Ohio
Ohio's Republican candidates are floating Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid reforms • Ohio Capital Journal
During the primary campaign, Kevin Coughlin — now the Republican nominee for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District — committed to pursuing entitlement reform if he’s elected.
“And I know the Democrats are cheering right now that they’re hearing me say that,” Coughlin said. He argued “anyone with eyes and an honest heart” can understand the simple math problem — money is going out the door faster than it’s getting replaced.
He specifically referenced Social Security and Medicaid, which provides health care for people with lower incomes. But Medicare, which provides health care for seniors and some people with disabilities, is typically included in debates about entitlement reform.
Recent projections from the U.S. Treasury indicate the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become insolvent in 2034 and 2031 respectively.
“(They’re) going to go broke very, very quickly, which isn’t going to mean that (programs are) going to go away, but it’s going to mean that the benefits that people get are going to be cut,” Coughlin argued.
“You have to start thinking about the sustainability of those programs for people who really need them,” he went on. “And so there’s got to be real adult conversations about these things, and proposals put forward with binding votes for Congress to vote on.”
Coughlin’s argument is right in line with decades of Republican doctrine, but maybe not the party’s current standard bearer.
“I made a promise that I will always keep Social Security, Medicare—we always will keep it, we won’t be cutting it,” former President Donald Trump told Dayton rallygoers last March.
Despite insisting from his earliest days as a presidential candidate that he would “save” the big three entitlement programs “without cuts,” last month in a CNBC interview Trump said “there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” He hinted at cuts in 2020 as well.
Where Republicans stand
Although Trump has waffled on the issue, Coughlin comes by his position honestly. Back in 2011, when he was flirting with a U.S. Senate run, he made a similar case. Coughlin voiced support for a handful of ideas backed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI, who had been tapped as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick and would go on to become House Speaker during the Trump administration.
Those changes include converting Medicare into a voucher program for anyone under 55 at the time. The proposal would also steadily raise the eligibility age to 67 — a position which Coughlin now opposes. Coughlin also pledged support for a balanced budget proposal that would cap spending in such a way that cuts to Medicare and Social Security would likely be unavoidable.
In a written statement for this story, Coughlin blamed the programs’ balance sheets on Democrats, and expressed concerns that “they’ll resort to benefit cuts” to address shortfalls.
“These important programs are going broke because Democrats used them as their personal piggy bank and raided them for wasteful spending and pet projects,” he wrote. “We have to shore up these programs by cutting waste fraud and abuse, not cutting benefits, raising taxes or the retirement age.”
Trump has also used waste fraud and abuse as a fig leaf after backlash to his public comments. But while independent experts contend waste and fraud are significant problems in Medicaid and Medicare, they question whether there’s enough to balance the books. For Social Security, they insist eliminating waste and fraud would do little to close the gap. In a different version of that math problem, they note there are simply too many retirees and not enough workers.
And Couhglin is not alone in raising the idea of entitlement reform.
Early in this year’s U.S. Senate race, all three of Ohio’s Republican candidates floated changes to entitlements.
State Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, was the most explicit. “To have a discussion about spending,” he said, “yes, we’re going to have to recognize we have to reform these entitlements.” Dolan insisted none of the attendees should “sweat” over losing benefits. “But look at the front table here,” he added, “see these young people? I want to make sure that they’re not afraid.”
Sec. of State Frank LaRose said Social Security and Medicaid are “worth looking at,” but warned changes must ensure people within a few decades of becoming beneficiaries aren’t affected. Bernie Moreno, who wound up winning the nomination, insisted Social Security isn’t an entitlement because workers pay into the program, but he criticized the expansion of Medicaid.
In a written statement, Moreno’s campaign reiterated his commitment to opposing cuts to Medicare or Social Security. “Important programs that Americans have spent their lives paying into like Social Security and Medicare should never be put in jeopardy,” he argued. Moreno added that he doesn’t support cutting Medicaid for Americans who are “truly in need,” but he criticized states like California that have extended benefits to undocumented immigrants.
“Which is something that we need to put a stop to immediately,” he said, “The American taxpayer eventually foots the bill.”
