Press releases
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
- url
- Link to the original release on the member's official site
- text
- Extracted body text (may be empty if the page could not be fetched)
- has_text
- 1 if body text was successfully extracted
- date_source
- How the publication date was determined
- bioguide_id
- Bioguide ID of the member
777 rows where party = "Republican", state = "OH" and year = 2013 sorted by date descending
This data as json, CSV (advanced)
| url | title | date ▲ | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=458f0cfe-49d1-4835-bd37-cf49cc55f1da | Portman Statement on Federal Aviation Administration's Decision Regarding Unmanned Aerial System Test Site Locations | 2013-12-30 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today released the following statement in response to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision not to select Ohio as a location for an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) test site: “I am deeply disappointed by the FAA’s decision not to select the Ohio/Indiana UAS Center as the location for one of the FAA’s six UAS test sites across the country. Ohio is a national leader in aerospace, and would have been an ideal location for one of the sites. Over one hundred thousand Ohioans work in aerospace, where they develop and build cutting-edge technologies and world-class commercial and military equipment. In addition, assets like Dayton’s U.S. Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and industry partners throughout the state provide outstanding technical expertise and more than $9 billion in Research and Development and testing every year. I have worked extensively to strengthen these unique capabilities and increase Ohio’s leadership in defense and aerospace. “I remain committed to advancing Ohio’s leadership role in aerospace and unmanned systems. The Ohio/Indiana UAS Center will move forward with its plans to serve the needs of federal, state, local, and private entities as they continue research and development of UAS. Keeping Ohio’s aerospace industry strong and competitive is critical not only to our state’s economy, but to the national security of the United States.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=366351 | Only a few serve U.S. in office and in uniform | 2013-12-28 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON — About two days out of every month, Rep. Brad Wenstrup gets a gut check when he leaves Capitol Hill for his other job: surgeon for the Army Reserve. share: f t WASHINGTON — About two days out of every month, Rep. Brad Wenstrup gets a gut check when he leaves Capitol Hill for his other job: surgeon for the Army Reserve. He travels the 12 miles to Bethesda, Md., where the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has treated servicemen and women since 2011, and he pitches in where he can. Sometimes, that means talking to residents; other times, it means helping in surgery. Because he serves two days a month, he can’t develop long-term relationships with patients. On Memorial Day, he had planned to enjoy a recess from his congressional duties. Then he got a call: Many casualties were coming in from Afghanistan, could he help? The Cincinnati Republican changed his plans, staying Friday and Saturday to help with sometimes complicated surgeries that required multiple surgeons. Wenstrup, 55, is a rarity, one of just 14 members of the U.S. House who still serve in the military through the Guard or Reserves. One senator also serves in the Reserves, according to the Congressional Research Service. And yet Wenstrup isn’t the only Ohio lawmaker who balances military and congressional duties. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, is a member of the Ohio National Guard. He graduated from the Army War College last year and drills one weekend a month plus two weeks in the summer. “It’s Congress that has the ultimate authority to decide whether to declare war,” Stivers said. “ So having someone who understands what that means, and what that means in a human price for all these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, is a good thing.” Others in Ohio’s congressional delegation also have served. House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester, enlisted in the Navy in 1968 but was honorably discharged after eight weeks because of back problems, and Rep… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=11e3f186-fae9-427e-ac4b-2a385764f4b1 | Portman Meets with Mayors of Findlay, Ottawa & Tiffin in NW Ohio to Discuss Path Forward Following Blanchard River Flooding | 2013-12-23 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – In the midst of flooding in Northwest Ohio, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) traveled to Findlay, Ohio today to meet with City of Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik, Village of Ottawa Mayor J. Dean Meyer, and City of Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz, along with other public officials attempting to mitigate the flood damage to the community. "As I saw firsthand today, flooding in the Findlay and Ottawa region continues to plague local residents and businesses. This is a threat to Northwest Ohio's safety and economy that only seems to be intensifying. The local community and the Federal government must work together to protect against future flooding. I will continue to urge the Army Corps of Engineers to provide the necessary funding to expedite its flood mitigation efforts,” said Portman. In October, Portman and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to include funding for the Blanchard River Flood Risk Management Project (BRFRMP) for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. In July of this year, USACE reprogrammed funding for the project for fiscal year 2013, which assisted with the Chief’s Report, and more importantly ensured that the BRFRMP would be eligible for funding in fiscal year 2014. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=bffbdc53-5b00-4362-900c-0cae535a2573 | Portman Discusses Budget, Trade & Tax Reform on Bloomberg Television’s "Political Capital with Al Hunt" | 2013-12-22 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) appeared on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt," where he discussed the recent bipartisan budget agreement and the need to do more to reform our important but unsustainable entitlement programs. In addition, Portman urged Congress to approve new free trade agreements and move forward with an overhaul of our inefficient and antiquated tax code in the new year. Watch the full interview here. Excerpts are included below. Portman on the Bipartisan Budget Agreement and the Debt Limit Debate: PORTMAN: I hope what it is, is a first step toward further collaboration, because our country’s in trouble. You know, we have a fiscal crisis looming. We still have an economy that’s too weak, and we need to work together to solve these problems. So I like to view it as a very small step, a baby step in the right direction. It did reduce the deficit a little bit. It did it without raising taxes. It kept us from going into a government shutdown in January, but also in September of next year. And finally, it put the United States Congress back on track to do appropriations bills. ... PORTMAN: It did not address the underlying problem. And it’s so obvious. The problem is that two-thirds of spending, as you know, is on autopilot. That part of our spending goes to 76 percent in the next 10 years. It’s where all the growth is. If we don’t address it, it will bankrupt the country. These incredibly important programs, like Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, are not sustainable in their current form. We’ve got to get at those. The only time we’ve done it in the last three decades, Al, has been through a debt limit discussion. So let’s use the debt limit, not to spook financial markets - in fact, to give them more assurance we’re actually going to do the right thing." Portman on Trade: HUNT: Big news this week. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is going to be designated as the ambassador to China. He’s been the leading Democr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=365071 | GOP needs healthcare ideas | 2013-12-21 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | Now is not the time for Republicans to be celebrating Obamacare's struggles. It's time for the Republican Party to offer specific ideas that will improve America's health care system without picking winners and losers among the American people. It's time for the Republican Party to lead. share: f t Marietta Times By Rep. Bill Johnson Published December 21, 2013 Most Americans - regardless of their political affiliation - agree that the rollout and early implementation of Obamacare has been a disaster. The website doesn't work well, many Americans are seeing significant premium increases, and millions more are losing the health insurance they like - all because of the president's health care law. I've voted numerous times to delay, defund, and repeal this misguided and costly law. But, now is not the time for Republicans to be celebrating Obamacare's struggles. It's time for the Republican Party to offer specific ideas that will improve America's health care system without picking winners and losers among the American people. It's time for the Republican Party to lead. Prior to Obamacare, our health care system was far from perfect. Too many of our fellow Americans were uninsured, healthcare costs were rising, and health insurance was becoming increasingly unaffordable for others. Those with pre-existing conditions were often unable to obtain affordable coverage, and recent college graduates struggling to find work in this economy couldn't afford health insurance and weren't able to remain on their parents' plan. Improvements to the existing system were definitely needed, but a total government overhaul of it was not the answer. It's important to acknowledge that we have the best caregivers - doctors and nurses - in the world. America remains home to the most advanced medical procedures and medicine. Millions from around the world needing critical care who have the means come to America. We must ensure that we continue to have the best medical … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://tiberi.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364951 | TIBERI OFFICE HIRES WOUNDED WARRIOR FELLOW IN CENTRAL OHIO OFFICE | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Pat Tiberi | T000462 | tiberi.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) today announced his office’s participation in the U. S. House Chief Administrative Officer’s Wounded Warrior Program. The two-year fellowship provides wounded and disabled veterans with experience and exposure to broaden career opportunities. “I am a strong supporter of our nation’s veterans and when I learned of this program, I knew our office and the people of Ohio’s 12th Congressional District would benefit,” said Congressman Tiberi. “While my office continues to hire veterans and reservists, this program presented a unique opportunity for those transitioning from life in the military.” Congressman Tiberi hired Captain Richard Spicer, United States Marine Corps Reserve, to work in his Central Ohio office. Spicer serves as a Staff Assistant and helps with veterans affairs and military-related constituent services. In addition he manages incoming correspondence, and oversees constituent casework dealing with the Drug Enforcement Administration, student loans, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commissions, Justice Department, and federal grants. While working in Congressman Tiberi’s Central Ohio office, Spicer is attending The Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs where he is working to complete his Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management. Spicer, a Houston native, graduated from The Ohio State University in 2008 and went on to Officer Candidates School. As an active-duty marine, he completed two tours in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was first stationed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines as a forward observer from 2010-2011 and then with the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines as a fire support coordinator in 2012. “Richard’s hard-working attitude makes him a great addition to the office and his personable nature will definitely help him as he works with constituents in the 12th Congressional District. We’re glad to have him as part of our team,” added Congressman Tiberi. