VALDOSTA — Sen. Johnny Isakson said the nation is paying the price for the inaction of Congress.

“I’m not here to brag about the Congress of the United States of America. There is nothing to brag about,” Isakson said. “This has been a very unusual year. I’ve been in elected office for 38 years and I’ve been in Congress for 19, but I’ve never seen a year where we talked more and did less. And the country is paying the price for it.”

The senator spoke to a crowd of 430 business leaders from the Valdosta-Lowndes County community Wednesday at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center. The federal legislative luncheon was co-hosted by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Valdosta, the Valdosta North Rotary Club, the South Georgia Home Builders Association and the Valdosta Board of Realtors.

Isakson discussed a broad series of topics ranging from military funding and Moody Air Force Base, health care, tax reform and government inaction.

He said the military is running short of everything, but doing the best with what it has. The military is not as equipped as it should be if an emergency happens, he said. He mentioned that Moody Air Force Base has deployed personnel to east Texas to help rescue victims of Hurricane Harvey.

“When you just don’t have enough manpower, enough material to make your military do what you’re asking it to do every single day, then you’ve got a big problem,” Isakson said.

He criticized the government for throwing money away when it should be investing in programs. The government is not evaluating how it should spend its money, and as part of the government, he said it is important for the people to hold elected officials accountable.

He said the upcoming midterm elections are going to be the most tumultuous elections in this country’s history.

Isakson said the tax code needs to be reformed. He said American taxes make it unnecessarily difficult for businesses. He wants to see that America is the best place to do business, he said.

“The tax code needs to be revitalized, not to pay less but to invest more in the future,” Isakson said. “Everyone is against taxes, but everyone is for those airplanes rescuing people in Houston right now.”

Isakson then addressed health care. He said the most recent effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, failed because Congress couldn’t come together. He said too many people were trying to make a decision based purely on politics and not on what was best for the American people.

Health care needs to addressed, he said. 

“It is an issue bigger than party lines. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. We’re all Americans,” Isakson said. “Diseases don’t have party lines. Everybody gets sick.”

He said government has a role in health care but so does the private sector. He advised listening to the health-care professionals and involving them in the debate. He also said health insurance should be more accessible for people. 

“It’s not going to be cheap. The most expensive thing you can have is no insurance and a dreaded disease,” Isakson said.

In the coming months, he said he will be meeting with other senators to come up with a moderation of two positions between Republicans and Democrats to have a health-care law that works for the 21st century.

He ended the lunch by saying, even with its problems, there is no place in the world like America.

“We’re at a point in time where the issues are so big you can’t look away. You can’t hope someone else will solve the problem. It’s time for you to be a part of the solution,” Isakson said. “We’ve all got to come to the table and do our part.”

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256