As Congress debates what could become one of the most deficit-increasing pieces of legislation in modern history, around 50 community leaders gathered this week at Albany State University to do something extraordinary: draft their own plan for the federal budget but make it fiscally sustainable.
Hosted by U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop—longtime Blue Dog Democrat and senior member of the House Appropriations Committee—this Principles & Priorities workshop, co-led by The Concord Coalition, brought together a remarkably diverse cross-section of Southwest Georgia residents. From retirees to college students, business leaders to local mayors and county commissioners, participants rolled up their sleeves to confront the tough fiscal tradeoffs our nation faces.
Making the long drive from her home in North Georgia, Carolyn Bourdeaux, Executive Director of The Concord Coalition, joined the event in person to emphasize the importance of grassroots engagement in fiscal policymaking. In her opening remarks, she praised the community’s turnout and participation:
“It’s time to start having an honest conversation about the massive fiscal challenges facing our country,” she said. “Events like this bring people together—across backgrounds and party lines—to grapple with the difficult trade-offs our leaders face every day. That’s what real democracy looks like—and that’s what we need to see in Washington.”
Participants at Albany State ranged in age from 19 to over 80 and tackled real federal policy decisions, from tax reform to defense spending to Social Security and Medicare. Working in small groups, they debated priorities, negotiated compromises, and tried to close the nation’s widening fiscal gap.
Congressman Bishop, who helped open and close the session, emphasized the importance of civic engagement in shaping national priorities.
“You know, politics is nothing more, nothing less, than who gets what, when, and how,” Bishop told the crowd. “It’s the elected officials, whether it’s at the national level, the state level, or the local level, that make those allocations. This allows citizens to use the exercise and to really sit in the seats of the elected officials who have to make those choices.”
This timely event also coincided with a bipartisan call to action in Washington. Just days earlier, Rep. Bishop and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) circulated a new “Dear Colleague” letter urging their fellow lawmakers to host similar bipartisan budget workshops in their own districts. The two legislators now hold the record for hosting the most Concord Coalition-led budget events nationwide.
Coverage of the event by WALB News 10 highlighted the impact of this hands-on approach to fiscal policy. Read the full story here.
At a time when headlines from Washington often reflect division and dysfunction, the Albany State workshop showed that when Americans come together—armed with facts and open minds—they can still find common ground.
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