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/columns?ID=a55de1b1-21fd-4062-8c6d-a007702608a4 | Getting Things Done For Ohio In 2013 | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Our nation faces many challenges, and the important work we do here in Washington on issues like job creation, the economy, the budget, healthcare reform, and foreign policy are followed closely by the press. But my job, serving the people of Ohio, is much bigger than what you see in the papers or on 24-hour cable news channels. Every day, my congressional office is working to help constituents solve problems or overcome government obstacles on issues that may not make headlines, but have a huge impact on their lives. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the “right of the people … to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” In congressional offices around the country, the people’s grievances are often addressed through what we call “casework”. I know firsthand how crucial effective casework service can be to the people we serve, and as a U.S. Senator, I am dedicated to making sure my office is second to none in helping Ohioans through an experienced and talented team of caseworkers stationed in my Columbus office. I am extremely proud of them and the work they do. They are dedicated public servants, committed to helping the people of Ohio take advantage of every avenue available to get things done. Casework typically involves helping constituents navigate government bureaucracies. One case might involve helping someone receive a Social Security check that has been lost or delayed. Another might involve a Medicare reimbursement, or reapplying for a denied veteran’s claim, or assisting our men and women of the military. Other areas of casework involve federal pensions, visa and passport issues, Black Lung benefits, and federal workers compensation claims. Among the most gratifying resolutions to casework efforts is when we help a veteran obtain medals he or she rightfully earned in service to their country, but were never awarded for one reason or the other. Nothing can quite match the satisfaction of witnessing a veteran, surrounded by a proud family, finally receiving the Bronz… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=23f4777b-8d0f-4261-8cac-9ae6d63b7ad6 | Portman Cosponsors the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today cosponsored the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) proposing prospective sanctions on Iran should the regime violate the interim Joint Plan of Action agreed to in Geneva or should Iran fail to reach a final agreement. The legislation was co-sponsored by twenty-seven senators, including: Senators Portman, Kirk, Menendez, Schumer, Graham, Cardin, McCain, Casey, Rubio, Coons, Cornyn, Blumenthal, Ayotte, Begich, Corker, Pryor, Collins, Landrieu, Moran, Gillibrand, Roberts, Warner, Johanns, Hagan, Cruz, Donnelly, and Blunt. “The current sanctions regime that Congress insisted on is what got the Iranians to the table,” said Portman. “We need to keep the pressure on to force the Iranians to agree to a deal that ensures our security and that of our allies - one that verifiably dismantles their nuclear weapons program.” The prospective sanctions legislation requires further reductions in purchases of Iranian petroleum and applies additional penalties to strategic elements of the Iranian economy, to include the engineering, mining and construction sectors. Simultaneously, it gives the Administration continued flexibility and up to one year from the conclusion of an implementing agreement to pursue a diplomatic track resulting in the complete and verifiable termination of Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=823c656e-1539-406d-8db2-6bed3d448709 | Portman Cosponsors Bill to Require Exchanges to Disclose Plans with Abortion Coverage | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today cosponsored a bill to require the Obamacare exchanges to fully disclose which participating insurance plans offer abortion coverage. The Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act was led by U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and was also cosponsored by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Orin Hatch (R-Utah), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jerry Moran (R-Kas.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and John Thune (R-S.D.). The bill requires Obamacare exchanges to prominently disclose if an insurance plan offered through the exchange covers abortions. The bill also requires disclosure of the amount of the “abortion fee,” a surcharge required by Obamacare. This abortion surcharge is one dollar or more a month and is used to develop a fund to pay for abortion on demand. Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). The Senate bill requires Department of Health and Human Services’ compliance within 30 days, while the House bill allows 90 days. Portman has a strong pro-life record and is sponsor of the Child Custody Protection Act to make it a federal offense to transport a minor across a state line for an abortion if it would circumvent a state law requiring parental consent. Portman has also cosponsored crucial pro-life bills including the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which would prohibit abortions 20 weeks after fertilization, which is the sixth month according to standards used by most physicians. This bill is based on strong scientific evidence that an unborn child can experience pain by this stage. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364839 | Johnson-Matsui Introduce Bipartisan Legislation Creating Federal Definition of Telehealth | 2013-12-19 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | "The opportunities telehealth can provide to the constituents of my very rural district and to Americans around the country hold significant promise." share: f t Yesterday, Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2013. This commonsense, bipartisan bill would clarify the federal definition of telehealth when defining the scope of services that can be delivered via telehealth: “The opportunities telehealth can provide to the constituents of my very rural district and to Americans around the country hold significant promise,” said Congressman Johnson. “Having worked in the Information Technology (IT) industry for over 30 years, I know first-hand the benefits associated with technological innovation. In rural districts such as mine, telehealth capabilities can increase access to quality healthcare and lower costs for patients who might not have access to that care otherwise. I’m proud to have introduced this commonsense, bipartisan legislation with Congresswoman Matsui and I urge the House to take this bill up as soon as possible,” Congressman Johnson said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://gibbs.house.gov/weekly-columns/december-19th-2013 | December 19th, 2013 | 2013-12-19 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bob Gibbs | G000563 | gibbs.house.gov | legacy | As 2013 comes to a close and families come together to celebrate the holiday season, it is important that we take this time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments. It has been a busy year, but my colleagues in the House and I continue to work for you and your families to provide solutions that will put people back to work, spur economic growth, and give everyone a fair shot to improve their standard of living and quality of life. We have a lot of work left to do, but we remain dedicated to serving our constituents to the fullest. Although Congress remains divided, it is important to note times in which we have come together for the American people. An example of strong bipartisanship was the passage of my bill from the Water Resources Environment Subcommittee, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2013. WRRDA passed with overwhelming bipartisan support with a final vote of 417-3. The House was able to come together and put aside our differences to pass a bill that will strengthen our maritime transportation systems and create jobs. We were also able to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act in the House before Congress adjourned for the year. This legislation is an initial step forward to addressing mandatory spending which is essential to put us on a path to a balance budget and provides resources to protect our national security. This bill is not perfect; it is a compromise that does bring some certainty and provides confidence for businesses to grow their businesses and create jobs. Our federal government has a long-term spending problem resulting in record deficits and debt that continues to stunt economic growth. However, in the past two years we have been able to cut spending from the previous year’s level for the first time in over sixty years. We have a long way to go, but this is a step in the right direction. Getting our fiscal house in order and instituting policies that encourage private sector growth such as regulatory reforms, tax reform and a domestic energy policy will grow our econ… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=4bc9475a-f9ab-4f84-9b6a-b336bba8e8c4 | Despite Congressional Gridlock, Portman Successfully Delivers for Ohio in 2013 | 2013-12-19 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | I understand the frustration of Ohioans about the partisan gridlock in Washington. But I view my job as fighting every day to break through that gridlock and get things done that benefit Ohioans and help move our country forward. I have remained focused on results and addressing the issues I hear about from people all across Ohio—from families losing healthcare coverage they liked and not being able to afford the coverage they’re forced to purchase under Obamacare, to law enforcement concerned about human trafficking in Toledo, to families and businesses worried about flooding in Findlay, to Ohio’s many small businessmen and women struggling to find certainty in our economy. My efforts have focused on helping Ohioans, ensuring that our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, promoting jobs and pro-growth policies, and protecting our national defense. In this 113th Congress, I have introduced 33 bills, 23 of which were bipartisan. Here is a rundown of our legislative accomplishments this past year: Fighting for Ohio Jobs and Protecting Ohio Workers Ohioans continue to experience the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. My top priority in the U.S. Senate is to promote policies that help create and foster an environment that leads to job creation and economic growth. I have been successful in combatting unfair trade practices that hurt Ohio workers. Just this month, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled to maintain existing antidumping duties and countervailing duty orders against unfairly traded imports of hot-rolled steel until 2018. This decision follows my efforts with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in October to urge ITC Chairman Irving Williamson to maintain trade orders that would help ensure a level playing field for Ohio workers, including workers at Ohio based steel producers ArcelorMittal of Cleveland and AK Steel of Middletown. I have continued to advocate for Delphi Salaried Retirees who unfairly lost their pensions during the General Motors bankruptcy while other workers… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=6d501b31-32d9-402c-bef4-0eb0de9df0a2 | Portman Renews Push for Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Legislation | 2013-12-19 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) spoke on the Senate floor to recommit his push for his bipartisan energy efficiency legislation, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC), which he introduced with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The legislation is designed to spur the use of energy efficiency technologies in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of our economy, while also fostering job creation. It uses a variety of low-cost tools to reduce barriers for private sector energy users and drive adoption of off-the-shelf efficiency technologies that will save businesses and consumers money, make America more energy independent, and reduce emissions. The bill garnered over 260 endorsements from business coalitions, environmental groups, and labor. Today, eight of the leading organizations in the coalition sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell urging the Senate return to work on ESIC early next year. Read a summary of the major provisions here. Below are excerpts of Portman’s remarks. Video of the entire remarks can be found here. “This is one of those pieces of legislation that we ought to pass. It’s bipartisan. It’s good for the country. It’s part of an energy plan for America that can help bring the jobs back, help fix our trade deficit, help make our manufacturers more competitive, help save taxpayers’ money, and actually help to clean the environment…And it does so without a single mandate. It does so without any new spending.” … “By putting energy efficiency in place in the federal government, the biggest user of energy in the world, we’re going to see a lot of savings to all of us as taxpayers.” … “It makes good environmental sense. It makes good energy sense. It makes good economic sense. It makes sense to help move this economy forward. I visited with businesses and job creators all over my state of Ohio, and they tell me the same thing. ‘Energy efficiency is critical to their ability to comp… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8ca95c03-cee5-4a15-a545-e36514807b4a | Your Tax Dollars...Down The Drain: DOE Puts Dancers & Filmmakers In Charge of Installing Energy Retrofits, Chaos Ensues | 2013-12-19 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today released the following statement in a monthly series highlighting Washington’s wasteful spending during a time of record debt and deficits: This month’s example of government waste comes from the 2009 “stimulus” bill, which added more than $800 billion to the national debt without coming close to fulfilling the Obama Administration’s promise to reduce the unemployment rate to 5 percent. Even now, four years later, government audits continue to reveal ways in which this money was wasted. In just the latest example of wasteful spending, a new Department of Energy (DOE) audit discovered that $630,000 in stimulus funds meant to install energy efficiency retrofits around Washington D.C. were distributed to – of all recipients – a dance group and a film group. These groups had no energy installation qualifications whatsoever, and predictably failed to achieve even in this modest task that was their charge. “The stimulus was sold as financing high-priority projects to create jobs and invest in growth. Yet once again, Washington predictably gets bogged down in mismanagement, cronyism, and waste,” said Portman. “Better to bypass Washington and instead empower families and businesses to spend and invest their own money as they see fit.” The African Heritage Dancers and Drummers (AHDD), and Prosperity Media Enterprise (PME) were hired as part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. It appears personal connections may have played a role: PME’s project manager was a former DOE employee and supervisor to two members of that committee that awarded their $460,000 grant. This manager reportedly “embellished” his resume to help win the award. Not surprisingly, it turns out that dancers and filmmakers are not experts in installing energy equipment: 19 of the 33 projects performed by PME failed their DOE inspection. One contractor in particular achieved a 91 percent failure rate. Furthermore, 12 PME projects included reimbursement claims for… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364738 | Johnson's Community Fire Safety Act Passes Senate | 2013-12-18 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | The President should sign this legislation immediately so that there’s no delay in fire hydrant service for communities across America in 2014 share: f t Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after the Senate unanimously approved the Community Fire Safety Act: “I am relieved that the Senate has followed the House’s lead and unanimously passed the Community Fire Safety Act of 2013. The President should sign this legislation immediately so that there’s no delay in fire hydrant service for communities across America in 2014. I’d like to thank Rep. Tonko (D-NY) for working with me to quickly address this public safety concern before it became too late,” Bill Johnson said. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson and Rep. Paul Tonko recognizes that fire hydrants are not a major source of drinking water and exempts them from the Safe Water Drinking Act. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8324810e-9860-48ab-963b-473b6e59deb8 | Portman Honors Simeon Booker for Receiving Honorary Doctor of Letters from Youngstown State University | 2013-12-18 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) honored Simeon Booker on receiving an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Youngstown State University on December 15, 2013. Booker became the first African-American reporter for the Washington Post, served as Washington Bureau Chief for Jet Magazine for fifty-one years, and was a well-known journalist during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The full Congressional Record entry can be found below and here. HONORING SIMEON BOOKER MR. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Simeon Booker as he receives an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Youngstown State University on December 15, 2013. Mr. Booker has devoted his life’s work to chronicling the history of the civil rights movement in America. As an African-American college student in the 1940s and 1950s. Mr. Booker experienced discrimination firsthand at what was then Youngstown College. Refusing to accept the indignities he found there, he transferred to Virginia Union University where he continued to champion the rights of black students. Early in his career, he was hired by his hometown newspaper, The Youngstown Vindicator, where he would write local columns focused on the city’s African-American population and summaries for the local black baseball leagues. He went on to work for the Cleveland Call and Post and was offered the esteemed Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in the 1950s. Mr. Booker became the first black reporter for The Washington Post in 1952, and also wrote for Jet and Ebony magazines. Mr. Booker was witness to the rise of the great civil rights leaders of that time -- Martin Luther King, Jr., the Kennedy brothers, Whitney Young and many others. He wrote about Martin Luther King’s non-violent movement for civil rights, and covered the 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Booker has received recognition from his peers, having been awarded both the Newspaper Guild Award and the Wilkie Award. As a journalist, he became the first African-American to win the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=94d89b1d-0f9c-49aa-b7a1-95bbfa1cae12 | Portman, Brown, Latta & Jordan Urge Assistance for Cooper Tire in Face of Alarming Chinese Factory Actions | 2013-12-18 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with Congressmen Bob Latta (R-OH-5) and Jim Jordan (R-OH-4), sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Mike Froman urging government officials to do all that they can to protect the interests of Findlay-based Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. in China. The letter comes ahead of important meetings of the U.S.-China Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in Beijing on December 19-20 chaired by Pritzker, Froman and their Chinese counterparts. Some excerpts of the letter appear below: “We write today with deep concern about a serious issue Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is facing at its joint venture in China which has put the entire company at risk, including more than 5,000 jobs in the United States, and which has serious implications for all American businesses with interests and investments in China. We respectfully request your assistance in resolving this urgent matter.” “Cooper has been facing a series of actions in violation of its rights as the majority owner of the joint venture…These actions have included, initially, two 5,000-employee work stoppages and, subsequently, labor actions including forced occupation of the CCT production facility; denial of access for Cooper and its appointed members of CCT management to the facility, financial data, and personal property; workers’ refusal to input financial and production data into CCT systems in accordance with internal operating procedure; workers’ refusal to produce Cooper-branded products; and the unlawful appropriation of company chops and registration documents.” "In response to these actions, Cooper has requested assistance from Chinese government authorities at all levels, has appealed to local police, and has attempted to seek justice in local courts of law, but the situation continues. Cooper management has made multiple attempts to ... reach a resolution. ... At this point, t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/articles?ID=341de686-137f-4f9b-b8e0-ee8965d50bc7 | Portman, Warner, Issa, and Cummings Joint Op-Ed: DATA Act Expands Transparency and Accountability for Federal Spending | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) wrote a joint Op-Ed in The Hill to highlight the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA), legislation that would expand transparency and accountability for federal spending by requiring standardized reporting of federal spending to be posted to a single website. Excerpts are included below and the full Op-Ed can be viewed here. The DATA Act will shed light on government spending The Hill December 16, 2013 By Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) Transparency is critical to our democracy, especially for a federal government that spent about $3.5 trillion last year. Policymakers and taxpayers should be able to quickly answer some basic questions about federal spending, like how much did we spend, and who received our money? Determining this very basic information can take countless hours of work, if it is able to be determined at all. … But hopefully, those days are almost over. The four of us have teamed up on an important bipartisan bill that modernizes the way the federal government collects and presents spending information. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, or DATA Act, will shed additional light on the federal government’s finances and leverage modern technology to give the taxpayers the transparency over federal spending they deserve. The DATA Act will ensure that the information collected by the budget analysts, accountants, and grant and contract officers is combined, reconciled, and presented in an easy-to-use way. Here is how it will work. First, our legislation will expand the USAspending.gov site to include spending data for all federal funds—by appropriation, federal agency, program, and function. Currently, it covers only grants, contracts and other federal awards. This feature is important because there is currently no p… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=086b27df-2a21-46b9-b473-1c5660a4609a | Defense Authorization Bill Includes Portman-Whitehouse Asset Tracking Provision | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – This week the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that will authorize funding for defense programs in the year ahead. The final bill, which was unveiled last week, includes a bipartisan provision authored by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to strengthen the military’s “asset tracking” efforts. These efforts can save taxpayer dollars and help prevent counterfeit military items from entering the supply chain. “The Defense Department is wasting billions of dollars a year due to ineffective financial and supply management practices,” said Portman. “We need to solve these problems as we seek to find savings in the Defense budget while maintaining the superiority of our force. This initiative will force the Pentagon to accelerate solutions and get much-need input from industry partners that are at the cutting edge of supply chain management.” “This provision will help encourage the use of state of the art barcode tracking technology for military assets,” said Whitehouse. “This technology can help improve inventory management for military equipment and parts, while also cutting costs. It can also help to identify counterfeit items that pose serious risks to our troops.” The Portman-Whitehouse legislation would: • Require the Department of Defense to include in its report to Congress a description of how improved asset tracking and in-transit visibility