Uncategorized

Columbus, Ohio – Early this morning, almost every Ohio Republican voted to pass the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill, which now heads to the senate for further consideration. Republicans passed a dangerous budget that will rip healthcare away from families, close hospitals, and create even more barriers for Ohioans struggling to put food on the table.

Ohio is expected to be one of the hardest hit states following cuts to Medicaid. The budget reconciliation bill alone could slash healthcare access for as many as 400,000 Ohioans. Over a quarter of Ohioans count on Medicaid to stay healthy. Now, the disastrous and dangerous budget coming from Washington has them questioning whether or not they can get the care they need.

As Ohioans grapple with rising costs of groceries brought on by the Trump administration’s reckless economic policies, this bill also wants to make it harder for Ohioans to receive assistance with paying for food. More than 600,000 Ohioans count on SNAP to put food on the table, but now they’re faced with uncertainty about affording their next meal. 

“Instead of working towards a brighter, healthier future for Ohio, congressional Republicans chose to take away food and affordable healthcare from their own constituents in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires,”  said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans deserve better than representatives who vote to hurt their quality of life while helping their billionaire friends.”

Ohioans can find contact information for their Republican Members of Congress here to make sure they know the consequences of their disastrous vote.

###

Columbus, Ohio – New research has revealed that if House Republicans pass their budget reconciliation bill and allow affordable healthcare tax credits to expire, as many as 400,000 Ohioans could lose their healthcare. Whether it’s rising doctors’ bills, risk of hospital closures, or ripping away healthcare all together, this budget will be disastrous and dangerous for Ohio.

Over a quarter of Ohioans rely on Medicaid to access the healthcare they need, but Ohio Republicans appear ready to vote for a bill that will rip away healthcare from families, punish workers who lose their jobs, and shut down hospitals and medical practitioners across the state. Republicans who vote for this bill will show their constituents that they’d rather sacrifice their healthcare to give tax breaks to billionaires. 

“Ohioans should be able to easily and affordably access the healthcare they need, but so far congressional Republicans have opted for more tax breaks for billionaires,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “We’re calling on our Republican congressional delegation to stand up for their constituents and vote against this dangerous bill.”

Ohioans can find contact information for their Republicans members of Congress here to call and demand they vote against dangerous cuts to their healthcare.

###

Columbus, Ohio- Over the past months, Ohioans have been forced to contend with a never-ending barrage of bad news from Washington while their jobs, education, and more are on the line. Here’s a recap of just a few ways Washington billionaires like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have harmed Ohio families while cutting taxes for fellow billionaires. 

Donald Trump issued an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education while Governor DeWine cheered.  Now, Ohio is in danger of losing billions in funding, disproportionately harming low-income students.

• The Department of Education allocates funds to Title One schools, which have the highest numbers of low-income students. Ohio educated over 800,000 students with these funds. For Ohio’s low-income students, these funds help pave the path to a brighter future for themselves and our state. Their state’s elected officials would rather score points with Donald Trump than grow the next generation of Ohio’s leaders. 
• Columbus Dispatch: Ohio could lose more than $5 billion in annual funding it receives from the U.S. Department of Education after Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the department.

As costs continue to rise, billionaires are cancelling programs that fed hungry Ohioans and boosted Ohio farmers. 

• Hungry Ohio families have been left scrambling to find assistance after billionaires eliminated funding for organizations that feed hungry Ohioans. While families face even more uncertainty about whether or not they can put food on the table, Republicans would rather see lower bills for billionaires.
• NBC4: Food banks and farms are facing challenges after the U.S. Department of Agriculture eliminated key funding programs as the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said they are slashing federal spending to reduce government waste.  The move cuts about $420 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, a program that helped feed hungry people with high-quality Ohio-grown products. 

While billionaires brag about their own tax breaks, they’re putting Ohioans in danger.

• Donald Trump and Elon Musk have gutted critical staff and resources that monitor environmental conditions and watch for potential hazards in the Great Lakes. Almost three million Ohioans rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Now, Republicans have cut critical safety measures to keep their water safe.
• ProPublica: Cutbacks have gutted the staff at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. […] Multiple people who have worked with the lab also told ProPublica that there are serious gaps in this year’s monitoring of algal blooms, which are often caused by excess nutrient runoff from farms. […] That data has helped to successfully avoid a repeat of a 2014 crisis in Toledo, Ohio, when nearly half a million people were warned to not drink the water or even touch it.

###

Columbus, Ohio– Yesterday, Republicans on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, including Ohio Representatives Bob Latta, Michael Rulli, and Troy Balderson, took another step towards cutting Medicaid. 

Following a lengthy markup session, Energy and Commerce Republicans voted to advance their budget- including massive cuts to Medicaid. Under the current version of the budget, as many as 770,700 Ohioans are at risk of losing access to affordable healthcare. Ohio is likely to be among the hardest hit states if these extreme Medicaid cuts become reality. 

Cuts to healthcare are deeply unpopular in Ohio, even in the most republican leaning congressional districts. It’s not surprising that the three Ohio Republicans on Energy & Commerce have refused to show up for town halls with their constituents. Latta and Rulli both declined direct invitations to join town halls, with Rulli calling one event a “pathetic spectacle.” Balderson sent his staff to hold an event instead of showing up himself. 

“While billionaires enjoy the tax breaks politicians fought so hard for in this budget, Ohio families will grapple with sky-high healthcare costs,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “We’re calling on all members of Ohio’s Republican congressional delegation to do the right thing and vote against a budget that prioritizes billionaires over the health of their constituents.”

###

Columbus, Ohio– Last week, a new report from the U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio as the 13th worst state in the country. For Ohioans who have watched as Republicans used their illegal supermajorities to gut education, rip away personal freedoms, and destroy our state’s economy, this ranking is disappointing, but not surprising.

Under years of Republican control, Ohioans’ quality of life has deteriorated while costs have gone up. Instead of fighting for access to education, healthcare, and a good-paying job, Republicans have left Ohioans behind in service of billionaires and fellow party insiders. Every Republican on the ballot owns the state of our state- and Ohio Democrats will make sure voters know they’re responsible.

“Ohioans are seeing their quality of life go down while their state government would rather reward billionaires and extremists,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Voters can expect to see Republican candidates try every trick in the book to avoid taking responsibility for the decline in our state, but at the end of the day they only have themselves to blame. Ohioans deserve better from our state government.”

###