Georgia Today: Democrats Raise Alarm; Rivian Plant Lawsuits; Pressure on Food Banks

Summary

Georgia Today – October 8, 2025

Host: Peter Biello, GPB News
Main Topics: Democrats sound alarm over ACA tax credits during a government shutdown; closure of legal battles over the Rivian EV plant; mounting pressure on Georgia food banks; federal fraud indictment against House of Prayer; Savannah’s hotel policy; Atlanta Falcons’ support for girls in sports

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights political and economic tensions in Georgia amidst a federal government shutdown: Democratic warnings about the dire impact of lost health care tax credits, a resolution to years-long lawsuits over the planned Rivian auto plant, the mounting pressures on Georgia’s food banks, and a deep dive into a federal fraud indictment affecting military personnel. Additional community stories cover Savannah’s move to restrict hotel development and a major donation from the Atlanta Falcons supporting girls' athletics.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. ACA Tax Credits at Center of Government Shutdown Standoff

[00:52 – 02:35]

• Context: U.S. Senate deadlocked on how to reopen the government. Georgia’s Republican and Democratic leaders entrenched, specifically regarding Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.
• Republican Pressure:
  • Representative Austin Scott highlights impacts at Robins Air Force Base, with nearly 4,000 federal workers furloughed and over 5,000 service members at risk of missing paychecks if the shutdown continues.
  • [01:22] Grant Blankenship: “At Robins Air Force Base... 3,829 federal workers that are furloughed right now. There are just over 5,000 service members that ... will be going without a paycheck.”
• Democratic Position:
  • Senators Ossoff and Warnock refused to back a continuing resolution without ACA tax credits restored.
  • Public Concern: Valerie Holt, retired insurance agent, warns of widespread loss of coverage without subsidies.
    • [02:25] Abigail Bradin (as Valerie Holt): “A lot of people would be kicked off their insurance. It would be canceled for non payment because they wouldn't be able to afford a 40% increase. People are struggling.”
  • Over 1 million Georgians enrolled in ACA plans, with insurers signaling up to 40% increases in premiums absent credits.

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2. Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) Races and Energy Policy

[02:35 – 03:52]

• PSC Elections' Stakes: Despite being an “off year,” the regulatory race for Georgia’s PSC carries high utility and energy stakes.
• Incumbent GOP Stance: Fitz Johnson argues Democratic clean energy proposals would drive costs up for Georgians.
  • [03:07] Grant Blankenship (quoting Johnson): “We are not going to let them, California or Georgia.”
• Democratic Rebuttal:
  • Challenger Peter Hubbard accuses PSC of repeated rate hikes.
    • [03:32] Grant Blankenship (as Hubbard): “All he’s done is vote to increase prices for consumers in this state.”
• Current rates frozen for three years; low voter turnout expected in these races.

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3. Food Banks Stressed by Shutdown and Inflation

[03:52 – 04:41]

• Food banks seeing record-high demand, now bracing for further increases as federal benefits run dry and workers miss paychecks.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank CEO Kyle Wade: Over 700,000 rely on SNAP in North Georgia—replacing that with food bank aid is “far beyond” current capacity.
  • [04:25] Grant Blankenship (as Wade): “If we were to have to replace that, somehow that would far exceed the capacity we currently have to distribute food.”
• Community encouraged to give monetary donations to help close the gap.

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4. Rivian Plant: Lawsuits Conclude, Project Moves Ahead

[04:52 – 05:22]

• After years in court, Rivian’s $5B electric vehicle factory east of Atlanta moves forward. The state dropped its final demand for critics to pay legal fees for failed lawsuits against the plant.
• Community Concerns Remain:
  • Attorney John Christie notes client disappointment and lingering unease about state processes and unresolved legal questions.

