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Vivek Ramaswamy’s Social Security Privatization Scam Would “Leave Ohioans With Less Retirement Income and Increased Healthcare Costs”

Columbus, Ohio- New reporting from The Ohio Independent details how Vivek Ramaswamy wants to privatize Social Security and “leave Ohioans with less retirement income and increased healthcare costs.” Ramaswamy has called Medicare and Medicaid “mistakes.” His hostility toward these foundational programs would be dangerous for the millions of Ohioans who rely on Social Security, Medicaid, or Medicare to make ends meet.

“Ohioans are working harder than ever to keep up with rising costs, but Vivek Ramaswamy says privatizing Social Security is ‘a reasonable conversation to have’ which would gut retirement income and increase healthcare costs for working families; he can’t promise their Social Security is safe for when they retire,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy wants to gamble with our Social Security to line his own pockets. He isn’t just out of touch; he’s clearly only out for himself.”  

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy backed Social Security privatization

  • Vivek Ramaswamy is running for Ohio governor on a plan to “put more money in your pocket and give your kids a world-class education.” His proposed changes to entitlement programs, however, might leave Ohioans with less retirement income and increased healthcare costs.
  • During his unsuccessful presidential campaign, Ramaswamy said he favored privatizing Social Security, replacing it with a system that would allow the government or individuals to invest retirement funds in stocks and bonds.  
  • One such reform he brought up during a New Hampshire town hall event in August 2023 was investing Social Security funds. “If we had just allowed that money to be invested by Social Security in the same way that your financial advisor would recommend that you invest your money, in a diversified portfolio, we would be swimming in surplus today,” he said.
  • Ramaswamy made similar comments in February 2024 interview with AARP, telling the nonprofit group, “I think we have to be honest about learning from a prior mistake: 20 years ago we should have allowed people to actually invest their Social Security money or the government to invest Social Security money in the same way that we would have allowed any private citizen to do in the stock market and in bonds and otherwise.” 
  • Experts say investing Social Security money in the stock market could leave future beneficiaries with much less money in retirement if the investments go downhill or the stock market crashes. Instead of a fixed monthly payment, benefits would depend on whether the investments gain or lose value.
  • In an October 2024 interview on the “Ezra Klein Show,” Ramaswamy was asked whether Medicare and Medicaid were mistakes. “I believe they were, with the benefit of retrospect, particularly Medicaid, particularly the welfare state, without work attachments required attached to it,” he replied. “What I think of as the welfare state, my principal issue with it is that it actually, I think the evidence would show, in my opinion, that it has harmed the very people that it was created to actually help.”
  • More than 2 million Ohioans receive Social Security benefits, about 2.5 million get health insurance through Medicare, and another 3 million are covered by Ohio Medicaid. An estimated 65,000 of those Medicaid subscribers are veterans and 44% of Ohio’s kids are covered by the program.

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Ohio Families Face Record Gas Prices Thanks To Jon Husted-Backed War

WHIO: ‘It rose so fast;’ August gas prices reach record highs in Ohio as crude oil costs climb

COLUMBUS, OHIO — New reporting shows Ohioans continue to see record gas prices — all thanks to the endless war in Iran that Jon Husted has continuously voted to support. The average price of gas has hit $4.17 in Ohio, which is up 20 cents from last week. 

Jon Husted recently voted for the thirteenth time to support the unnecessary war in the Middle East. Husted previously claimed that the war is going “much better than anyone thought it would,” and when asked about skyrocketing gas prices Ohioans are facing, Husted responded “what do you want me to do?” 

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“As Ohioans continue to face skyrocketing prices at the gas pump, Jon Husted has repeatedly voted to support the war in Iran, sending more money overseas while Ohioans pay the price. Instead of voting to lower costs at home, Husted continues to insult and lecture hardworking families on their work ethic.” 

While Husted keeps voting to make everything more expensive, he also can’t help himself from insulting hardworking Ohioans struggling because of his votes:

  • When asked recently if he was okay with not knowing how long the war will last or how much taxpayer dollars will be spent, Husted replied, “it’s not really up to us.”
  • When asked what he was doing to address rising gas prices for his constituents, Husted responded: “What do you want me to do?” 
  • When a truck driver asked about soaring diesel costs, Husted brushed him off and responded by asking if he was comfortable with Iran being a nuclear power. 

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On National Aviation Day, Reminder that Private Jet Lover Vivek Ramaswamy Has Spent Nearly 40% of 2026 Away from Ohio

Columbus, Ohio — Today is National Aviation Day, a favorite holiday for longtime private jet lover Vivek Ramaswamy. He’s flown to destinations as close as Akron and all the way across the ocean to Paris, France, on the Fourth of July. Despite running for governor of Ohio, Ramaswamy has used his private jet to spend nearly 40% of 2026 outside of Ohio.