could enhance audit readiness, reduce counterfeit risk, enhance logistical processes, and benefit the Department of Defense. • Require a detailed description of asset marking requirements and how automated information and data capture technologies could improve readiness, cost effectiveness, and performance. • Require a defined list of all categories of items that program managers shall identify for the purposes of asset marking. • Require a description of steps to improve asset tracking for classified programs. • Require steps to be undertaken to … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7249d394-5d1b-45e5-95d4-559e843269f5 | Senate Approves Portman Measure to Stop EPA's Dangerous Regulation of Fire Hydrants | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) applauded the Senate passage of legislation to bolster fire safety and protect local governments from a dangerous and expensive new mandate. Last week, Portman cosponsored bipartisan legislation with Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to prohibit EPA oversight of fire hydrants, which is identical to the House companion legislation that passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent today. The bill has passed both chambers of Congress and is set to go to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “Today’s passage of our bill ensures that this onerous, nonsensical regulation on fire hydrants will permanently be put to rest, and I applaud my colleagues for helping us get it over the finish line to protect Ohio communities,” Portman said. Watch Portman’s remarks on the Senate floor here. On October 22, 2013, EPA announced through guidance that fire hydrants would be covered under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, set to go into effect on January 4, 2014, because they are occasionally used in emergencies to provide drinking water. Local communities were caught off guard by the announcement because fire hydrants had not been previously discussed, and because similar items were already excluded from the rule. As a result of the new EPA interpretation, any hydrant manufactured or installed after January 4th must have a lead content that meets the statutory standard. Spare hydrants or parts that cities in Ohio keep on hand not meeting the standard will become obsolete. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=bee03b8a-a4ea-4368-b2dd-968b90b5af45 | Portman Statement on Bipartisan Budget Agreement | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) issued the following statement on his vote to support cloture on the bipartisan budget agreement: “I support the bipartisan budget agreement because it takes modest steps to reduce the deficit without raising taxes, relieves the sequester’s impact on our national security, and prevents another government shutdown. “This budget agreement is far from perfect. It does not take the needed steps to reform our nation’s ballooning mandatory spending on autopilot and does not address the need for pro-growth tax reform to create jobs. We cannot continue to kick the can down the road, and I am disappointed that Washington once again missed the opportunity to fix the debt problem and get the economy moving.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=eb2c0b83-d5d9-420a-95df-0b158cb73ac8 | Portman and Brown Applaud Trade Ruling in Favor of Ohio-Based Steel Producers ArcelorMittal, AK Steel | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) applauded a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to maintain until 2018 existing antidumping duties (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders against unfairly traded imports of hot-rolled steel. This decision follows efforts by Brown and Portman in October to urge ITC Chairman Irving Williamson to maintain trade orders that would help ensure a level playing field for an already vulnerable domestic steel industry, including Ohio based steel producers like ArcelorMittal of Cleveland and AK Steel of Middletown. “I am pleased that the ITC has decided to protect the steel industry and stand up for the thousands of Ohioans working at hot-rolled steel facilities throughout our state,” Portman said. “Ohio steelworkers can compete and win on a level playing-field, but we must enforce our laws to ensure that foreign competitors do not target the U.S. market with illegally traded products.” “The ITC ruling is excellent news for Ohio’s workers and manufacturers like those at ArcelorMittal and AK Steel,” Brown said. “Our steelmakers can compete with anyone in the world, but we need to level the playing field by enforcing antidumping and countervailing duties. The ITC ruling would counteract illegal trade practices by China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Ukraine so we can make products and create jobs in Ohio and the United States.” Hot-rolled steel is vital to the long-term future of domestic steel production. The ITC decision counteracts the illegal foreign government subsidies and dumping of hot-rolled steel from China, India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine. Last year, these countries were estimated to have collectively had nearly four times the hot-rolling capacity of the United States. AD and CVD orders against these countries were originally imposed in 2001 and previously extended in 2007. Portman and Brown have long championed the American steel industry and fought to ensure it can compete fairly… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/video?ID=056c2533-a1a9-448f-9f55-9ab37a35cf40 | Portman Introduces Former Mayor Jay Williams at Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee | 2013-12-17 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams before the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee. Williams has been nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and head of the U.S. Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Excerpts of Portman’s remarks are below and the entire video can be found here. “I think it’s fair to say that the most important job we have right now is to bring the jobs back. This Commerce Department position is critical to that. Too many workers in my state of Ohio and around this country have been out of a job for too long, some for months, some for years. Jay understands that. He’s not only seen it first-hand during his days as mayor of Youngstown, he has spent much of his life trying to improve economic conditions for all Americans. If confirmed, I look forward to working with him and his colleagues to keep the economic development projects moving forward on the Main Streets in Ohio and around the country.” Williams’ biography is available here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=24138be1-d938-4dda-8577-3c3fe2f179d0 | Treasury Responds to Portman's Letter and Agrees to Ease Up on Regulation that Threatens the Retirement Security of American Workers | 2013-12-16 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Responding to a letter sent by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew expressing concern with a regulation that could unintentionally weaken the retirement security of many American workers, the U.S. Department of Treasury has decided to ease up on these rules for now while seeking public suggestions on a permanent fix. This flaw undermines and runs counter to the original intent of the Treasury regulation—strengthening retirement security. Fortunately, Secretary Lew has the power to prevent the unintended consequences of this regulation without new legislation. In the letter, Portman and Cardin, both members of the Senate Finance Committee, warn that this technical glitch might inadvertently incentivize companies to hard-freeze the defined benefit pension plan of long-time employees and urge Lew to fix it, stating, “This is clearly not the intended effect of the nondiscrimination rules, which were written to strengthen retirement security, rather than to force many older employees into new pension plans that may not provide enough time to accumulate sufficient benefits before retirement.” The full text of the letter is below. Read a signed copy here. November 21, 2013 The Honorable Jacob J. Lew Secretary of the Treasury Main Treasury Building, Room 3330 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220 Dear Secretary Lew: We write to request action concerning a Treasury regulation that could unintentionally weaken the retirement security of many American workers. The regulation in question was created in order to strengthen retirement security, so repairing this flaw would support the Treasury’s original intent. It’s a regulation that can be improved without new legislation. Over the past several years, many companies have transitioned from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement plans. In doing so, many have elected to grandfather existing employees into the defined benefit plans in order to avoid disru… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=92a88a2d-669d-4acd-a8b7-8ff767d631ed | Portman, Brown Join Bipartisan Effort to Address Barriers to U.S. Pork Exports | 2013-12-16 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – On Friday, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joined a group of 31 Senators in writing a letter to United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Michael Froman, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about the importance of addressing barriers to market access for American pork producers in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The letter was led by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana). Portman and Brown noted the importance of exports to the economic well-being of U.S. pork producers and the U.S. economy as a whole, writing, “U.S. pork production supports an estimated 550,000 domestic jobs, around 110,000 of which are the direct result of exports. Pork exports now make an annual surplus contribution of nearly $5 billion to the overall U.S. trade balance.” Pork exports are vital to Ohio jobs. In fact, according to the National Pork Producers Council, Ohio is among the top 10 states in pork production and stands to benefit greatly from increased access to foreign consumers. Currently, there are numerous market access barriers for U.S. pork in countries participating in the TPP, such as Japan’s complex system of tariffs. These barriers limit the contributions U.S. pork exports can make to the U.S. economy. The Senators emphasized that tariff and non-tariff barriers on pork must be addressed through TPP negotiations. A signed copy of the letter is available here. Full text of the letter is below. Dear Ambassador Froman and Secretary Vilsack: We write to emphasize the importance of addressing market access barriers to U.S. pork exports in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). We know that you are both well aware how important exports are to the economic well-being of U.S. pork producers and the U.S. economy as a whole. U.S. pork production supports an estimated 550,000 domestic jobs, around 110,000 of which are the direct result of exports. Pork exports now make an annual surplus contribution of nearly $5 bil… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=a3d107b8-22b1-4de5-bdee-eaa9bee68dfd | Portman Applauds EPA's Decision to Reconsider Dangerous Regulation of Fire Hydrants | 2013-12-16 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to reconsider an effort to require local governments to replace malfunctioning fire hydrants with new, independently certified, lead-free fire hydrants. This EPA regulation essentially makes it impossible for local governments to repair fire hydrants or replace them with existing inventory. “I am pleased that the EPA has decided to reconsider this onerous, nonsensical regulation that will hurt communities across Ohio,” Portman said. “This episode is yet another example of regulatory overreach and the need for meaningful oversight to rein in excesses of the administrative state. I urge the Senate to act and ensure that this fire hydrant regulation is permanently put to rest.” Last week, Portman cosponsored bipartisan legislation to bolster fire safety and protect local governments from this dangerous and expensive new mandate. The bill, introduced by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and cosponsored by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), prohibits EPA oversight of fire hydrants. On October 22, 2013, EPA announced through guidance that fire hydrants would be covered under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, set to go into effect on January 4, 2014, because they are occasionally used in emergencies to provide drinking water. Local communities were caught off guard by the announcement because fire hydrants had not been previously discussed, and because similar items were already excluded from the rule. As a result of the new EPA interpretation, any hydrant manufactured or installed after January 4th must have a lead content that meets the statutory standard. Spare hydrants or parts that cities in Ohio keep on hand not meeting the standard would become obsolete. