A Georgia town that solidly backed Trump could fall victim to his tax bill's green energy cuts

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — When two South Korean companies announced a multibillion-dollar investment to build solar panel and electric battery factories in northwest Georgia, federal subsidies helped close a deal to diversify the local economy.

The factories promised thousands of new jobs, transforming the manufacturing base in Cartersville, once a cotton mill town before an Anheuser-Busch brewery arrived in the 1990s and a tire plant in 2006.

But now Republicans in Congress want to gut the subsidies for projects across the country in a tax cut bill likely days from final passage. President Donald Trump’s signature legislation could harm Cartersville despite it being in overwhelmingly Republican Bartow County, which backed Trump with 75% of the vote all three times he appeared on the ballot.

Both companies say they’re continuing their buildout plans. But Steve Taylor, a Republican who is Bartow County's lone elected commissioner, says ending the tax credits would be “a little concerning.”

“Those companies came and it gave us a completely different type of industry and manufacturing for our community,” Taylor said.

By some measures, no state may have more to lose than Georgia from such cuts in Trump's “ Big Beautiful Bill.” Top Georgia Republicans have been mostly silent, while Georgia’s two Democratic U.S. senators are staunchly opposed.

“A vote for this bill is a vote against Georgia’s economy and a vote that will put so much of what we’ve worked so hard to achieve at risk” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff told The Associated Press.

And few towns have more to lose than Cartersville, the Bartow County seat about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta. As the county transforms from rural to suburban, leaders foresee an economic boost from the $5 billion battery factory that Hyundai Motor Group and SK On are building, as well as the $2.3 billion solar panel plant belonging to Qcells, a unit of Hanwha Solutions. Both plants pledge to pay workers an average of $53,000 a year.

Georgia’s huge inrush of clean energy projects had already begun before 2022, when then-President Joe Biden signed his signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. But if anything, that rush accelerated. The 33 additional projects announced by the end of 2024 were the most nationwide, according to E2, an environmental business group. Exact figures differ, but projects in Georgia top $20 billion, pledging more than 25,000 jobs.

Buyers of Qcells solar panels get a 40% federal tax credit, including a 10% bonus for domestic content, which would go away under the bill. Qcells itself would still get production tax credits for panels it started producing last year in Cartersville. The bill would also tax companies that buy panels or components from some foreign countries including China. That could help Qcells, but wouldn't aid domestic producers as much as the domestic content bonus.

When the 1,900-job plant is complete, it will take refined polysilicon, cast it into ingots and then thinly slice ingots into the wafers that become solar cells. Qcells says controlling its own supply chain will let it work more efficiently. Those additional steps would earn the company additional tax credits.

Scott Moskowitz, vice president of market strategy and industry affairs for Qcells, said the company built its first American factory up the road in Dalton during the first Trump administration in response to Trump's protectionist trade policy. Moskowitz argues that a quick curtailment of federal subsidies undercuts Trump's goal of bolstering domestic manufacturing, pushing buyers back to Chinese-controlled producers.

Some local Republicans are expressing alarm, with 16 GOP state legislators imploring Congress in a June 17 letter to preserve tax breaks for solar panels.

“We urge you not to weaken the tax credits, as doing so would only harm the manufacturing renaissance in Georgia while creating opportunities for Chinese companies to take over the solar industry,” wrote the Georgia lawmakers, led by Republican state Rep. Matthew Gambill of Cartersville.

Some argue it's unfair for Congress to pull the rug out after companies relied on the promise of federal support to invest huge sums.

“I would like to think that from a business perspective that when you have agreements in place that you carry those out to fulfillment," Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini said.

Clean energy projects have overwhelmingly located in Republican-held congressional districts, with a report by Atlas Public Policy finding GOP districts host 77% of planned spending.

Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who lives in Bartow County, addressed the local impact in a Monday statement to the AP, saying the cuts will push Qcells and Hyundai-SK On to become “independent of government subsidies.”

“It is important to keep industry as free from government control as possible, and not dependent on government,” said Loudermilk, who in May labeled the Biden incentives as “the Democrats' Green New scam.”

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says he's staying out of the debate.

“Our position is that Congress needs to be the one to decide the future of the IRA," said Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas.

Kemp loves green energy investments and jobs, and even declared that his goal is to make Georgia the “electric mobility capital of America.” But Kemp and Ossoff clash over who should get credit for Georgia’s green energy boom. Kemp sharply disputes that the Biden-era incentives spurred the flood of investment, saying industries were already coming to Georgia before the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.

Unlike his current silence, Kemp vociferously opposed some domestic content requirements that made it hard for Hyundai to access the same tax credits as unionized U.S.-based automakers.

“Just generally speaking, the Inflation Reduction Act picked winners and losers, and we saw that negatively impact our partners," Douglas said.

All nine of Georgia's Republican House members voted to support the bill, including U.S. Rep Buddy Carter, who earlier signed a letter supporting green energy subsidies. Carter, who is seeking the GOP nomination to oppose Ossoff for Senate in 2026, represents a coastal district that includes a $7.6 billion Hyundai plant in Ellabell that started production last year.

Hyundai wants to make batteries at what would be a 3,500-employee plant near Cartersville so that Hyundai and Kia buyers can fully take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. Those credits would end six months after the bill is enacted under the current version.

The company is publicly sidestepping the current legislative fight. But with American demand for electric vehicles slow to take off, Hyundai now says it will also build gas-electric hybrid vehicles in Ellabell, once projected to make only electric vehicles.

“We remain focused on electrification because we believe it represents a significant long-term opportunity,” Hyundai spokesperson Michael Stewart said in a statement. “At the same time, our business is driven by consumer demand, which is why we continue to offer a full range of powertrains.”

Bartow County leaders say it's in everyone's interest to keep the projects on solid footing and that jobs should outweigh politics.

“I don’t know that people are lining up along party lines over this topic,” Santini said.

But Ossoff says partisanship is motivating many Georgia Republicans to turn their backs on the state's economic interests.

“For national Republicans right now, loyalty to Trump is more important than anything else, and this is what Trump says he wants," Ossoff said.

The Qcells solar panel plant is seen Friday, June 27, 2025, near Cartersville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Qcells solar panel plant is seen Friday, June 27, 2025, near Cartersville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The SK, Hyundai Joint Battery Plant is seen Friday, June 27, 2025, in Bartow County, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor poses for a photo, Friday, June 27, 2025, in Cartersville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Qcells solar panel plant is seen Friday, June 27, 2025, near Cartersville, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)