In 2025, Ramaswamy spent more than $780,000 on private jet travel, more than Bernie Sanders spent on all air travel during his nationwide tour last year.

“Ohio is proud to be the first in flight, but Vivek Ramaswamy wants to be the first governor who is always flying away from the state he claims to want to lead while calling our workers ‘lazy,’” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “On the ground, Ohioans are struggling with rising costs and deserve more than a governor who can’t even bring himself to take a drive up I-71.”

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BOUGHT AND PAID FOR: Derek Merrin Voted For Data Center Tax Breaks, Then Cashed Checks From The Companies Raking In Profits

As Ohio families get crushed by a 17% spike in summer electric bills, reporting exposes Merrin’s pay-to-play record on the data center giveaways draining Ohio taxpayers

COLUMBUS, OH – Reminder, while Ohio families are struggling with sky-high summer electric bills, Republican Derek Merrin is facing scrutiny for his record of voting to hand Big Tech billions in data center tax breaks — and then cashing campaign checks from the very companies raking in the profits. In 2017, Merrin voted for Ohio’s data center tax break scheme, signing on to shell out more than $2 billion to data centers while in the statehouse. Since then, Ohio families have footed the bill for the $2.5 billion in state and local tax incentives that Ohio data centers have received.

“Derek Merrin voted to hand billions in tax breaks to data centers at the expense of working Ohioans, who are now paying the price while Merrin pockets the profits,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “This is exactly the kind of culture of corruption that has become a staple of Republican control and that Ohioans are sick of, which is one of the many reasons why come November, they’ll reject Merrin once again.”

Ohio is now home to more than 200 data centers, the sixth-highest in the nation. While Merrin rakes in campaign cash from PACs that have profited from over $17 million in data center tax breaks, utility bills across Ohio were projected to hit $800 this summer, a 17% jump over last year. Now, Merrin wouldn’t even comment when asked about his position on the subject.

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is calling out Merrin for his support for the data centers that are raising Ohioans’ costs, emphasizing in a new ad that she will “never give tax breaks to subsidize more data centers.” Rep. Kaptur also took to the floor of the House of Representatives to demand that data centers be held accountable: “How much more will our citizens be forced to pay for power and water? They have a right to know.”

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Ohioans In Lima Rally Against Jon Husted For Bringing Hundreds of Data Centers to Ohio

Husted described as the “face of data centers” in Ohio

COLUMBUS, OHIO — This week, Lima City Councilwoman Jeannine Jordan, Shelby County farmer Chris Gibbs, and Ohioans facing skyrocketing electric bills rallied against Jon Husted for his record of bringing hundreds of data centers to Ohio while local communities were left with the bill. 

Jon Husted blames Ohioans for data centers, telling listeners in a recent interview that “we are the problem.” While Husted blames families and local communities, Ohio electric bills are now projected to be over $800 for the summer — a massive increase. 

“Jon Husted is blaming you and I for using the tools modern life requires, while ignoring the fact that he helped flood the state with massive, power-hungry data centers without a coherent plan, without including citizens in the planning, without considering the costs that the people and the environment would pay,” said Lima City Councilwoman Jeannine Jordan. “We need leadership that starts with people, not with corporations. Jon Husted has shown us exactly where his priorities are, and it is not with ordinary Ohioans trying to keep the lights on.”

“We got Jon Husted, who basically has cut deals behind closed doors over the past ten years, particularly when he was lieutenant governor, bringing in things like tax breaks for data centers,” said Lew Modic, candidate for Allen County Commissioner. “As taxpayers, the two and a half billion dollars we’ve given away in opportunity for sales tax to bring data centers into the state is more money than probably every resident of our county would make in the next 100 years. That’s the kind of deal that we are getting cut with leadership from the appointed Senator Jon Husted.”

“We hear Jon Husted being described as the face of data centers all across Ohio. When it comes to energy-hungry data centers, Husted rolled out the red carpet for these billionaire-controlled outfits, offering them 2.5 billion dollars in state-level property tax exemptions. He fast-tracked the approvals, and that’s where we find ourselves today,” said Chris Gibbs, a farmer in Shelby County. “Just in my case alone, AES has jacked rates 26% in the past 12 months, and over the past 24 months, my rates on those accounts have increased 37%”

Read more about how Jon Husted led the charge to bring data centers to Ohio: 

  • When he was Lt. Governor, Husted led the charge to give billions in out-of-control tax breaks to out-of-state corporations building data centers in Ohio. 
  • According to the Plain Dealer, Husted was “a data center’s best friend” and “spent years rolling out the red carpet” for these massive corporations to come to Ohio. 
  • Now, three months away from an election, Husted is “suddenly positioning himself as the guy who’s going to rein them in.”

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