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://gibbs.house.gov/press-release/congressman-bob-gibbs-statement-regarding-passage-bipartisan-budget-act-2013 | Congressman Bob Gibbs Statement Regarding the Passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 | 2013-12-13 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bob Gibbs | G000563 | gibbs.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C.- Congressman Bob Gibbs released the following statement regarding the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. “This agreement is a positive step forward. For the first time since I have been in Congress, we have begun to address our country’s mandatory spending problems, which accounts for two thirds of government spending. While discretionary spending is reviewed annually, Congress has previously failed to keep those spending cuts in place. Mandatory spending is on auto pilot and by cutting spending in this area we are able to reduce the deficit without further action by Congress. “This bill takes steps to strengthen our national security by reversing previously damaging cuts to our defense programs in exchange for sensible spending reforms. Our national security has taken severe cuts in the past and I do not want to put our security at risk due to continued reckless spending. Although this bill is not perfect, it is a compromise and a positive step towards fiscal responsibility.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364520 | Stivers Introduces the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Act of 2013 | 2013-12-13 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Stivers (R – OH) this week introduced the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Act of 2013, legislation that creates the position of an independent Inspector General (IG) at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Stivers introduced the bipartisan legislation with Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN). “Government accountability is important now, more than ever,” Stivers said. “This legislation will allow for increased oversight of an agency that has been given broad authority. It is important that we take the necessary steps to ensure the CFPB is accountable to the American people.” The CFPB currently has very little Congressional oversight. The agency is not subject to the appropriations process, receiving funds for their budget from the Federal Reserve, and the CFPB does not have an independent, Senate-confirmed Inspector General (IG). Instead, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shares an Inspector General with the Federal Reserve. The IG of the Federal Reserve is an unconfirmed position appointed by the Fed Chairman. Stivers’ legislation amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish an independent Inspector General for the CFPB. The position would be appointed by the President and then confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate. There are currently more than 30 federal departments or agencies that have an independent IG. -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=af82112d-2ed2-4aa1-ae87-897634fd7c31 | Senate Auto Caucus Chairs Portman, Levin Call on TPA Bill to Include Strong Currency Provisions | 2013-12-13 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan), chairs of the Senate Auto Caucus, released the following statement about the importance of including strong and enforceable currency provisions in the forthcoming Trade Promotion Authority bill: “U.S. auto exports support American jobs, and it is important that U.S. workers operate on a level playing field with their global competitors,” said Portman and Levin. “Fair currency policies are central to a level playing field, as they ensure that no one gets an unfair advantage in the global market. As the Senate prepares to debate Trade Promotion Authority, we strongly support the inclusion of provisions to discourage currency manipulation that hurts U.S. manufacturers and auto workers.” In September, Portman and Levin signed a letter with 58 of their Senate colleagues to the U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of the Treasury calling for “strong and enforceable” currency disciplines to be included in trade agreements. Portman and Levin chair the Senate Auto Caucus, which provides a forum to exchange ideas and influence policy on issues affecting America’s auto industry, such as trade, transportation and technology. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364354 | Bill Johnson Statement on Bipartisan Budget Act | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | "This bipartisan budget agreement, which passed the House today, represents a modest, but important, step forward in a Congress mired in gridlock and partisanship." share: f t WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Budget Act by a vote of 332-94: “I am proud of the hard work that Congressman Ryan and Senator Murray put into this legislation. Thomas Jefferson once said that ‘the ground of liberty is to be gained by inches.’ This bipartisan budget agreement, which passed the House today, represents a modest, but important, step forward in a Congress mired in gridlock and partisanship. This two year budget agreement would avoid another government shutdown in January, provide certainty to businesses and families, and put the budget process back on solid ground. “This agreement protects our national security and defense capabilities around the world – capabilities that have diminished due to the President’s sweeping and indiscriminate sequester cuts. The deal begins targeting the main driver of our national debt: mandatory spending. In total, this agreement reduces the deficit by $23 billion and spends less than previous GOP budgets. And, it accomplishes these important steps forward without increasing taxes on hardworking Americans. “Though this is a small step forward, there is still much work to be done. Those in Eastern and Southeastern Ohio have to balance their household budget; the federal government should be no different. I am hopeful the Senate will follow the House’s lead and pass this important, bipartisan legislation.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364304 | Stivers Presents “I Hire Vets” Award to Company Wrench | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH) this week presented an “I Hire Vets” Award to Company Wrench. Through his “I Hire Vets” Program, Congressman Stivers recognizes companies throughout Ohio’s 15th Congressional District who make hiring veterans a priority. “I would like to thank Company Wrench for their outstanding efforts in hiring veterans,” Stivers said. “Veterans are well-trained, and they make great employees in the private sector. As a nation, we should be doing more to help our veterans return to work when they leave the military, which is why it is so important to recognize companies, like Company Wrench, who make hiring veterans a priority.” Company Wrench, is an Ohio-based company focusing on the manufacturing, sales, rentals, parts and service of scrap, demolition, and construction equipment. Headquartered in Carroll, Ohio, Company Wrench operates in 13 locations across the US. Approximately 10 percent of the employees at Company Wrench are veterans. The unemployment rate for returning veterans remains high. Currently, the jobless rate for post 9/11 veterans stands at around 10 percent, which is higher than the seven percent unemployment rate facing the general public today. According to recent reports, there are between 240,000 and 360,000 service members leaving military service every year and this has become an even more pressing issue as troops have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://chabot.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364220 | Chabot Calls For Release of Pastor Abedini | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steven Chabot | C000266 | chabot.house.gov | legacy | On Thursday, Rep. Steve Chabot delivered the following statement during a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing regarding the release of imprisoned American Pastor Saeed Abedini: First, I would like to commend Chairman Smith and Chairman Ros-Lehtinen for calling this timely hearing today. In light of recent developments in U.S. Iran relations, the case of Pastor Saeed Abedini's imprisonment raises very grave concerns. If Iran expects to engage in a more transparent and honest relationship with the U.S. and other members of the global community, it must cease its egregious human rights abuses and adopt standards practiced by most of the civilized world. I think my colleagues would agree that the imprisonment of Pastor Abedini is a prime example of Iran's use of abhorrent practices to deny human rights protections to its religious minorities. If the Obama Administration is going to negotiate with Iran concerning economic sanctions, the release of Pastor Abedini must be a priority. It should have a been a precondition from the start. And with that I yield back. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202946/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=830 | House Ways & Means Committee Approves The Medicare Patient Access And Quality Improvement Act | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Today, the House Ways & Means Committee voted to approve H.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act. This legislation repeals the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and replaces traditional fee-for-service with a payment model that rewards physicians for quality, rather than quantity. “For too long, physicians in Ohio and around the country have been burdened with uncertainty as they face the threat of massive Medicare payment cuts each year. As a businessman, I know just how detrimental a lack of certainty is to an organization’s plan for its future,” said Rep. Jim Renacci. “The one size fits all approach that is so prevalent in Washington is a roadblock to physicians seeking to provide high quality care to our nation’s seniors. It is time that we restore transparency and predictability to the Medicare payment process so that providers have the opportunity to hire necessary staff and invest in practice improvements. I was proud to see Members of the House Ways and Means Committee come together in a bipartisan manner to develop the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act, using an open and transparent process, to permanently repeal the flawed SGR formula. This legislation begins the process of rewarding our providers based on quality and efficiency and providing flexibility that allows providers to participate in payment and delivery models that best fit their practice. I am hopeful that my colleagues in the House will join us in supporting this legislation as it is certainly a step in the right direction.” The Senate Committee on Finance is also marking up legislation to replace the SGR formula today. The House Ways and Means Committee’s three month extension will allow appropriate time for the House and Senate to agree on a permanent fix to the current flawed payment system. Renacci added, “It is critical that any permanent changes to the current system include improvements to the quality and efficiency of care and decrease the administrative burdens place… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203143/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=831 | Renacci Statement Following Vote In Favor Of Bipartisan Budget Agreement | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) today released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to approve the bipartisan budget agreement reached by the Budget Conference Committee: “Though the budget agreement is far from perfect, it is certainly a step in the right direction as it forces Congress to move forward with the appropriations process. “In the past, I voiced concerns over the budget process itself and I stand by my comments in that the process is broken, and it must change. In the future, I am hopeful that comprehensive transparency measures will be implemented. With that said, I applaud Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray for their efforts to reach this agreement. It is critical now more than ever that we find common ground and act together to move America forward. “Throughout my time serving the people of Ohio’s 16th district, I have remained committed to reducing federal spending, eradicating burdensome regulations, and keeping taxes low to help create an economic environment that will allow our small businesses, the backbone of our economy here in Northeast Ohio, to have the ability to innovate, hire, and expand. As we move forward, it is critical that we take steps to address the drivers of our $17 trillion debt, reform our broken tax code, and rein in excessive federal spending. We are facing challenging times ahead, and I maintain the belief that we must make the tough but necessary choices to advance policies that hold the promise of a brighter future for those that will come after us.