Six Questions for Mike DeWine Amid Growing State Unemployment Scandal
May 24, 2021
Columbus, OH — Amid comparisons to the Coingate scandal and millions in fraudulent payments, Mike DeWine is increasingly under pressure to answer questions about his administration’s mishandling of unemployment fraud.
Earlier this month, the Ohio Auditor revealed that the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services withheld the extent of unemployment fraud that was happening from other state officials and delayed action on implementing anti-fraud measures. His deputy auditor made comparisons to the Coingate scandal when testifying about the unemployment cover up. And then it was revealed that the state paid out more than $2 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims and overpayments.
This weekend, both Cleveland.com and the Toledo Blade published editorials raising questions about the ongoing scandal. It’s important that DeWine continue to be held accountable for his administration’s mishandling of unemployment benefits and address the issue publicly.
As more and more information comes out about the administration’s unemployment fraud cover up, here are six questions Mike DeWine should answer:
- What did DeWine know and when did he know it?
- Why did the Ohio Auditor, not DeWine, make the withholding of these major fraud claims public?
- Will DeWine conduct a public, transparent investigation into why these massive fraud numbers were kept secret?
- With the predictable rise in unemployment claims last year amid a global pandemic, why didn’t DeWine invest in more staff and better technology at ODJFS, as Ohio Democrats called on him to do?
- Will DeWine financially punish Ohioans who received overpayments through no fault of their own, but rather because of the state’s errors?
- How does DeWine plan to cover the costs of the errors made by his administration? Through federal taxpayer dollars?