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.
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.