OHGov

Columbus, Ohio- Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his extreme, costly proposal to shut down Ohio colleges and universities in order to fund his tax on working families. Ramaswamy’s insistence on his proposal to shut down colleges and universities comes just after his campaign desperately attempted to rewrite history by telling Ohioans not to believe what they saw on his own campaign social media. 

But Ramaswamy made himself clear. He wants to shut down colleges and universities in Ohio, which would rip educational opportunities away from students, endanger access to health care, and threaten small businesses and entire economies in small towns across Ohio. It’s more of the same from the out of touch billionaire who has called Medicaid and Medicare “mistakes,” moved his business to Texas, and called Ohio workers “lazy.”   

“Ramaswamy’s attempt to lie to Ohioans about a campaign proposal posted on his own social media failed, so instead he’s doubling down on raising costs and taking away opportunities from students across our state,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans want a governor who will lower costs and fight for working families, not a Harvard and Yale graduate who probably wrote this defense of his toxic plan to close Ohio colleges and universities from a cushy seat in the cabin of his private jet.” 

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Columbus, Ohio-  While working families across Ohio are struggling to make ends meet, new reporting revealed billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy spent nearly $12,000 in campaign funds to stay at a luxury resort in Puerto Rico to speak at a conference on outsourcing jobs. When his speech was canceled, Ramaswamy stuck around anyway to play pickleball with the Paul brothers.

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s donor-funded luxury vacation to Puerto Rico while working families are struggling is unsurprising from a billionaire who calls Ohioans lazy, moved his business to Texas, and thinks the “perceived” rising cost of living is only in our imagination,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy is clearly more interested in fun in the sun with the Paul brothers than bringing costs down for working families.”

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy Used Campaign Funds to Finance Luxury Puerto Rico Trip

• Campaign finance records show that in November 2025, Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign spent $11,898.25 on travel at the Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado, Puerto Rico. This was pulled from Ramaswamy’s filings:

• The resort is described as one of Puerto Rico’s most exclusive luxury destinations, offering high-end accommodations, private dining experiences, and extensive amenities including a golf course and sports facilities. A one-bedroom suite at the resort can cost as much as $5,820 per night.

• In December 2025, Ramaswamy was scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker at the ITServe Alliance’s Synergy annual conference in Puerto Rico. ITServe Alliance is an organization that has advocated for changes to H1B visa policies, including increasing the annual cap on visas and reducing certain restrictions. The group has lobbied Congress on immigration-related issues and has been involved in legal challenges concerning visa requirements.

• According to reports, Ramaswamy withdrew from the conference shortly before it took place following criticism related to the organization’s positions on immigration and H1B visas. The backlash emerged online after his planned appearance became public.

• During the same period, Ramaswamy shared a social media post showing himself playing pickleball at the Dorado Beach resort with Logan Paul and Jake Paul. The resort includes a sports hub with pickleball courts available to guests.

• The sequence of campaign spending, the planned conference appearance, the subsequent withdrawal, and the recreational activities during the trip have drawn attention to the use of campaign funds and the context surrounding the visit to Puerto Rico.

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Columbus, Ohio- In a recent video, Vivek Ramaswamy rolled out his new plan to shut down Ohio colleges and universities. More than 313,000 students attend public colleges and universities across Ohio. Local communities and families depend on these institutions for economic development, employment and healthcare access.  

“Ramaswamy’s plan to shut down Ohio colleges and universities would slash jobs, education, and in many cases healthcare that students and families across our state depend on,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy should get off his private jet and come clean with Ohioans about exactly which schools he wants to shutter to pay for his destructive tax scheme that even Republican Governor Mike DeWine called ‘absolutely devastating.’”

Here are five questions Ramaswamy must answer:

1. Which Ohio colleges and universities do you plan to close?

2. One in eight jobs in Ohio are supported by the public college and university system. How many of those will be lost under your plan to close colleges and universities? 

3. Many college and university systems are major providers of healthcare services. Under your plan, how many Ohioans will lose access to their healthcare provider and be forced to pick a more expensive option or go without entirely? 

4. What’s your message to residents of college towns across Ohio that would lose their main source of jobs and revenue?  

5. Would your plan to close colleges and universities affect funding for Ohio State football?

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Columbus, Ohio- In a new video, Vivek Ramaswamy has rolled out a new plan for Ohio’s future: shutting down colleges and universities. Ramaswamy said Ohio has too many colleges and universities and did not specify which he would shut down. 

Ramaswamy: “I want us to have the best universities but we have too many of them. They need to be consolidated.”

This isn’t Ramaswamy’s first time rolling out a costly and wildly unpopular education policy that would harm Ohioans. In November, Ramaswamy faced backlash from his own party after posting a video proposing year-round school in Ohio. Some of his biggest supporters thought it was so absurd that it must have been AI-generated. It was real.

“Vivek Ramaswamy should get off his private jet, come clean with Ohioans and tell us exactly which schools he wants to shutter, and in the process slash jobs, education, and in many cases healthcare that students and families across our state depend on,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “From calling Ohioans lazy to telling families that rising costs are all in their heads to shutting down schools, every day Ramaswamy finds a new way to demonstrate how little regard he has for our state.”

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Columbus, Ohio- Gas prices in Ohio have jumped by more than 64 cents per gallon in just over a week, the second highest spike in the country. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy has said that gas prices are actually lower and “perceived” rising costs are just in Ohioans’ imaginations. 

Working families are already struggling to keep up with sky-high costs at the grocery store, the doctor’s office, and now the gas station. Costs are too high, and Vivek Ramaswamy will do nothing to bring down the cost of living that is making life difficult for Ohio families.

“While Vivek Ramaswamy is busy flying around in his private jet telling working families that rising costs are only in their imaginations, Ohioans down on the ground stopping for gas at the Goasis are facing sticker shock once again,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “If Ramaswamy can’t even admit that costs are going up, why would we ever trust him to make life more affordable for the rest of us?”

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