Georgia’s Mike Collins needles Ossoff in new ad over shutdown’s toll on airports, workers

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Trump blames Democrats over shutdown stalemate

Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram joins 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the ongoing political stalemate keeping the government from re-opening as tensions continue to rise between political parties.

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., launched a digital ad on Friday tying Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., to the ongoing government shutdown — and its drag on Georgia’s airports.

"Flights DELAYED. Military families NOT getting paid. And for what? To demand FREE healthcare of illegal immigrants," the graphic reads.

Collins, who has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2023, is running to take Ossoff’s seat in 2026.  

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Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 25, 2025 (Maansi Srivastava for the Washington Post)

His ad marks the most recent attempt by Republicans to tie Democrats to the government’s shutdown and highlight its impact on both the national and local levels.

"Crucial air traffic controllers are working without pay, travelers are facing delays, and government workers face uncertainty because Ossoff and Schumer are playing political games with our government. It’s time to stop the charade and end the shutdown now," Collins said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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A Frontier Airlines Airbus A321-271NX aircraft is pictured departing San Diego International Airport en route to San Francisco on June 28, 2024, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

In response, a spokesperson for Ossoff’s campaign said Collins is using the shutdown to avoid other politically charged topics.

"Health insurance premiums are about to double, and the government is closed, but Georgia’s House Republicans, including Mike Collins, haven’t bothered coming to work in three weeks. They’re hiding in their districts to avoid votes on the Epstein Files," Ossoff’s spokesperson said, referring to pending congressional considerations on healthcare subsidies and increased transparency on Jeffrey Epstein — issues that will likely take focus when lawmakers return to the Hill.

The government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over federal spending to begin the 2026 fiscal year. Last month, Republicans in the House of Representatives advanced a spending extension to cover the government’s costs through Nov. 21. 

But that legislation has stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are demanding that any spending package also include an extension of COVID-era subsidies for Obamacare health insurance premiums that are set to expire at the end of the year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has largely led messaging for GOP lawmakers in the shutdown and has argued that the subsidies are a completely unrelated issue to government spending. He maintains lawmakers will address their expiration later this year.

Republicans, who hold 53 seats in the Senate, need the support of at least seven Democrats to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. 

The Senate has voted on a spending extension seven times as of Friday. Ossoff, the target of Collin’s ad, has voted alongside his Democratic colleagues against the short-term spending extension on each occasion. Ossoff won election to the Senate in 2020, beating out Republican challenger David Perdue in a narrow 50.6% to 49.4% victory.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Senators left Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon and are not expected to resume votes on government spending until next week.

With the stalemate having entered its 10th day, many essential government workers who have been asked to work without pay, will soon begin to miss paychecks. 

Georgia is home to over 110,000 government workers.

Collins noted that airline employees, such as TSA agents, are among those who have no choice but to work because of their critical role. That, Collins argued, has compounded a shortage of traffic controllers, leading to flight delays. 

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According to Flight Aware, an online flight-tracking service, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had 426 flight delays on Thursday with nine cancellations.

Senators left Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon and are not expected to resume votes on government spending until next week.