Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney: Ohio Republicans Blocked $100M for Hungry Families-Now Take Credit for Doing Much Less

Just yesterday, almost every Republican in the Ohio Legislature voted no on a Democratic plan to use $100 million to keep food on the table for Ohio families about to lose SNAP during the federal shutdown.

Ohio has the money to protect working families from the dysfunction & chaos Trump is creating in Washington.  The state has over $100 million in the Controlling Board’s emergency fund, billions in the Rainy-Day Fund, and hundreds of millions in GRF reserves, among other options. There’s no excuse for inaction when kids, seniors, and veterans will go hungry.

Now, after blocking real relief, those same Republican legislators are scrambling to repackage a $25 million plan as “leadership.” This isn’t leadership,  it’s damage control. Their meager offering of $25 million isn’t even close to covering the $200 million a month that Ohioans are set to lose because Republicans, who control Washington, can’t pass a funding bill. This plan barely scratches the surface

Meanwhile, Louisiana, with less than half our population and far fewer resources,  recently unanimously approved $150 million in food aid. Yet Ohio Republican lawmakers are patting themselves on the back for doing the bare minimum. 

Ohio lawmakers can’t reopen the federal government, but we can make sure Ohioans don’t go hungry. Instead, Republicans are pointing fingers at Democrats in Congress. Ohioans shouldn’t have to choose between affordable healthcare or feeding their families, but that’s exactly what Republicans are saying: you can’t have affordable health care and food on your table. That’s wrong and Ohioans shouldn’t stand for that.

And let’s not forget: these are the same Republicans who just voted “yes” on a state operating budget that cut over $1B in state revenue to pay for tax cuts for millionaires while refusing to invest in these very same Ohioans they now proclaim they care about. Just this past summer, this legislature found a way to give away millions to wealthy special interests, but now we can’t afford to feed hungry kids, while sitting on billions of reserves? 

The bottom line: the state legislature has the power and the resources necessary to ensure every Ohioan who is set to lose their benefits thanks to Trump’s mismanagement will have access to food, but instead, Republican lawmakers made the deliberate choice not to.