On March 4, 2014, President Obama’s FY 2015 budget detailed that the federal government would not appropriate funds to dredge the Port of Savannah. Back in September 2013, Vice President Biden visited the Port of Savannah where he pledged that they would dredge the Port of Savannah ” come hell or high water.” Coincidentally, on the same day that the Obama FY 2015 budget was released, Biden was fundraising for Michelle Nunn in Atlanta.
On March 5, 2014, after initially being “slow” to respond to inquiries about the port, Nunn told reporters that she discussed the port with Biden and described the situation as “the latest example of how Washington isn’t working.”
NUNN: “It’s the latest example of how Washington isn’t working. Everyone across the political spectrum agrees this is critical for job creation and our long-term economic growth. But at the last hour, government bureaucracy in Washington and red tape have stalled the project from getting off the ground. That’s the kind of inefficiency and obstructionism that we need to get rid of in Washington. The President should immediately allow the Corps of Engineers to move forward with the deepening of the port, and if not, Congress should pass a law to start the project.”
But yesterday, Nunn backtracked on her criticism of the Obama Administration, stating, “the Vice President said he was going to keep working at it and he believes firmly on the importance of the port.”
In addition to defending Biden’s commitment on dredging the port, despite his lack of action, Nunn also refused to comment on whether Obama’s budget snub was politically motivated.
Nunn didn’t say what she thinks the holdup on the funding is. “I can’t evaluate what’s at play,” she told reporters. “All I know is people need to work together. People need to sit down and talk and focus on solutions.” When asked if Deal’s refusal to expand Medicaid might be behind the decision, she demurred. “I can’t speculate about the political motives behind the decision,” she said.
While all 16 members of Georgia’s Congressional delegation are unanimous in condemning the Obama Administration’s snub of the Port of Savannah, Nunn is making excuses for Vice President Biden after he lied to the faces of Georgians.