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140301115057/http://joyce.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=476 | Joyce Supports Bipartisan Budget Deal | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Dave Joyce | J000295 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce voted in favor of the Ryan Budget Deal that reduces the deficit by up to $23 billion, doesn’t raise taxes, and allows Washington to operate under a regular budget rather than lurching from crisis to crisis. Joyce stated: “For too long, those in Washington have sacrificed the good in pursuit of the perfect. This bill reduces the deficit through common-sense spending cuts without raising taxes. It also allows Washington to return to a regular budget process, something I’ve advocated for since day one, because it’s the only way we can put a check on spending and stop operating from one crisis to another.” The bipartisan package includes $63 billion of sequester relief, $85 billion of savings, and $23 billion in net deficit reduction. Regular order is when bills go through the full legislative process and both chambers agree on a budget as well as write, amend, and pass 12 appropriations bills. According to the House Budget Committee, the bipartisan budget agreement includes specific, concrete spending cuts, which come to a total of $85 billion in savings. Examples below: Eliminate waste · Stop paying Medicaid bills that legally obligated fathers and insurance companies should cover. That’s a $1.4 billion spending cut. · Stop sending unemployment checks to criminals. · Stop sending government checks to dead people. Stop favoritism · End the special treatment for non-profit student-loan servicers. That would save $3 billion. · Address the problem of some energy companies use the federal government like a bank. They deposit extra cash and earn well above market interest rates. By addressing this problem, we can save $750 million. · Repeal a government research program for private energy companies. That’s a $40 million cut. Real reforms · Makes sensible reforms to the federal employee retirement system. · Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bail out private companies’ pension benefits. That… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://wenstrup.house.gov/updates/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364234 | Wenstrup Looking for Answers on Dropped Doctors, $200 Billion Medicare Advantage Cuts | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Brad Wenstrup | W000815 | wenstrup.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. As HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius dodged questions during a congressional oversight hearing Wednesday, Congressman Brad Wenstrup is drawing attention to the seniors in Ohio who are losing access to their trusted physicians due to the cuts to Medicare Advantage in the president's health care law. Wenstrup, a physician of 26 years, called the impacts devastating to Ohio seniors and explained he is concerned with recent moves to drop doctors and limit provider networks within Medicare Advantage plans. As a physician, I know how vital the doctor patient relationship is to achieving better health outcomes. I'm hearing from Ohio seniors who were told if they liked their doctor and health plan, they could keep their doctor and health plan. Now, Obamacare is forcing many seniors to choose between the two as Medicare Advantage plans drop doctors from their networks to make up for Obamacare's $200 billion in cuts to the program. In a letter to Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Wenstrup and ten other members of the Ohio delegation are requesting specifics on how these cuts will affect Ohio seniors and Medicare Advantage providers on a county by county basis over the next four years. It's already happening: one constituent told me they're looking at an extra 100 miles of travel every week because the specialist in their county is dropped from their plan. Another has had their cancer specialist eliminated from their network, Wenstrup noted. We're facing Medicare Advantage cuts that may impact upwards of 700,000 Ohio seniors. That means our parents and grandparents, our greatest generation, could have to pay more for less choice when it comes to their health care, Wenstrup said. This just doesn't measure up to the soaring rhetoric President Obama used to get Obamacare passed. The $200 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage were enacted into law as part of President Obama's health care reform in 2010. Just last month, the Ohio State Medical Association highlight… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://wenstrup.house.gov/updates/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364368 | Wenstrup: I Came to Washington to Cut Spending | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Brad Wenstrup | W000815 | wenstrup.house.gov | legacy | Opposing the budget deal that passed the House Thursday night, Congressman Brad Wenstrup made the following statement: It's encouraging to see the effort for certainty in Washington, and I applaud Paul Ryan's good faith efforts to work towards deficit reduction without raising taxes on hard working Americans. However, this bill increases government spending by $64 billion over the next two years while exchanging certain budget cuts now for uncertain budget cuts over a decade, hence my opposition. If we are to leave the possibility of the American Dream for future generations, we need serious efforts to address the growing debtnow. I came to Washington to cut spending. Unfortunately, this budget deal contains no structural changes to the true drivers of our debt and deficit. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2754725f-7fc5-4a01-95d3-65956474b01e | Portman, Wyden Anti-Trafficking Measures Move Forward | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today applauded the inclusion of provisions aimed at fighting domestic child sex trafficking within a larger child welfare bill. The Senate Finance Committee today marked up the Supporting At-Risk Children Act, which includes key provisions from the Portman-Wyden Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013. The Portman-Wyden provisions require state child welfare workers to identify and document victims of sex trafficking within the child welfare system, which would help provide accurate statistics on these crimes for the first time. Further, child welfare workers would also be required to immediately report information on missing and abducted children to law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCIC is a computerized index of information on crimes and criminals that is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). NCMEC is a non-profit organization that receives federal funding from the Missing and Exploited Children’s program and other sources to support law enforcement agencies and families in missing children and child sexual exploitation cases. Additionally, states would be required to detail the specific measure being taken to protect and assist victims of child sex trafficking. “This bill will help our nation’s most vulnerable children, who far too often fall prey to sex trafficking. These children have been forgotten or disregarded by a system that was established to keep them safe, and this bill is a step in the right direction to ensuring that the goal of these institutions is met,” Portman said. “By requiring child welfare agencies to report a child missing immediately, our bill will do a better job of keeping track of runaways and missing kids in order to prevent child victims of sex trafficking from falling through the cracks. Our bill also requires states take the necessary measu… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=45f82b58-d95f-43ce-9eb6-d19abd572f18 | Portman Cosponsors Effort to Stop EPA's Dangerous Regulation of Fire Hydrants | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) cosponsored bipartisan legislation to bolster fire safety and protect local governments from a dangerous and expensive new mandate. The bill, introduced by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and cosponsored by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), prohibits Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversight of fire hydrants. The need for this bill stems from a recent EPA policy that will require local governments to replace malfunctioning fire hydrants with new independently certified lead-free fire hydrants. This EPA regulation essentially makes it impossible for local governments to repair fire hydrants or replace them with existing inventory. Additionally, it is uncertain whether fire hydrants that meet the new criteria are actually available for purchase. “Not only does this onerous, nonsensical regulation do nothing to protect Ohioans from unsafe drinking water, it promotes rampant government waste by forcing communities across Ohio to trash over $1 million of purchased equipment and replacements parts that were paid for on the taxpayers’ dime,” said Portman. “Local government budgets are already stretched to the breaking point. Washington must act by January 4th to prevent this burdensome regulation from taking effect. This is yet another example of regulatory overreach and the need for meaningful oversight to reign in excesses of the administrative state.” “Communities throughout Ohio have paid for inventories of existing water system components that they will not be able to use after January 4, 2014 as the result of the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act. Most of these Ohio Communities did not know that the compliance date would include previously purchased fixtures and component inventories,” said Tom Reese, Board Vice President of the Ohio Rural Water Association. “These inventories are very expensive and the scrapping and subsequent replacement of the same parts would be a real economic hardship in these community systems, many … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=90c027a7-e22a-4f67-8bf2-fd0f2a5552bb | After Portman Amendment, Key Senate Committee Commits to Helping Delphi Retirees Maintain Affordable Health Coverage | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, introduced a bipartisan amendment at the Finance Committee’s mark-up of health legislation to extend the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) for two years. After debate on Portman’s amendment, which was cosponsored by Senators Brown (D-Ohio) and Stabenow (D-Mich.), Portman secured a commitment from the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to work toward extending the HCTC when Congress renews Trade Adjustment Assistance early next year. This is the first commitment from Senate leaders to work toward extending the HCTC, which expires January 1st. Portman spoke about the effort at today’s mark-up. Watch the video here. “I am pleased to secure a commitment from the Finance Committee Chairman to work toward extending the Health Coverage Tax Credit when the Senate considers Trade Adjustment Assistance. Thousands of Delphi salaried retirees and their families have very little margin in their budgets after the Administration picked winners and losers in the auto bailout and stripped them of the financial security they deserved from years of work. For these families, who face cost increases under Obamacare, even with the subsidies, the cascade of bad news is more than just a story on the evening news; they are dealing with the consequences daily,” said Portman. “These 20,000 families have depended on the HCTC for affordable health insurance after their pensions were terminated. Extending the HCTC is only fair for these workers, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to extend the HCTC soon.” The HCTC is a vital tool for many Americans who have experienced job loss and receive Trade Adjustment Assistance or have had their defined benefit pension plans taken over by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), such as thousands of Delphi salaried retirees in Ohio. Often the HCTC serves as an important bridge for Americans until they become eligible for Medicare benefits. This amendment exte… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=dec8cfb5-9200-4b10-978a-92fc657e27d8 | Portman Statement on Unrest in Ukraine | 2013-12-12 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today released the following statement in response to the ongoing unrest in Ukraine: “I strongly condemn the Ukrainian government's violent crackdown on thousands of peaceful protesters in Kyiv who were voicing their support for a democratic Ukraine. This is the second time in the last week that Ukrainian authorities have ordered Interior Ministry troops to brutally disperse these peaceful manifestations. The Ukrainian people have the right to chart their own future towards European integration and hold their government accountable if it fails to respect their democratic aspirations. I call on President Yanukovych to stop the violence and uphold the right of all Ukrainians to speak freely without fear of intimidation or suppression. We must stand with the people of Ukraine gathered on Independence Square and all over the country as they strive for democracy, where constitutional rights and the rule of law prevail.