DeWine, Beshear talk government shutdown, national guard, more
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear discuss the current government shutdown, appropriate use of the national guard and more.
- 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.”
How important is the Brent Spence Bridge to Ohio and Kentucky?
On that question – asked by media rather than Portman – the three politicians agreed each played a role in securing funds for a $3.6 billion plan to upgrade the existing bridge, build a new one to its immediate west and improve about 8 miles of interstate that send traffic over the Ohio River.
Portman, along with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, played key roles in the federal infrastructure legislation, signed by President Joe Biden, that led to a $1.6 billion federal commitment to the project, DeWine said. Ohio and Kentucky agreed to share the balance of the bill.
“Big contribution from Kentucky, big contribution from Ohio, big contributions from the federal government,” he said.
The bridge project “wouldn’t be happening without all three of us standing here,” Beshear added, noting the importance of the project to both states and the country overall.
The Brent Spent Bridge Corridor plan requires Ohio and Kentucky to work lockstep with each other, he said, “and we’ve been doing that every single day of the project.”
Thanks to federal-state cooperation, Portman noted, “we’re going to … start to see the companion bridge start to come out of the water.
Design work on the project will be at 60% complete this fall with installation in the river to be underway next year, bridge managers told Cincinnati City Council earlier this month.
How can politicians improve civil discourse?
Beshear said political leaders must be willing to call out successes of their opponents along with what they see as failures. “We’ve got to find common purpose,” he said. “It’s a lot easier when you view that person as a human being.”
DeWine said leaders must work through differences to reach common goals. If Portman and Congressional colleagues had not been able to do that on infrastructure legislation, he said, “we would not be building a bridge across the river.”
Both governors – Beshear wearing a red tie and DeWine a blue one, with Portman in one with blue and red stripes –agreed with Portman’s opening lines that “solutions matter more than slogans” and “courage and compromise can co-exist.”
“Your job isn’t to be a Democrat or a Republican,” Beshear said. “It’s to get something done for people.”
Solutions can come from staff, legislators or citizens, added DeWine. “You don’t get 100% of what you want,” he said.
