• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear endorsed bipartisan approaches to most issues.
• The governors agreed the National Guard should not be used for law enforcement.
• Both want the federal government shutdown to end.
• Both highlighted their cooperation on the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge project.

Rob Portman established a center at the University of Cincinnati two years ago to bridge the gap between the left and the right.

Ohio’s former Republican senator won cooperation on that count from Ohio and Kentucky’s governors on Oct. 21, as the two agreed on how to use National Guard (not for law enforcement), when to end the federal government shutdown (now), the importance of the Brent Spence Bridge project (giant) and who should inspire public policy (citizens).

“In these polarized times,” Portman said, setting up the conversation between Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republication governor, and Andy Beshear, a Democrat who fills that job in Kentucky, “I think there’s a real interest in how to get together and solve problems.”

Here’s what the governors had to say before a politically mixed crowd at a packed UC auditorium.

(Separately, Beshear told reporters a presidential run is something he and his family will “consider” if they feel he’s the best candidate for the job in 2028. And DeWine declined to comment on Cincinnati’s police chief, saying only “That issue just has to get resolved. It’s not mine to get resolved.”) 

Should the National Guard police American cities?

National Guard members are useful during natural disasters and civil disturbances when mayors request them, DeWine said. Otherwise, other agencies are better equipped to help, he said. In Cincinnati, for example, state and local officials worked out an agreement for the Ohio State Highway Patrol to backstop local officers to address urban crime.

Beshear said citizens deserve to be safe and feel safe, but agreed National Guard officers are not trained to handle law enforcement. He also said the National Guard of one state should not be sent to another state where the governor does not want them.

“Decreasing crime and making people feel safer is hard work that can’t be solved by a stunt,” he said.

How is the federal government shutdown affecting your state?

Beshear said he’s hearing from federal workers worried about paying their mortgages and electric bills. “We’re looking at a lot of families that aren’t getting a paycheck,” he said. “We need to think about them.”

At the same time, rising costs, particularly of health care premiums, are hurting families, he said. Health care costs are a central issue in the shutdown, with Democrats wanting to extend insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act before they expire at the end of the year and Republicans wanting to end the shutdown before working out that issue.

DeWine said he is concerned that recipients of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infants and Children program will not get needed benefits come Nov. 1.

“The further this goes on the pain is very, very clear,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, DeWine said the state of Ohio has “no additional money” to provide those benefits. “What we hope is that this matter is resolved in Washington, D.C.”