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5. Federal Fraud Indictment: House of Prayer Churches in Georgia

[05:22 – 13:15]

• Major Allegations: DOJ indicts Georgia pastor Ronnie Dennis and associates for a multi-million dollar conspiracy targeting military personnel through House of Prayer Christian Churches of America. Alleged crimes include GI Bill fraud, forced marriages, rental franchise scams, and more.
• Firsthand Account: Abigail Bradin, Former Member:
  • Details rapid “indoctrination” of military members, heavy social control, coerced marriage, and her eventual escape from abuse.
    • [08:20] Abigail Bradin: “For me that was the red flag because all of those conversations I had with him were usually really perverted... That night I left... I had to sneak out of my bedroom window in my pajamas...”
  • After leaving, learned of the deeper financial and legal abuses faced by members.
    • [10:40] Abigail Bradin: “People came out of there financially devastated... losing custody of their children.”
• Policy Lens: Will Hubbard, Veterans Education Success:
  • Stresses lack of oversight on GI Bill funds and “minimum standards” for recipient institutions.
    • [11:28] Grant Blankenship (as Hubbard): “Why were GI Bill benefits going to a school that was obviously a scam and arguably a cult?... That’s the question we all need to look at.”
  • Efforts underway to ensure cheated veterans recover benefits.
• Official Response:
  • Pastor Dennis and associates plead not guilty. House of Prayer denied GI Bill approval since 2022.
  • VA emphasizes commitment to fighting benefit fraud.

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6. Savannah Moves Toward Hotel Ban in Historic Neighborhoods

[14:19 – 14:44]

• Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission votes to restrict new hotels in three centrally located neighborhoods, responding to resident concerns about overtourism.
• Resident Viewpoint:
  • [14:30] Abigail Bradin (as Nancy Maya): “The reason why people come to Savannah is because they love being in a community where we have these really special neighborhoods... if we continue to just let tourism take over, that is going to go away.”
• Ban still requires city council approval.

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7. Atlanta Falcons Promote Girls’ Sports with Major Donation

[15:00 – 15:40]

• Falcons donate 16,000 sports bras to support girls’ athletic participation across 38 Georgia counties—part of the “Fly Forward” initiative with Operation Warm.
• Builds on growth of girls’ flag football in Georgia (now at 270+ schools, 7,000 players).
• Team aims to eliminate barriers and boost girls’ sports confidence.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A lot of people would be kicked off of their insurance... they wouldn’t be able to afford a 40% increase. People are struggling.”
  —Valerie Holt, [02:25]

• “If we were to have to replace that, somehow that would far exceed the capacity we currently have to distribute food.”
  —Kyle Wade, Atlanta Community Food Bank, [04:25]

• “For me that was the red flag... all of those conversations I had with him were usually really perverted... I had to sneak out of my bedroom window in my pajamas...”
  —Abigail Bradin, former House of Prayer member, [08:20]

• “Why were GI Bill benefits going to a school that was obviously a scam and arguably a cult... That’s the question we all need to look at.”
  —Will Hubbard, Veterans Education Success, [11:28]

• “The reason why people come to Savannah is because they love being in a community... if we continue to just let tourism take over, that is going to go away.”
  —Nancy Maya, Victorian Neighborhood Association, [14:30]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Impact of Shutdown on Federal Workers (Robins Air Force Base): [01:22]
• Democratic Push & Health Care Fears: [02:25]
• PSC Election & Utility Rates Debate: [03:07] – [03:36]
• Food Bank Demands Amidst Shutdown: [04:25]
• Rivian Plant Lawsuit Resolution: [05:12]
• House of Prayer Indictment & Testimonies: [06:27] – [13:15]
• Savannah Hotel Ban Moves Forward: [14:30]
• Atlanta Falcons’ Athletic Support Donation: [15:00]

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Conclusion

This episode masterfully depicts the fast-moving intersections of politics, social welfare, and community identity in Georgia—from the impacts of federal policy gridlock to grassroots resilience and oversight gaps for veterans. Firsthand narratives (especially on the House of Prayer story) and fresh angles on topics like neighborhood preservation and girls’ sports offer both urgency and hope for listeners invested in Georgia’s future.

Transcript

[GPB Announcer]

Georgia is the new hotbed for musical talent and the music industry knows it. Record executives are turning their eyes to the Peach State to discover the next big thing. On GPB's Peach Jam podcast, you'll hear those rising Georgia artists before anyone else listen and discover the sound of what's next on the Peach Jam Podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting.

