A lifelong Ohioan, Senator Sherrod Brown has spent his career fighting for the Dignity of Work – the idea that hard work should pay off for everyone, no matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of work you do. He has held nearly 500 roundtables across Ohio, because he believes the best ideas don’t come out of Washington – they come from conversations with Ohioans across our state.
Building on his successful work to make the Earned Income Tax Credit permanent, Senator Brown has a plan to overhaul our tax code to put people first, and to make hard work pay off for more Americans. That includes putting more money back in the pockets of workers and families, giving workers more power in the workplace, making it easier to save for retirement, and encouraging companies to invest in their greatest asset: the American worker. Senator Brown also believes we need to broaden our definition of work – caring for children or an aging parent is work, and so is getting an education.
Ohio is a state of innovators, inventors, and explorers. From the Wright Brothers to Geraldine Mock to Ohio’s two dozen astronauts, our state’s leadership in aerospace, science, and innovation will continue to be essential to our success in the 21st Century.
Ranging from aerospace companies in Dayton to the astronautical engineering work at Brook Park, Ohio’s scientists, researchers, and skilled workers built our nation’s economic prosperity and national security. I’m working to ensure we continue to lead the nation in innovation for generations to come.
As Ohio’s first Senator on the Agriculture Committee in more than forty years, I’m honored to represent our state’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
Approximately one out of every seven Ohio jobs is in agriculture - our state’s largest industry. Today, Ohio farmers not only put food on our tables, but also grow feed for our animals and provide clean energy for vehicles around the country.
On the Agriculture Committee, I’ve consistently fought for a Farm Bill that invests in local farms and rural communities. I’ve also held roundtables with farmers, nutrition expert, and community leaders across Ohio.
For much of our nation’s history, Ohio’s talented workforce has been at the center of economic growth and prosperity. Ohio workers built our cars and appliances and laid down the rail lines and roads that connected our shores. As Ohio manufacturers, small businesses, farmers, and entrepreneurs helped turn our nation into an economic superpower.
But for too many workers today, hard work isn’t paying off. We need to create jobs, invest in our small businesses and American manufacturing, and raise wages and benefits for Ohio workers.
I’ve traveled across our state to facilitate partnerships that put Ohioans to work in good-paying manufacturing jobs in the auto, aerospace, biotech, and clean energy industries. I’ve also worked to ensure that our state’s small businesses – which create nearly two-thirds of new jobs – have the resources they need to expand operations and hire new workers.
We must ensure that all Ohio students have access to a quality education, and the opportunity to achieve their dreams – regardless of what zip code they live in or the color of their skin or what their parents do for a living. I’ve fought to protect public education and public charter schools, and to hold accountable shady for-profit charters that scam students and taxpayers.
Investing in the success of future generations of Ohioans also means working to make higher education more affordable and accessible. Whether the right path is a four-year school or community college, a public university or an apprenticeship program, I’m working to ensure the next generation of Ohioans has the tools they need for success.
Strengthening our economy starts in our classrooms and extends into our workplaces. By investing in a workforce development system that meets the needs of high-growth, regional industries, we can attract new employers to our state.
Our nation’s path toward energy independence can create jobs and generate economic development in Ohio. I’ve always refused to accept the idea that we have to choose between good environmental policy and good-paying jobs. We can take aggressive action to combat climate change, and put Americans to work. Done right, we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil, safeguard our environment, and increase the competitiveness of Ohio manufacturing.
From our growing clean energy industry and redevelopment of former nuclear sites, to our renowned universities and cutting-edge manufacturers, Ohio can help the nation toward a cleaner energy future.
The health of our economy depends on stable, fair, and efficient financial markets, and I will continue fighting for the changes needed to prevent another financial crisis from affecting small businesses and working families on Main Street. We must lay the groundwork for a financial system that looks after our workers, invests in our small businesses, and strengthens our middle class. And we must ensure that Ohio’s financial institutions can continue to provide affordable credit and insurance to small businesses.
Stable, affordable housing is critical to ensuring strong neighborhoods, schools, and communities. But the sub-prime lending crisis hit Ohio particularly hard. Foreclosures affect the property values of surrounding homes and lead to vacant lots vulnerable to crime. Unemployment and reduced tax revenues deplete the very state and local resources needed to address vital social services. As the Chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, I’m working to rebuild our neighborhoods and ensure every Ohioan has a place that he or she can call home.
No family should ever be one emergency room visit away from financial disaster. That’s why I’ve fought to improve our nation’s health care system to help millions of Ohioans receive the quality, affordable health care they need. I refused to accept Congressional health insurance until Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, which ensures Ohioans will never be denied care because of a preexisting condition. I now get my health insurance through the same exchange system available to all Americans.
