WASHINGTON — Ohio lawmakers have mixed reactions to President Joe Biden's first two years in office, and his vision for the future that he mapped out Tuesday night.
Biden's State of the Union address included two shoutouts to Ohio, focused on the computer chip factories coming to Licking County and the bipartisan infrastructure law bringing new life to the Brent Spence Bridge.
"Outside of Columbus, Ohio, Intel is building semiconductor factories on a thousand acres – literally a field of dreams," Biden said.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D), who represents Ohio's 9th Congressional District, appreciated the legislative achievements being mentioned.
“I think what I want to do is to bring home what we have voted for," Kaptur told Spectrum News. "For the infrastructure bill. For something called the Inflation Reduction Act, which has many tax credits for investments in places that I represent.”
Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) and other Republican lawmakers wanted the focus of the night to be on increasing oil and gas production in the country.
“If you actually allowed the American natural gas industry to do the things that it can do, you would bring down carbon emissions, you would bring down the price of everything because energy is a critical part of everything, you’d also create a lot of good jobs in the state of Ohio," Vance said in an interview. "So I think that is actually the solution to the inflation crisis.”
Rep. Bill Johnson (R, Ohio's 6th Congressional District) said energy security is national security.
"Energy solutions are good climate solutions," he told Spectrum News. "There are ways that we can work together.”
On the other side of the aisle, Ohio Democrats said the president's speech laid the foundation for bipartisan efforts on multiple issues.
“Capping the cost of insulin for children has bipartisan appeal," said Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio's 1st Congressional District. "Working to improve public safety and working on public safety grants, which our office is doing, has bipartisan appeal.”
Columbus-area Rep. Joyce Beatty (D, Ohio's 3rd Congressional District) told Spectrum News she wants Congress to revive negotiations on implementing a tax cut for working families.
“I think if my Republican colleagues want to work, there’s a whole host of things we can do. Who should be against our children? [Let's expand] the Child Tax Credit," Beatty said.
Fellow Democratic Representatives Shontel Brown and Emilia Sykes sought to highlight the need for policing reform legislation as they brought the mothers of the late Tamir Rice and Jayland Walker, two Black Ohioans who were shot and killed by police, as their guests.
“When people can actually put faces to these stories, when they can physically see them and connect with them, then hopefully that will soften their hearts and actually give the folks on the other side of the aisle some motivation to stand up and actually take some real action," said Brown, who represents Ohio's 11th Congressional District.
Echoing her, Sykes, a freshman lawmaker who represents Akron in Ohio's 13th Congressional District, said it is a responsibility for all.
“We just can’t say, well we’re going to leave it with the state legislatures, we’re going to leave it with mayors, we’re just going to leave it with the administration to do executive orders," Sykes told Spectrum News. "This is a responsibility that all of us have to take responsibility for.”
Republicans now hold the majority in the U.S. House, and Ohio members hope to reach deals with their Democratic colleagues to aid farmers.
“Their fertilizer costs are up, their energy costs are up, everything’s up," said Rep. Bob Latta (R, Ohio's 5th Congressional District). "Unfortunately, it’s going to get caught by who? The consumer.”
Other Ohio members had broader goals.
“Democrats and Republicans, in my opinion, have three things in common: that’s the economy, that’s the border, and fighting the Chinese Communist Party," said Rep. Max Miller (R, Ohio's 7th Congressional District).
Columbus-area Rep. Mike Carey, who represents the 15th District, also brought up the economy and the United States-Mexico border.
“Moving the economy forward, securing the border, all those issues are not Republican or Democrat issues, they’re issues that the American public want us to address and my hope is we can get it there," Carey told Spectrum News.
Many of Ohio's lawmakers get along quite well and try to collaborate on legislation. The question moving forward is whether Congress as a whole can do the same, especially with the 2024 election cycle quickly approaching.