[Peter Biello]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Democrats warn of disaster over the loss of health care tax credits Years of lawsuits over a planned Rivian electric vehicle factory east of Atlanta come to an end and the government shutdown puts the squeeze on Georgia food banks.

[Grant Blankenship]

So if we were to have to replace that, somehow, that would far exceed the capacity we currently have to distribute food.

[Peter Biello]

Today's Wednesday, October 8th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. As Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. senate continue their standoff over how to reopen the federal government, one Georgia Republican is pressing Democrats to blink. GPB's Grant Blankenship explains a few Democrats have been voting with Senate Republicans. Tuesday, Georgia Republican House member Austin Scott held a call with reporters aimed at cajoling Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

[Grant Blankenship]

At Robbins Air Force Base, the largest industrial complex in the state of Georgia. There are 3,829 federal workers that are furloughed right now. There are just over 5,000 service members that if the government is not open back up within the next week, we'll be going without a paycheck.

[Peter Biello]

Scott wouldn't say when the furloughs at Robbins might cost more than extending the Affordable Care act tax subsidies, such as by Democrats.

[Orlando Montoya]

So far, Warnock and Ossoff have said.

[Peter Biello]

They won't vote for a continuing resolution that doesn't address health care. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon. As Grant mentioned, Democrats are pushing for restoration of Affordable Care act tax credits as a condition of ending the shutdown. Some Georgia Democrats are now highlighting how those ACA tax credits help thousands of Georgians pay for insurance plans. Valerie Holt, a retired insurance agent with Centene and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, joined a press call organized by the state Democratic Party. She says she's worried that premium increases could be disastrous.

[Abigail Bradin]

A lot of people would be kicked off of their insurance. It would be canceled for non payment because they wouldn't be able to afford a 40% increase. People are struggling.

[Peter Biello]

More than a million Georgians were enrolled in a plan through the Affordable Care act this year and and according to rate filings from Georgia insurers, most plans will be going up as much as 40% without the tax credits applied. This is an off year election, but that does not mean there is nothing at stake at the ballot box this November. Take for instance the elections for the state's Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. Candidates are trying their best to energize voters. As GPB's Sarah Kallis reports, incumbent Republican.

[GPB Announcer]

Fitz Johnson insists that Democrats clean energy proposals will raise prices for consumers.

[Grant Blankenship]

We are, we are not going to let them, California or Georgia.

[GPB Announcer]

Though Republican controlled PSC has raised the cost of power six times in two years, the current rates were recently frozen for the next three years. Democratic challenger Peter Hubbard says his plans keep rates affordable, pushing back on his opponent's accusations.

[Grant Blankenship]

All he's done is vote to increase prices for consumers in this state.

[GPB Announcer]

Another PSC commissioner, Tim Echols, is also facing a Democratic opponent, Alicia Johnson. Turnout for the two PSC races are expected to be low. Early voting begins October 14th. For GPB news, I'm Sarah Kallis.

[Peter Biello]

Food banks across Georgia are serving record high numbers of families due to inflation. That demand is only likely to grow as the government shutdown continues to affect federal workers. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more Leaders with.

[GPB Announcer]

The Atlanta Community Food bank are preparing for lines to grow longer if the government shutdown continues. Federal workers are going on one week without pay and federal food benefits like SNAP and WIC are running out of funding. CEO Kyle Wade says there are over 700,000 people across North Georgia who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

[Grant Blankenship]

Those folks are receiving just through SNAP, about one and a half to $2 billion a year in total benefits. And so if we were to have to replace that, somehow that would far exceed the capacity we currently have to distribute food.

[GPB Announcer]

The food bank is requesting community members send cash donations to help them secure more food. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

[Peter Biello]

Years of lawsuits over a planned Rivian electric vehicle factory east of Atlanta are over. State officials have withdrawn their last request for project opponents to pay legal fees associated with their unsuccessful lawsuits challenging the plant. Rivian broke ground on the $5 billion facility last month. Attorney John Christie represents a group of citizens in those lawsuits.

