Sen. Raphael Warnock discusses his first year in office

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - One year ago Thursday, Georgia elected two new senators. One of those senators made history by becoming the first African American to represent the Peach State in the US Senate.

WTOC spoke exclusively with Savannah native Sen. Raphael Warnock about his first year in office.

“One year since Inauguration Day and so much has happened, first I want to ask you, what do you think your biggest accomplishments have been specifically for the people of Savannah and beyond, in your first year in office,” asked WTOC anchor Cyreia Sandlin.

“Thank you so much, it’s wonderful to talk to the home town, it’s my one year anniversary, I’m thinking about my father, if he were alive it would be his 104th birthday. He raised me, and my mom, in Savannah, Georgia in public housing. In Kayton Homes. And now I’m in the U.S. Senate, I am a testament to the promise of America. I’m proud of many things. I’m proud we were able to pass the American Rescue Plan... has an extended child tax credit. Wonderful to call families from June until December who received the tax credit, real help for families, and I’m fighting everyday to get it extended,” said Sen. Warnock.

We also asked about our ports and his work at the Capitol to ease the major supply chain back ups nationwide.

“Georgia is a multimodal state and our ports are a gateway to the American economy providing jobs to that local area and supporting families and small businesses. We got busy real quick to make sure the relief they needed, we were able to secure 8 million for Savannah port, 14 million for Port at Brunswick and congestion has eased,” said Sen. Warnock.

While the back up at Georgia’s ports is lighter - there are still traffic jams at some of the nation’s busiest ports. That means some store shelves are empty and product shortages are up 15 percent.

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