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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, sending the legislation to the U.S. Senate. The legislation is an important investment in working families in Ohio, which will cut costs for hard-working Ohioans and help our state get back on the road to recovery.

“Today’s passage of the Build Back Better Act is an important step forward for working families in Ohio. As we saw last night, Washington Republicans want to stick to their playbook of looking out for Wall Street and special interests, while Democrats are laser-focused on making life more affordable for working Ohioans. The Build Back Better Act will put more money in the pockets of hard-working Ohioans, and we’re looking forward to the Senate passing this much-needed bill,” said Michael Beyer, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement calling on Republican lawmakers to finally put an end to GOP-led measures that put Ohioans’ health and safety at risk, and focus on the issues that matter to Ohio voters instead. The latest GOP vaccine bill that passed the House today handcuffs Ohio businesses and organizations, preventing them from taking critical steps to keep their employees safe amidst the latest surge of COVID-19.

“It’s far past time for Republicans to stop playing political games with a pandemic. Instead of focusing on critical issues that matter, like fixing gerrymandered state maps or taking action to stop Ohioans from bearing the cost of the GOP’s $60 million bribery scheme, Republicans are wasting time jamming a bill through the legislature that handcuffs businesses and puts Ohioans’ health and safety at risk,” said Chair Walters.

Chair Walters also urges the Ohio Senate to vote down this dangerous legislation and for Mike DeWine to veto this dangerous bill if it reaches his desk.

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Strongsville, OH —  Today, the ‘Foul Five,’ aka the GOP Senate candidates, participated in a forum with the Ohio Press Network in Strongsville. In response, Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Michael Beyer released the following statement:

“Democrats are focused on creating good-paying jobs in Ohio by investing in infrastructure while every leading candidate in the Republican Senate primary opposes this common-sense investment in Ohio’s roads and bridges. The out-of-touch millionaires in the Republican primary are more focused on their own nasty and petty feuds than delivering for Ohio.” 

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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party issued the following statement calling on Mike DeWine to veto the GOP gerrymandered map that ignores the will of Ohio voters and puts the political interests of Republican politicians over the needs of working families in Ohio. 

“This map is a disgrace and a betrayal of Ohio voters who overwhelmingly voted twice for fair districts and fair representation. From Toledo to Youngstown, Cincinnati to Athens and all across Ohio, this map makes Ohio even more gerrymandered and even less representative of Ohioans. It’s clear GOP politicians in Ohio want to prevent Ohioans from holding them accountable at the ballot box for the many ways they’ve betrayed Ohioans. Mike DeWine once said earlier versions of these maps aren’t ‘going to fly,’ and it’s time for him to use his veto pen to put his money where his mouth is,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

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Lorain, OH — Today, Lorain elected officials and workers celebrated the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and discussed what it means for Lorain, as part of the Building Ohio Together Tour, organized by the Ohio Democratic Party and For Our Future Ohio.

“The infrastructure bill represents the largest infrastructure investment in American history and will have meaningful results for working families here in Lorain. This bill means critical investments in roads and bridges. It means clean drinking water for families across the state. It means expanded access to broadband for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who currently lack access. And it means good-paying jobs for Ohioans across the state,” said Matt Lundy, Lorain County Commissioner.

“There’s been lots of talk about the politics behind the historic infrastructure bill passed this month, but not enough talk about what it will mean for working families in Ohio…Billions of dollars are headed to our state to make our roads and bridges safer and help your family get where they need to go more efficiently…The pandemic underscored how important it is to be able to connect to our friends, family and loved ones. Because of this legislation, hundreds of thousands more Ohioans will be able to do so,” said John Hunter, Mayor of Sheffield Village.

The bipartisan bill will create good-paying jobs and help Ohio businesses grow by investing in our roads, bridges, public transit, water pipes and broadband.

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create good-paying union jobs and rebuild Ohio’s crumbling infrastructure. It means supporting the small businesses that grow our economy and help us compete against other countries to bring more jobs back home. And right here because of this historic bill, the Great Lakes are set to receive $1 billion in new funding to support clean drinking water and support hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said John Novak, IBEW Local 129 Business Manager.

“Building on the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, Build Back Better legislation will invest in you and your family, including making healthcare, child care, elder care and housing more affordable and creating more tax cuts for working families in Ohio,” said Jim Slone, President of Lorain County CAP Council.

These critical investments in physical infrastructure will also be bolstered by Build Back Better legislation that will invest in human infrastructure, by cutting taxes and making life more affordable for working Ohioans.

Local leaders also discussed how these investments will help working families in Lorain get ahead and help communities like Lorain compete on a global stage.

More on the new infrastructure funding below:

• Ohio is expected to receive $9.2 billion for highways and $483 million for bridge replacement and repairs. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $1.2 billion to improve public transit. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $100 million in broadband funding, including providing high-speed internet access to the at least 259,000 Ohioans who lack it. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $1.4 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive approximately $253 million for infrastructure development for airports. [White House, 8/4/21]

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