Dear friends and neighbors,
Thank you for joining me during my recent telephone town hall and celebrating with me as we commemorated my first year serving you in Washington. Every day, I strive to provide you with excellent customer service while effectively bringing Ohio’s voice and values to our nation’s capital. One of the ways I do that is by hosting telephone town halls regularly to listen to and answer questions from Ohioans. Thank you to everyone who joined me and participated.
What’s on Ohioans’ minds
I had a great question about what Congress can do to build up Ohio’s energy sector while cutting taxes. The largest barrier to unleashing more of America’s energy is permitting reform. Right now, our energy sector is in a cycle of executive orders—often changing from one administration to the next. As a result, investments in pipelines, power plants, and wind projects receive various levels of funding. By passing permitting reform into law, Congress can fully unleash American energy regardless of elections.
I also received a question about the fraud happening in Minneapolis and across Minnesota. One of the biggest reasons that child care fraud happened there was because federal subsidies to child care centers were based on enrollment, not actual attendance. That allowed daycare centers to take in large amounts of money without proving that a child was ever present. In Ohio, we have a different approach. Rather than receiving subsidies based on enrollment, we made sure to verify attendance. This allows our state to remain transparent about where money is going, which reduces the potential for fraud.
Another constituent asked about workforce development in our state and what we can do to expand on our work, especially with TechCred—a program I helped create alongside Governor DeWine—allowing any adult in Ohio to earn an in-demand credential for a tech-based job. The program led to more than 100,000 people earning new workforce skills in Ohio. In the U.S. Senate, I worked to achieve the same goal by including Pell Grants into the Working Families Tax Cuts plan to allow adults to qualify for workforce credentials.
On the call, I asked Ohioans their thoughts on lowering the cost of prescription medications, reforming public benefits, and removing taxes on tips and overtime. Here are the results:
My bipartisan Streamlined Market Access and Reform for Therapeutics Over-the-Counter (SMART OTC) Act was signed into law. The bill modernizes the FDA’s process for giving more prescription drugs status as over-the-counter options, making these medications more affordable for families across America.
My Upward Mobility Act would reform federal benefits by ending the benefits cliff and incentivizing career growth.
January 26, 2026, was the first day of tax season. In July, I worked to pass the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, a budget law that lowers taxes for working Ohioans and their families.
Robo-callers
During my previous telephone town halls, including this one, many of you voiced your concerns regarding robo-calls. While many of these fake calls may be annoying or taking you away from spending time with your loved ones, they can also be dangerous.
If you receive a call from an unknown number, remember, you are not obligated to pick up the phone. If the unknown caller requires something urgent, they can leave you a voicemail. Scammers are now using advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic human voices to trick people into giving up their information. Do not give personal information like your date of birth, social security number, or banking information over the phone unless you can verify the identity of the person calling you.
My team and I are hard at work to find a solution to this issue. I will keep you informed as we continue to find ways to help.
We’re here to help
Customer service is my top priority. My team and I have established offices across Ohio to help our nearly 11.9 million neighbors.
You can find the office locations at www.husted.senate.gov and fill out a form here for casework assistance. You can also call our Columbus office at (614) 369 4925.
Stay in touch
In addition to signing up for my newsletter, you can keep up with what I’m doing on behalf of Ohioans by following me on X at @SenJonHusted, Facebook at www.facebook.com/SenJonHusted, YouTube at @SenJonHusted, and Instagram at @SenJonHusted.
Please know that hearing from Ohioans helps me better serve you. I hope you’ll keep sharing your thoughts with me here.
Your U.S. Senator,
Jon Husted