Entitlement reform plans in black and white
While Coughlin emphasizes waste fraud and abuse, incumbent lawmakers have floated plans to roll back entitlements more broadly in recent years. They’ve just failed to gain traction.
Recall President Joe Biden needling Republicans during the 2023 State of the Union over plans to make Medicare and Social Security sunset. Despite some Republicans’ jeers, that idea came from a platform advanced by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-FL. He’s since revised the proposal to exempt the programs.
More recently, the Republican Study Committee unveiled it’s 2024 budget plan which proposes raising the eligibility age for Social Security without specifying what age is appropriate, and converting Medicare to a voucher system. Eight members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation are part of the committee.
What changes would mean in Ohio
“Well, the real question is are we our brothers’ keepers or not,” Jack Frech, the retired director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services, said.
After more than three decades there, he served as an executive in residence focused on poverty issue at the Voinovich School at Ohio University.
“And you know it’s interesting that we take a very selective view of math,” Frech said of arguments about entitlement programs’ solvency. “We could also look at the fact that over the same time frame the richest people in this country have gotten ridiculously richer.”
“You know, that’s math, too,” he said.
And while he acknowledged Republicans have put a lot of effort into cutting entitlement programs, Democrats are far from blameless.
“Let’s remember on issues like cash assistance and some of these other programs, it was Bill Clinton and the Democrats whose reform measures ended up resulting in drastic, drastic reductions in assistance through those programs,” he said.
“It’s not as though anybody’s out there who deserves a gold star for the great job they’ve done helping poor people,” Frech said.
He explained programs like Social Security and Medicare provide a lifeline to Ohioans, but they don’t provide a comfortable living. The average monthly Social Security check is about $1,900. The poverty line for an individual breaks down to $1,255 a month.
But the impact doesn’t stop with individuals, he said. “There are communities in southeast Ohio that I’ve looked into that have as much as 70-80% of the medical income they have is coming from those programs.” Similarly, he noted transfer payments make up as much as a quarter of local income in some southeast Ohio counties.
“These are real people who are already struggling,” Frech said, “and you’re basically saying we’re going to solve our financial problem by taking services away from them.”
Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.
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TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – The FBI was part of a search of multiple properties related to Stansley Mining on Friday, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed.
A Public Affairs Officer for the FBI Cleveland Division confirmed to the 13 Action News I-TEAM that authorities searched a business in the area of Siliva Road in Sylvania, as well as property in Ottawa County by State Route 590 in Benton Township.
Officials with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation told the 13 Action News I-TEAM that they executed a search warrant at the property in Benton Township. Ohio BCI’s environmental division and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were involved in the search.
It’s unclear exactly what officials were looking for. The FBI spokesperson said there wasn’t additional information to share at this point, but added there is no threat to the public.
Stansley Mining is the entity that owns Rocky Ridge Development, a company at the center of extensive 13 Action News coverage after its South Toledo mining operation was improperly working in a residentially-zoned area.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — A critically acclaimed name in Cleveland’s food scene is making a comeback of sorts and entering a new era in the food and restaurant business.
After the official closure of Melt Bar and Grilled locations across the area in late 2024, founder Matt Fish is stepping back into the restaurant business with a brand-new concept in Ohio City.
More Melts close
Fish is preparing to open “Proof Public House” inside the former Proof BBQ space along Lorain Avenue.
The new restaurant and bar is expected to officially open in mid-June after recently obtaining its food service license.
The announcement was just made on the restaurant’s official Instagram page this week.
But Fish says this project is very different from Melt’s previous projects, with more than a dozen locations across Ohio.
“I’m starting from scratch. Brand new concept. Brand new feeling, brand new attitude,” Fish said. “I wanna get back to basics.”
Fish describes Proof Public House as a punk rock-inspired neighborhood bar and restaurant with elevated comfort food, craft drinks, and an evolving seasonal menu.
“I’ve always wanted to get back to my roots,” Fish said. “I’ve always wanted to get back to a small place and recapture that magic of what Melt Bar and Grilled was when it first opened up.”
The longtime chef and restaurateur says music and creativity will help define the atmosphere and capture the essence.
Fish grew up on punk rock music and is also a drummer.
He says Cleveland’s history and punk rock roots make this latest project feel even more special.