I will also continue to fight to protect Medicare for seniors, and I have a plan to bring down the cost of prescription drugs that one news organization said “combines every idea drug lobbyists hate.”
Finally, it is critical to ensure the health and well-being of our nation’s children. I’ve been a leader in the fight to protect and expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). From reversing the disparity in medical research spending on pediatric diseases to ensuring access to comprehensive health care, our nation’s children must be a priority.
Ohio’s first responders, fire fighters, and law enforcement officials put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities and our families. When others run from danger, they run toward it. We must continue to ensure that they have the resources, training, and support needed to safely perform these critical jobs and protect our communities.
Ohioans know how important manufacturing is to our economy. Sometimes people hear the word “manufacturing,” and they think about dirty, dusty old jobs, and the outdated term “rust belt.” That term is offensive – it demeans our workers and devalues our work. Today’s factories in Ohio and around the country aren’t rusting – they’re innovative and high-tech. It’s why my office partners with local Ohio companies and organizations to host manufacturing camps around the state for elementary and middle schoolers each summer.
I’ve worked to create manufacturing partnerships across Ohio that spur innovation and create good-paying jobs. I’ve also fought to protect Ohio’s manufacturers from unfair trade practices. Ohio’s workers can compete with anyone in the world, but only if there’s a level playing field. I will continue to champion the cause of domestic manufacturing and its workers.
Supporting our troops and their families is a responsibility we all share. This means we must do what it takes to ensure that our troops and their families receive the tools and support they deserve to defend our freedom and security. As a co-chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus, I’m committed to providing the very best equipment for our service members and ensuring their fair pay and benefits.
The protection of individual rights and liberties is a fundamental part of the oath of office I took to “support and defend the Constitution.” From expanding economic opportunities for low-income Ohioans to opposing discrimination in every form, I will continue to fight and protect the civil rights and liberties of all citizens.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to reduce our nation’s deficit and improve our nation’s economy. But not at the expense of the Medicare and Social Security benefits that seniors deserve and have earned. These programs are social insurance – investments in the future of our nation and the well-being of our fellow citizens. Our seniors deserve policies that protect these benefits, not undermine them.
I have consistently introduced legislation that will not only strengthen Social Security, but expand it. I have also opposed efforts to raise the retirement age for Social Security and have fought back attempts to privatize Medicare.
I will continue working to strengthen and improve these programs, so future generations can move into their retirement years with a sense of security.
A thriving small business sector is crucial to continued economic recovery in our state. Too many small businesses – which create nearly two-thirds of new private-sector jobs in our nation – lack access to the capital they need to survive and grow. We must ensure that small businesses have the resources they need to rebuild our economy and promote economic development around Ohio.
Fair trade is vital to our nation’s economic future. Trade can create jobs, expand opportunities for Ohio businesses, and ensure a level playing field in the global marketplace. But for too long, our workers, small businesses, and manufacturers have paid a steep price for an outdated trade agenda. That’s why I continue to fight against wrong-headed trade policies that ship jobs overseas and shutter manufacturing facilities.
By fighting back against currency manipulation and other unfair trade practices, we can develop a trade agenda that supports American workers and helps expand the Made in America label to markets around the world.
Foreign Policy
Our nation’s foreign policy should be focused on advancing stability and prosperity here at home and abroad. This is not only tied to military actions, but includes foreign aid, development assistance, and support for universal human rights such as water and education.
From advancing nuclear nonproliferation to countering the conditions that breed terrorism, to proactively engaging global public health challenges, I will continue advocating for balanced policies that promote our shared human rights and protect democratic values that are the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.
Investing in our infrastructure creates jobs in our communities while ensuring safer roads, railways, and bridges. It means expanding commerce across our state and upgrades to water, sewer, and broadband systems.
I will continue to ensure Ohio receives targeted federal investments that improve our state’s infrastructure and strengthen Ohio’s economy.
Our veterans deserve the benefits they have earned while serving our country. Our commitment to them and their families after they transition out of the military must match their commitment to us. I’m honored to represent Ohio’s 900,000 veterans as the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
With key moments in our nation’s veterans’ history occurring in Ohio, from the founding of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Columbus, to establishing the nation’s first VA hospital in Dayton, I will continue to listen, advocate, and address issues and problems affecting Ohio and those who have served us.
Throughout my career I have fought to protect and conserve our natural resources. We have made our air cleaner to breathe and our water safer to drink, but environmental stewardship is an ongoing responsibility. From fighting to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes to preserving our streams, forests, and wildlife, it is important that we continue to protect our environment for both current and future generations.