[Grant Blankenship]

Naturally they are disappointed, but I think.

[Abigail Bradin]

My folks are still concerned about the.

[Grant Blankenship]

Position of the state, the unsettled law on this issue.

[Peter Biello]

The state and project opponents argued in court over tax incentives, local zoning powers and other issues. A Georgia pastor and seven associates were indicted last month in an alleged multi million dollar fraud conspiracy that Targeted military personnel in southeast Georgia. U.S. department of justice officials charged the leaders of the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America, which also had churches in Augusta and in other states. The government alleges pastor Ronnie Dennis and others used their church to manipulate members into forced marriages, into properties that generated rental income for the defendants and into Veterans Administration benefits that were funneled into church controlled accounts that paid for the defendants credit card bills. That's according to the indictment. Prosecutors say the church's school, a seminary, earned church leaders $23 million in GI bill payments. GPB's Orlando Montoya recently spoke with a former church member about her experiences in the church and asked a non profit watchdog how such a swindle could have happened. Orlando addressed the former church member Abigail Bradin first.

[Orlando Montoya]

How did you get involved in the church and how did it affect your life?

[Abigail Bradin]

I joined back in 2006. I was an active duty soldier at the time. I started in Fort Gordon in Augusta. After I graduated nursing school, I was transferred to Fort Stewart, which put me at Hinesville, which is the headquarters of House of Prayer. So I started in Augusta. I was on base living in the barracks and they came to me in the barracks and invited me out to a dinner and Bible Q and A. That was just for soldiers and veterans really. And that's how I got started going. I was actually looking for a church at the time, so I went. It was a nice environment for soldiers because I mean everybody there were soldiers. We talk like soldiers talk. So it was really enticing. It grabbed me right away and from there you get sucked in so fast because they always have events going every single day. So all of my free time outside of duty hours was actually at the church.

[Orlando Montoya]

And how did you realize that things were off?

[Abigail Bradin]

You know, all of this fraud and everything that that's on these indictments, I did not know while I was there that any of that was going on. Now my marriage happened while I was there. It was another guy, another member of the church and they kind of pushed me towards this guy and I didn't know that he had such a extensive mental health history and a history of violence. So that was an abusive marriage and that's what I was running away from. I left House of prayer in 2009 and at the time I was separated from my husband and I was living with Ronnie Dennis, mother in law, which is actually just two houses down from Ronnie Dennis. And he started having me meet with him directly, like private meetings at his house. And for me that was the red flag because all of those conversations I had with him were usually really perverted. And at one time he tried to push me to go back to my husband and I did not want to go back. So he used that to say that because I didn't want to go back to my husband, he accused me of living in homosexuality. That's the word they throw out there, like a Salem witch hunt. So that's what he tried to say about me. And I said, you know what, whatever you need to tell yourself, that's fine, that's fine, but I'm done. And that night, that night I left and because I was staying with his mother in law who had door alarms on her door, it was a sneaky exit for me. It was like 2 o' clock in the morning. I had to sneak out of my bedroom window in my pajamas with everything that I could fit of my belongings into a pillowcase and I ran to go meet a cab.

[Orlando Montoya]

How did you feel about the indictment? And did the indictment sound like the church that you knew?

[Abigail Bradin]

It did sound like it. After I left, even though I didn't know all that at the time, it. It was quite a few years before I found out what was really going on. I would say maybe 2016, 2017. I found the website hopcc.com and the people who started that site were my really close friends John and Jennifer Rodriguez. And I heard their story about how they left and how their son almost got kidnapped. And that's what opened my eyes. And hearing their story, everything, everything made sense because what was going on, people were coming out and it was really serious. They were financially devastated and forced to file bankruptcy because not just the GI Bill fraud, but a lot of members had homes purchased in their names without their knowledge or their consent. They executed power of attorney documents that were forged to do this. So people came out of there financially devastated, having to file for bankruptcy, losing custody of their children.

[Orlando Montoya]

Abigail, thank you for sharing your story. We're also joined by Will Hubbard, Vice President for Veterans and Military Policy at the nonprofit Veterans Education Success. Will does what happened to Abigail and others involved with the House of Prayer? Christian Churches of America point out the need for any federal policy changes.

