SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was in Savannah Tuesday morning for a “Hardworking Georgians” breakfast panel alongside U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley, Savannah Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bert Brantley, and Tourism Leadership Council President and CEO Michael Owens.

The discussion focused on Georgia’s economy, workforce and federal issues impacting the state.

Kemp said Savannah continues to be one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, but the ongoing federal government shutdown is testing that momentum.

“Senator Ron Johnson and also James Lankford both have proposals to stop this whole idea of shutdowns and have a permanent continuing resolution that forces people, forces politicians in D.C. to stay up there until they get the budget resolved,” Kemp said.

Dooley echoed those frustrations, calling for a long-term solution to prevent future shutdowns.

“The Republicans have brought forth a clean continuing resolution,” Dooley said. “They’re not trying to change anything in our budget, only continue these negotiations. And the Democrats are holding the American people hostage because they didn’t get their way in the presidential election.”

Owens said the shutdown could have ripple effects across the state’s tourism and hospitality industry, which relies heavily on federal spending and travel.

“The shutdown affects tourism in this country a billion dollars a week,” Owens said. “If occupancy in a hotel drops by 30%, I need 30% fewer housekeepers, servers and bar backs. Those folks lose access to their hours immediately.”

Kemp also discussed the importance of workforce development in maintaining Georgia’s economic growth. He said the state is focusing on preparing students for jobs that meet employers’ needs across major industries.

“We’re trying to make sure that they’re trained in fields that our businesses here need whether it’s tourism, a technician at Gulfstream, somebody working on robotics at Hyundai,” Kemp said. “We’re trying to make sure we’re pumping out graduates from programs that our employers need. We’re not worried about what some plant in Alabama needs. We’re worried about what our people need.”

He added that Georgia faces a shrinking pool of high school graduates, creating new challenges for workforce growth.

Dooley said changes in technology are reshaping how young people enter the workforce.

“I do think we’re in a real transformative time in our economy with AI,” Dooley said. “Our workforce training and development is going to change dramatically. But that’s where the government can help develop skills for young people, which will help our businesses have a bigger employee pool.”

Kemp also addressed immigration, saying that while he supports the current administration’s border policies, visa programs still need to be improved to support Georgia’s growing industries.

“We have a lot of plants not just here in Georgia, but all over the country that need technical people to come in for 90 days to help set and train workers,” Kemp said. “We’ve talked to the White House and Hyundai about gaps in the visa program that need to be addressed.”

Dooley joins the GOP field with U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, as well as Reagan Box.