Karen Handel (GA-06) Research Report The following report contains research on Karen Handel, a Republican candidate in Georgia’s 6thth district. Research for this research book was conducted by the DCCC’s Research Department between February 2020 and May 2020. By accepting this report, you are accepting responsibility for all information and analysis included. Therefore, it is your responsibility to verify all claims against the original documentation before you make use of it. Make sure you understand the facts behind our conclusions before making any specific charges against anyone. Karen Handel Republican Candidate in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District Research Book – 2020 Last Updated May 2020 Prepared by the DCCC Research Department Karen Handel (GA-06) Research Book | 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................................................................... 1 Key Findings .............................................................................................. 3 Thematics .................................................................................................. 6 Handel Was Bad For Georgians’ Health .................................................... 7 Handel Put The Interests Of Party Bosses Over Georgians ..................... 16 Handel Was Part Of The Swamp, From Atlanta To Washington DC ...... 38 Key Visuals.............................................................................................. 55 Personal & Professional History .............................................................. 56 Biography ................................................................................................ 57 Personal Finance ...................................................................................... 59 Political Career ........................................................................................ 62 Ethics ....................................................................................................... 66 Donald Trump .......................................................................................... 76 Issues ....................................................................................................... 86 Abortion & Women’s Health Issues ........................................................ 87 Agriculture & Food Access Issues ........................................................... 93 Budget Issues ........................................................................................... 96 Crime & Public Safety Issues ................................................................ 107 Education Issues .................................................................................... 109 Election Law, Campaign Finance & Voting Rights ............................... 112 Energy Issues ......................................................................................... 120 Environmental Issues ............................................................................. 121 FEMA & Disaster Relief Issues ............................................................. 123 Financial Protections & Wall Street ....................................................... 127 Foreign Policy Issues ............................................................................. 129 Gun Issues ............................................................................................. 135 Health Care Issues ................................................................................. 138 Infrastructure & Transportation Issues ................................................... 151 Immigration & Border Issues ................................................................. 156 Labor & Working Families .................................................................... 175 LGBT Issues .......................................................................................... 178 Karen Handel (GA-06) Research Book | 2 National Defense & Security Issues ....................................................... 179 State Issues ............................................................................................ 184 Seniors’ Issues ....................................................................................... 186 Tax Issues .............................................................................................. 190 Trade & Outsourcing Issues ................................................................... 201 Veterans & Military Family Issues ........................................................ 204 Appendix I – Personal Financial Disclosures ......................................... 206 Appendix II – Campaign Finance .......................................................... 212 Appendix III – Revolving Door ............................................................. 214 Appendix IV – Paid Media Summary .................................................... 215 Appendix V – Bill Sponsorships & Amendments .................................. 249 Appendix VI – Bill Co-Sponsorships .................................................... 251 Appendix VII – Office Expenditures ..................................................... 255 Appendix VIII – Travel Expenditures .................................................... 259 Appendix IX – Votes – 115th Congress ................................................. 261 Karen Handel (GA-06) Research Book | 3 Key Findings Handel Was Bad For Georgians’ Health Handel Supported Repealing The Affordable Care Act. Handel supported repealing the ACA, arguing as early as 2010 that the bill was bad for states, and continued to oppose the ACA in 2020. She wrongly called the ACA “the largest tax increase of my lifetime,” and was called out by Politifact for her false claim. She also argued that the ACA was bad for business, as it was hampering job growth and raising taxes on small businesses. Although she was not a Member of Congress at the time, Handel was on record saying she would have supported the American Health Care Act, which weakened protections for pre-existing conditions and created an age tax on older Americans. Handel Voted Twice To Block CHIP Funding. As a member of Congress, Handel voted twice to block CHIP funding, on two separate occasions in January 2018. Handel Was Bankrolled By Companies Implicated In The Opioid Crisis, Even Though The Opioid Crisis Had Devastated Her District. Handel took thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from companies implicated in the opioid crisis, including Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, and Express Scripts. This was in spite of the fact that Handel’s district, GA-06, had been devastated by the opioid crisis, and had higher opioid fatality rates than the state of Georgia writ-large. Handel Put The Interests Of Party Bosses Over Georgians Handel Voted For The 2017 Republican Tax Scam. Handel voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which provided huge tax cuts to large corporations, ballooned the debt, and stripped 13 million Americans of their health care. Handel also voted to make several provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent. Handel Supported Weakening The Social Safety Net. Handel also supported “flexibility” with Medicare and Medicaid dollars, and voted as a member of Congress for a budget that would gut Medicare. Handel also supported privatizing Social Security and voted for a budget that raised the Social Security retirement age, even though 96,325 received some Social Security benefits. Handel Voted Against Gun Safety Measures And Was Funded By The NRA. The NRA spent nearly $100,000 to support Handel during the 2018 election cycle. As a member of Congress, Handel voted twice to block consideration of three bills to close gun safety loopholes, and voted in favor of permitting concealed carry reciprocity between states. Handel Was Bad For Georgia Women. When she was in Congress, Handel voted to block consideration of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, and voted for a 20-week abortion ban that critics argued was unconstitutional. When she was a Fulton County Commissioner and a gubernatorial candidate, Handel supported state and county funding for Planned Parenthood; however, she backtracked on these positions later in her political career, after she began facing criticism from pro-life groups over her previous stances. When Handel worked for the Komen Foundation, she pushed for the organization to cut all of its ties with Planned Parenthood. As a result, the group lost $77 million in donations, as it had to withdraw from several events. Handel eventually resigned from Komen, but her critics said the controversy had positioned her to set herself up as a “pro-life martyr.” As a county commissioner, Handel opposed funding conferences designed to empower young women and help prevent domestic violence. Throughout her political career, Handel has been endorsed three times by the Susan B. Anthony list, a prominent pro-life group. Handel Was Bad For Workers And Voted Against A Minimum Wage Increase, Saying That The Government Had “No Business” Setting Wages. Throughout her career, Handel repeatedly voted to block efforts Karen Handel (GA-06) Research Book | 4 to increase the minimum wage, both in Georgia and at the federal levels. In 2017, Handel voted against raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour in seven years, and in 2014 she opposed a $10.10 minimum wage in Georgia, even though the state’s minimum wage at the time was only $5.15 per hour. In 2014, she also declared that the government