, it's expanding broadband Internet access into our rural areas, improving road and bridge safety is a fundamental quality of life and economic competitiveness priorities. We accomplished that with Republicans and Democrats working together. That's the kind of solution that I'm constantly pursuing.

Do you find it’s always important to find common ground?

We’ve got to find common ground. And that doesn't mean that we won't disagree. It's okay to disagree based on principles, we should do so with civility, we should do so with mutual respect. But in order for us to solve problems and actually get things done, we have to work together, we have to talk, we have to try to understand one another's points of view.

What are your thoughts on the Chinese spy balloon that was shut down?

A gross and unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty, and a serious national security issue. And as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am very closely monitoring these developments and focused relentlessly on the safety and security of families here in Georgia, and our national security.

How do you talk to people who are worried about the direction the country is going in? How do you alleviate those fears?

We’re doing this with infrastructure legislation, and the way that it is improving Georgia's economic future, I think this should give us optimism about our state's future.

We have to remember that we are one people. We're one nation. And our shared identity as Americans is so much more important than our political party or our ideological label. If we don't remain grounded in that, then I think that the risk of politics tearing this country apart is serious.

With a very young child, are you optimistic about the country?

I am optimistic, and I think that our country's best days are ahead of us. I think our state's best days are ahead of us. It's going to take focus and hard work. It's going to require us to work together as Americans as Georgians, but I am very confident that Georgia's best days and America's best days remain in front of us.