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://latta.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364162 | Latta Legislation Cuts Red Tape for Job Creators | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Robert Latta | L000566 | latta.house.gov | legacy | Latta Legislation Cuts Red Tape for Job Creators f t # e Washington, December 11, 2013 Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee passed legislation sponsored by Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) that would repeal an outdated requirement for auto dealers to certify that new vehicles comply with Clean Air Act emissions standards. “Passage of this bipartisan legislation demonstrates the real commitment shared by myself and my colleagues to find ways to cut unnecessary red tape that hinders the job creating potential of American businesses. Modern technology and new vehicle warranties rendered this paperwork mandate moot. Auto dealers and other small businesses should spend less time complying with obsolete regulatory requirements and more time on developing their businesses, investing in local communities and creating jobs,” said Congressman Latta. Since the regulation was enacted in 1981, auto dealers have been required to provide purchasers of new light-duty motor vehicles with written confirmation that the vehicle passed either a visual inspection or on-board-diagnostics emissions test. This requirement has been superseded by standard use of catalytic converters and new vehicle warranties that offer much more coverage than when the agency requirement was first enacted. Further, other statutory measures require new vehicles comply with the Clean Air Act before entering the stream of commerce and information provided by the certificate is available to consumers under the hood or on the Internet. f t # e | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140301141343/http://joyce.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=475 | Joyce Supports the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Dave Joyce | J000295 | web.archive.org | legacy | Today, U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) voted in favor of the Kids First Research Act of 2013, 2019, which would prioritize taxpayer funding for scientific research of pediatric diseases and disorders such as cancer, autism and Fragile X. It is paid for by eliminating taxpayer funding for the RNC and DNC conventions. Joyce stated: “Pediatric research breakthroughs are giving families and children suffering from childhood diseases hope every day. This bill will prioritize funds to continue this crucial research on behalf of the children fighting pediatric diseases and disorders such as cancer, autism and Fragile X. Joyce is a cosponsor of the Kids First Research Act of 2013, introduced by Rep. Gregg Harper (MS-3) and Rep. Tom Cole (OK-4). Gabriella Miller gained national attention through her advocacy for childhood cancer research awareness during her 11-month battle with a brain tumor. She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and helped launch the Smashing Walnuts Foundation to fund pediatric cancer research. This bill redesignates the Presidential Election Campaign Fund as the 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund. The legislation passed by a vote of 295-103. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=1a4a9358-e51c-4ac4-8e69-579abb5d41e4 | Portman Initiative to Ensure Missile Defense Agency Is Fully Prepared for Possible Missile Defense East Coast Site Included in Draft NDAA Deal | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) welcomed the inclusion of his bipartisan amendment (S.A.2461) language to the newly-drafted National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) deal. The amendment, cosponsored by Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN), ensures the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is working to complete a contingency plan to deploy a missile defense interceptor site in the event that the administration decides to build an East Coast missile defense site. The FY13 NDAA required MDA to identify a minimum of three locations for a possible third Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) site to receive Environmental Impact Studies (EIS), as well as develop a Contingency Plan to deploy the system should the administration decide to authorize an additional GMD site in the future. Unfortunately, however, the requirement did not establish a clear timeline or deadline to complete the Contingency Plan and the EIS and submit them to Congress. Portman’s amendment language will strengthen and clarify this existing provision by requiring MDA to provide detailed progress reports on its efforts to complete the plan in a timely manner. Earlier this year, Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Portage County, Ohio was selected as one of locations being considered for this new missile defense site. “I am pleased that the Missile Defense Agency is moving forward with plans to determine the feasibility of a third GMD site, and I am hopeful that my amendment language will ensure that we are adequately prepared if and when we do select an East Coast GMD site in the future,” said Portman. “I believe that Ohio’s Camp Ravenna is uniquely suited to delivering this enhanced capability and am hopeful it will be selected to improve our nation’s overall missile defense capabilities.” In October, Portman sent a letter to Vice Admiral James Syring, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency, thanking the Agency for its consideration of Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Portage County, Ohio for a proposed GMD… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7b1fd749-8358-46bd-896a-daa273faa0cf | Portman, Ohio Congressional Delegation Urge Department of Education to Continue Working with the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) led the Ohio Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urging the Department of Education (DOE) to continue to work with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) as they provide rehabilitative services to Ohioans with disabilities seeking employment throughout the state. OOD is current working with DOE to improve investment by implementing recommendations of the Department’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) issued earlier this year in the preliminary draft of the FY2013 monitoring report. The Ohio Congressional Delegation writes, “Ohioans with disabilities seeking employment opportunities receive, among other services, job training through 182 full-time equivalent employees in local communities. This public-private partnership has been in place since 2008 and enables the OOD to focus on being able to serve the current backlog of 1,915 Ohioans who have been waiting for services. As OOD begins the process of moving this program into compliance, we ask that the Department allow services to continue for the thousands of Ohioans who depend on these for employment and independent living.” "County boards of developmental disabilities are the state's largest local funding partner in providing employment services to people with disabilities. If this partnership were to end, more than 4,000 people served by county boards of Developmental Disabilities would lose the support they need to find and keep a job,” said Bridget Gargan, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. “We strongly support the efforts of Ohio’s congressional delegation to maintain critical job training and employment services to people with disabilities." The full text of the letter is below and can also be viewed here. The Honorable Arne Duncan Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue Southwest Washington, D.C. 20202 Secretary Duncan: We write to expre… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=f86eee97-2189-421b-b6e2-fc5fa5c7a6b2 | Portman, Hirono Initiative to Promote the Implementation of Telehealth in Military Health System Included in Draft NDAA Deal | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mazie Hirono (D-H.I.) ensured that their bipartisan amendment (S.A. 2114) language requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to issue a report on the current status of telehealth initiatives, as well as plans to integrate telehealth in the military health care system, was incorporated as part of a newly drafted National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) deal. This report will specifically address privacy concerns and challenges of implementing telehealth in group treatment and therapy, outreach to rural areas, and as in-home use. Telehealth is an innovative, twenty-first century approach to problems involving Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), especially for veterans living in rural areas, where access to mental health treatment is limited, wait times can be long, and in-home access opportunities are rarely utilized. “We must encourage the Department of Defense to continue to work on implementing telehealth throughout our military health system. This language is an important step toward applying the technological advances of the last few decades to a problem that has bedeviled the military and our health care professionals for a very long time—how best to treat the invisible scars of war that so many of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines suffer on foreign battlefields,” said Portman. “Through telehealth, we can mobilize electronic information and telecommunications technologies to apply a modern approach to help our veterans overcome these scars of war, while supporting long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration.” “Through telehealth we can help our military and our health care professionals tackle health issues with the best, most up-to-date technology that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines deserve. Telehealth works to assist people struggling with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, helping t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364003 | Congressman Stivers impressed with programs at PerCo | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Steve Stivers of the 15th District visited Perry County this past Monday morning to tour the Perry County Board of Development Disability (PCBDD) facilities. Stivers took a walk through of the PCBDD office, PerCo, and the Creative Opportunities locations. "We invited him to come see our programs a while back and luckily he was able to stop by. We want him to see what kind of things are going on in Perry County, not just with PCBDD but everywhere," said Superintendent Dave Couch. Stivers toured each facility taking a look at some of the different programs offered by the organization. One of the