Working Across the Aisle

 Published in the Towns County Herald Feb. 5, 2025

Dear Editor,

            Andrew Clyde, U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 9thCongressional District, continues to use his bully pulpit to sow fear and division among his constituents in the 9th District. In a recent op-ed in this newspaper, he focused on the horrific death of Laken Riley of Athens, Georgia, who was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela. He reports that a bipartisan bill, designed to give ICE more authority to detain illegal aliens who commit crimes in this country, is in process of passing Congress. The disturbing part of Clyde’s op-ed is his open attempt to further divide by placing unjustified blame on one political party. To state that “the murderer … accepted Joe Biden’s invitation to illegally cross the southern border” is pure inflammatory rhetoric. Finger-pointing and name-calling does not solve problems.

Our country is at a crossroads, and it will demand that our leaders act from positions of truth and integrity. Illegal immigration must be confronted as well as “kitchen table” issues such as grocery prices, housing costs, childcare costs, medical expenses, utility prices, rising insurance rates, women’s healthcare and climate-caused natural disasters. This is a big agenda that will need bipartisan support and action. We must demand that our representatives work across the aisle. They are in Congress to solve problems, which is far more demanding than pointing fingers.

Jennifer Cordier