DeWine Must Finally Stand Up to His Own Party and Veto Radical Budget Provisions that Harm Working Ohioans
June 29, 2021
Columbus, OH — Late last night, the GOP-controlled House and Senate passed a state budget that includes several toxic provisions inserted by extreme Republicans who are using the budget process to play politics with the welfare of working Ohioans. Republicans included language that would massively cut taxes for the wealthy and well-connected, cut funding for local schools in communities across Ohio and attack women’s access to healthcare.
Time and again, we’ve seen Mike DeWine cave to the extreme members of his own party, too weak to stand up to his fellow Republicans as they push through harmful legislation. DeWine is losing support within his own party by the day, and continues to choose politics over principle by backing down from a fight when GOP politicians go on the attack. It’s past time for DeWine to stand up to his own party and push back against these harmful provisions.
“Facing increasingly tough attacks from within his own party, Mike DeWine has been letting Republicans push him around all year. DeWine’s responsibility is to Ohioans, not his political party and special interests. If Mike DeWine lets these provisions remain in the final budget, it’s clear he’s more interested in serving himself than the people of Ohio,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Provisions inserted in the budget that would harm working Ohioans and that DeWine must veto include:
- A tax cut that will disproportionately benefit the wealthy and well-connected by eliminating the top income bracket and lowering the tax rate for wealthy Ohioans.
- Language that would take away money from local public schools in communities across Ohio by greatly increasing funding for school vouchers and a provision to further expand charter schools.
- Provisions that insert politics into Ohioans’ healthcare, including language that would allow medical providers to refuse to treat patients for religious reasons and a provision to place unnecessary restrictions on two women’s healthcare centers, cutting off access to healthcare for southwest Ohioans.