It looks like Georgia’s most vulnerable Democrat in 2026 has found a new campaign strategy: taking victory laps for legislation he didn’t write, didn’t cosponsor, didn’t amend, didn’t vote on, and didn’t even sit on the committee that advanced it. Yes, Sen. Jon Ossoff is out here claiming he “helped pass” H.R. 1815 — the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act — a bill authored solely by Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
Ossoff held a celebratory press conference in August, standing proudly alongside veterans in Georgia and declaring, “Today I am here to celebrate that President Trump has signed our bipartisan bill into law to protect American veterans from foreclosure and prevent veteran homelessness.” The only problem? According to Van Orden — and the official legislative record — Ossoff had absolutely nothing to do with it. “He did not even VOTE for it, it passed by unanimous consent,” Van Orden blasted on X. “Veterans are not political props.”
The truth is simple: the bill originated in the House, written and pushed by Van Orden, passed with no cosponsors, and was discharged from the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee by unanimous consent. Ossoff wasn’t on the committee, never gave a floor speech, never offered an amendment, and didn’t cosponsor the Senate companion bill either. In other words, his fingerprints are nowhere to be found. Yet, that didn’t stop him from releasing statements like, “Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to help protect Georgia veterans from foreclosure.” Talk about rewriting history.
Republicans are rightfully hammering him for it. NRSC Chairman Tim Scott called out Ossoff’s “political desperation,” reminding voters that Georgia “deserves so much better.” Three GOP challengers are already circling what they see as a top flip opportunity in 2026.
Even more telling, after pretending to be bipartisan at his veterans press event, Ossoff went on MSNBC the very same evening and dropped the mask, calling Republicans “cowardly,” promising investigations into President Trump, and warning about “MAGA one-party rule.” This, from the same senator who voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — the president’s signature legislative achievement — and has opposed nearly every serious immigration enforcement measure brought to the floor.
The bottom line: Jon Ossoff is trying to pad his record by latching onto Republican victories he never lifted a finger to achieve, while simultaneously bashing the very president who signed them into law. Georgia voters aren’t stupid. They know the difference between a leader who delivers and a politician desperate to take credit. And come 2026, they’ll have the chance to remind Ossoff exactly who really fights for veterans — and who just uses them as a backdrop for campaign photos.