[Grant Blankenship]

Thanks for having us, Orlando. And thank you for highlighting this story. And also thank you to Abigail for being so brave to share your story. I know it's hard and it brings up a lot of memories, but it's important to get that message out there. It is important to highlight the fact that policy changes are needed. The big question we need to think about at this Point is, why was this allowed to happen in the first place? Why were GI Bill benefits going to a school that was obviously a scam and arguably a cult by the description of its own members? That's the question we all need to look at. And the reality is right now, GI Bill benefits are not as well overseen as they should be and the standards are not as strong as we believe they could be. And so that's something that we're fighting very hard to make sure changes in Congress so that stories like this don't happen.

[Orlando Montoya]

Again, the allegation is that they were using the VA benefits and funneling them to the church so that they would benefit the church leaders. How would they do that? In a way that would not be seen by the law enforcement and all the authorities involved.

[Grant Blankenship]

The current system relies on a lot of trust to begin with, but also enforcement mechanisms that are frankly not as strong as they should be in some states and in certain cases hardly exist at all. And so just having minimum standards to make sure that any schools that get into the system to begin with are offering a quality education that veterans can use their hard earned benefits at. At present, we are working hard with Congress to make sure that these veterans do get their GI Bill benefits back. They were essentially stolen from them by this church and it's something that we would like to see at minimum to make them whole.

[Orlando Montoya]

That was Will Hubbard, vice president for veterans and Military policy at the nonprofit Veterans Education Success. And earlier we heard from Abigail Bradin, a former member of the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America. Thank you both.

[Abigail Bradin]

Thank you.

[Peter Biello]

Ronnie Dennis and other church leaders have pleaded not guilty. Their attorney declined to comment further. When reached for comment yesterday, the Department of Veterans affairs told GPB the agency takes seriously its commitment to protecting all VA benefits from fraudulent activities. And an agency spokesperson says House of Prayer has not been approved for GI Bill benefits since 2022 due to failure to meet program requirements.

[GPB Announcer]

Georgia is the new hotbed for musical talent and the music industry knows it. Record executives are turning their eyes to the Peach State to discover the next big thing. On GPB's Peach Jam podcast, you'll hear those rising Georgia artists before anyone else listen and discover the sound of what's next on the Peach Jam podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting.

[Peter Biello]

Savannah's Metropolitan Planning Commission has moved the city closer to a ban on new hotels in certain neighborhoods. Nancy Maya of the Victorian Neighborhood association applauded the vote yesterday.

[Abigail Bradin]

The reason why people come to Savannah is because they love being in a community where we have these really really special neighborhoods and if we continue to just let tourism take over, that is going to go away.

[Peter Biello]

The ban would apply to three neighborhoods just south of Downt and still needs final approval by City Council to go into effect and very much away from those neighborhoods. The Savannah Convention center broke ground today on a new 444 room hotel. Local officials have long sought a new convention hotel to maximize the center's state funded expansion, Signia by Hilton on the Savannah river waterfront is expected to open in 2020. And the Atlanta Falcons are expanding their support for girls in sports with a major donation of 16,000 sports bras to schools and community organizations across 38 Georgia counties. The effort is part of the team's Fly Forward initiative in partnership with the nonprofit Operation Warm, aimed at helping girls feel confident and supported while participating in athletics. Falcons cheerleaders and mascot Freddie Falcon helped launch the program yesterday with the Warren Boys and Girls Club in southeast Atlanta. This builds on previous initiatives that have helped grow girls flag football to more than 270 Georgia high schools and 7,000 players statewide. Team leaders say the goal is to eliminate barriers to participation and empower girls to pursue sports at every level. It has been great to be back with you on GEORGIA Today. Thank you to my colleagues at GPB who have been doing this necessary work while I've been gone on probably parental leave. May you all have co workers as talented and awesome as I do. These stories live and evolve on our website, so definitely check gpb.org news for any updates. And this podcast will be back tomorrow, so make sure you subscribe to it. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you by email. The address is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

[GPB Announcer]

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