The menu, he says, will feature chef-driven comfort food with rotating seasonal dishes and a specialized beverage program.
“Just have fun with the menu,” Fish said. “The beverage program will be very seasonal. It’s gonna be very evolving.”
Although many fans still associate Fish with the iconic grilled cheese sandwiches that helped make Melt Bar and Grilled a Northeast Ohio staple after opening in 2006, he says this new chapter is about moving forward.
“That part of my life is over and gone, but it was something special to so many of us,” Fish said.
Still, longtime Melt fans may notice subtle nods to the past.
Fish hinted there would be occasional “odes to Melt” appearing on the menu in the future, in some capacity.
He also credits former Proof BBQ and current Visible Voice Books owner Dave Ferrante for encouraging him to jump back into the hospitality business.
Fish quietly consulted on projects behind the scenes after Melt’s closure, including work connected to Visible Voice.
“I want to do something for myself, do something for the City of Cleveland, do something for my family and friends,” Fish said.
Proof Public House is expected to announce an official opening date soon.
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Ohio, one of the nation’s data center destination hot spots, is suspending a tax break that has been critical to its competition with other states to attract the massive new facilities that power and train artificial intelligence chatbots.
The move Wednesday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as tax breaks for energy-hungry AI data centers are increasingly playing a role in state budgets and the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of the vast network of its computing warehouses needed to power AI.
The size of Ohio’s tax break skyrocketed, dwarfing previous projections, as opposition to data centers is sweeping through cities, suburbs and towns there and prompting lawmakers to form a committee to study the impact.
In the meantime, residents are trying to bypass the GOP-controlled Legislature and get a referendum on November’s midterm election ballot that’s designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers, likely the strictest such statewide ban under consideration in the U.S.
DeWine’s office cited the rising utilization of the tax break and the state Legislature’s new research undertaking to declare a “pause” in granting it to new applicants.
“The governor felt it was the right time to let the citizens know, let businesses know that we’re going to pause on new offers of this tax incentive while that process plays out,” DeWine’s spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said Thursday.
DeWine has stressed that he supports data centers — calling them a critical component in today’s economy — and that the roughly $37 billion in data center-related investments in 2024 and 2025 in the state has been worthwhile.
The state, in 2024, had used previous history in projecting that the exemption would total $136 million in fiscal 2025 and $142 million in fiscal 2026. It was $554 million in 2024 and nearly $1.6 billion in 2025, the state reported.
The resumption of Ohio’s tax break — should it resume — could happen under a new governor: DeWine is term-limited and the race is on to replace him. The Republican nominee, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy — an Ivy League-educated biotech billionaire — likes to talk about turning the Ohio River Valley into the next Silicon Valley.
However, Ramaswamy and Democratic nominee Amy Acton could share the midterm ballot in November with the citizen-led drive to ban the construction of data centers across Ohio. It faces a July 1 deadline to gather more than 400,000 voter signatures.
State tax breaks for the massive data center industry are facing growing criticism by governors and lawmakers.
The cost is likely rising as data center and AI-related investments drive higher consumer spending in the U.S. and tech giants keep boosting their spending commitment to hyperscale data centers.
In Virginia, negotiations between the state House and Senate have been hung up for months on a bid by Senate Democrats to eliminate the roughly $1.6 billion annual tax break.
Thirty-eight states have some form of a sales tax break for data centers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Many were approved more than five years ago, when data centers were a small, but growing part of the economy, and well before the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched an intensifying buildout of increasingly large data centers.
Ohio’s exemption is fairly broad, applying not only to construction materials, but to the expensive equipment — such as server racks and cooling systems — used in data centers. Operators might buy new server racks every couple of years as the technology improves.
DeWine’s order was a surprise.
Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, where union members spend much of their time on data center projects, said he was upset with DeWine and trying to understand the governor’s reasons.
He worried, he said, that developers that were in the midst of trying to finalize plans or permits for a project might have second thoughts.
Lawmakers acknowledged the opposition in announcing their joint data center committee on May 13.
“We’re well aware of initiatives to limit Ohio data center development during this critical point in America’s history,” state Rep. Adam Holmes told a news conference. “This public concern has become a priority issue for us and could have dramatic impact on Ohio and American’s future.”
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Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter
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