programs that Stivers was interested in learning more about was the recycling that takes place at PerCo. The Perry County Solid Waste District helped the program to get its funding and they work together, "This is really good for the whole county in a lot of ways," PerCo director Ron Spung explained. Another program that was the main topic of discussion was the PCBDD’s Academy for Leadership Abilities (ALA). The program takes students from Southern Local and gives them the tools they need to learn how to be a leader in their community. Some of the members of the program are developmentally disabled and work along side of the students from Miller High School in learning important life skills. In 2012, the program had eight members and this year ALA saw 15 participants. "We want to see this program one day go across the country," commented Couch. Due to lack of funding, the program is only at Southern Local but with the help of Job and Family Services, the PCBDD is looking to spread the program to the other three schools in the county. Couch invited Stivers to return next spring so they could spend time discussing the students in the ALA program, and its importance. Stivers toured each facility taking a look at some o… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364004 | Stivers Urges USDA to Make School Lunch Rules More Flexible | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | **CLICK HERE FOR STIVERS' LETTER TO SECRETARY VILSACK** WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the urging of school nutrition officials, Congressman Steve Stivers (R – OH) today sent a letter with 28 bipartisan cosigners to Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permanently eliminate a grain and protein limit that makes it difficult for local school officials to address children’s nutritional needs in school meals. This letter closely follows a bill (the School Nutrition Flexibility Act) that Congressman Stivers sponsored with Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH) in March of 2013. That bill has 47 bipartisan cosponsors. Last year, the USDA issued a final rule for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which placed new restrictions on school meals. Included in the USDA’s final rule was a strict, unsuitable protein and grain limit that, for example, holds school meals for eighth graders and kindergarteners to the same standard. The School Nutrition Flexibility Act is endorsed by the School Nutrition Association and has attracted bipartisan support from Members of Congress representing urban, suburban, and rural communities from across the country. On March 6, 2013, Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate, the Sensible School Lunch Act (S. 427). -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203201/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=824 | Renacci Voices Concerns Over Looming Budget Deal | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) issued the following statement regarding a potential vote in the House of Representatives later this week on a budget deal: “For the past several weeks, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan have engaged in negotiations in order to reach a budget agreement and I praise them for their efforts. It is now apparent that the plan they have nearly finalized may come to the House floor for a vote during the last days of the first session of the 113th Congress. “While I am pleased that Congress has taken steps toward a budget agreement, I have reservations surrounding the process itself and the details of the plan. At the start of the Budget Conference Committee’s initial meeting, I joined my colleagues in issuing a bipartisan call for the group to proactively implement comprehensive transparency measures. Unfortunately, the process has lacked the transparency we were hoping for. As a result, should the Conference Committee’s plan require a vote on the House floor this week, my colleagues and I will not have the opportunity to fully consider the provisions within the agreement prior to voting for it, making it just another last minute deal that is rammed through Congress without regard for its potential consequences. It is undeniable that our budget process is broken, and this must change. “Americans don’t need another Washington gimmick. Americans need a long-term budget agreement that addresses the drivers of our $17 trillion debt, reforms our broken tax code, reduces our excessive spending, and works toward a balanced budget. Families must live within their budgets, and it is time that the federal government does the same. I look forward to fully reviewing the plan developed by the Conference Committee, but at this point I am not optimistic about the process or the substance of the agreement.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140308023332/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=825 | Renacci Sends Letter To Secretary Sebelius Requesting Status Of 834 Transmission Form Fixes | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) today sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius requesting information regarding problems with the 834 EDI transmission form, a back-end reporting tool that is central to health insurers and the successful enrollment of many Ohioans and Americans across the country who are signing up for health care plans through the exchanges. The 834 EDI transmission form plays an integral role in an individual’s or family’s successful enrollment in the exchanges, as intended by the architects who designed the President’s health care law. The form contains everything that the insurance company needs to know about the policy holder in order to complete a successful enrollment in a health care plan. However, insurance companies across the country have reported numerous errors, including duplicate enrollments and illegible files, in the 834 transmission forms they are receiving from applicants. This means that though many people may think they have successfully enrolled in a plan, their data was not properly sent via the 834 transmission form – leaving Americans uninsured without them knowing it. Though the Administration has vowed to correct its problem-plagued website, it remains quiet on the status of the 834 errors. “The President’s health care law has driven up costs, reduced choices, and resulted in the cancellation of over five million health care plans that the President promised the American people they could keep. Though it is disappointing that the Administration spent $600 million and three years on a system that does not work, it is even more disconcerting that it is not forthcoming regarding the status of the crucial 834 fixes, which represents a major barrier to health care for the uninsured and those whose health plans were cancelled because of the President’s law,” said Rep. Jim Renacci. “Though we know that problems with the President’s health care law run far deeper than a broken website, it also is our responsibility to ensure that we reduce the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=79549fd7-4ebf-46ce-8b61-ff43c89c7053 | Portman Statement on Lifeline in NDAA for Abrams Tank at Lima's JSMC | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement today regarding the negotiated FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) between the House and Senate Armed Services Committees containing additional funding for the Abrams tank program at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC) in Lima, Ohio: “I am pleased the latest version of the Defense Authorization bill seeks to avert the unnecessary risk placed on the Abrams industrial base by the President's proposed budget. As the nation’s only producer of the Abrams tank, the Lima plant plays a unique role in contributing to our national security. As I previously urged my colleagues, we need to make sure this critical defense capability is available for the Army when they say they need it in a few years. A combination of production for both domestic and foreign use continues to be the right path forward." In June 2013, Portman sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and Subcommittee on Airland prior to the consideration of the Fiscal Year 2014 NDAA mark-up urging them to ensure that the nation’s tank industrial base is not needlessly jeopardized. In the Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 budget deliberations, the Committee took actions to avert unnecessary risk to this national capability as the Army further evaluated the implications of its proposals. As the Committee has acknowledged in the past two years, appropriately addressing this matter in the near term will save taxpayer dollars over the longer-term, and ensure our nation maintains a critical defense capability, on which our country is slated to rely for decades to come. Read the full letter here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=802bb731-cfb5-42d1-b4af-ef04ac5b4514 | Portman Statement on the Passing of William L. Mallory, Sr. | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement today remembering the life of William L. Mallory, Sr.: “Jane and I were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of William L. Mallory, Sr. He was a man of humble beginnings who led by example and dedicated his life to public service, most of which was spent in the State House where he was the first African American Majority Floor Leader. He worked to ensure that others in our community could share in the same success he achieved. As patriarch of the Mallory family, William leaves behind that legacy of service and civility from which we can all learn. I always valued his friendship, and our thoughts and prayers are with Fannie and the entire Mallory family as they mourn his loss.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=aa86be1f-4d67-4630-a021-12b91ddb4e57 | Portman Cincinnati Enquirer Op-Ed: Ending Future Government Shutdowns | 2013-12-10 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) lays out his plan in today’s Cincinnati Enquirer to end the threat of government shutdowns. Portman recently introduced the End Government Shutdowns Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure that, for any program whose appropriation bill has not been enacted by the new fiscal year, spending would automatically continue at the prior year’s level. If lawmakers still cannot complete spending bills, spending would be reduced one percentage point after 120 days, and another percentage point every 90 days thereafter. Excerpts of the Op-Ed are below, and it can be found in its entirety here. Proposal would help end government shutdowns Cincinnati Enquirer Sen. Rob Portman December 9, 2013 The recent government shutdown created many losers, and no winners. Federal employees were furloughed, and millions of Americans dependent on federal programs and services were left hanging. The economy was burdened with a new source of uncertainty. And for what? The dangerous long-term growth of government spending was not pared back at all. A government shutdown – whereby a part of the federal government shuts down due to the failure to enact the bills funding those programs – has occurred 18 times since the current budget process was installed in 1976. If nothing changes, Washington may be headed for a 19th shutdown this January. But Washington must change. And that is why I introduced the End Government Shutdowns Act earlier this year. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that, for any program whose appropriation bill has not been enacted by the new fiscal year, spending would automatically continue at the prior year’s level. If lawmakers still cannot complete spending bills, spending would be reduced one percentage point after 120 days, and another percentage point every 90 days thereafter. The current system is undeniably broken. Each year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the nearly $1 trillion in annual discretiona… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140221174742/http://turner.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363980 | Congressman Turner Continues to Push for Military Sexual Assault Reforms in Compromised FY2014 NDAA | 2013-12-09 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Michael Turner | T000463 | web.archive.org | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mike Turner, Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, commends House and Senate Armed Services Committees colleagues on their continued efforts to pass the FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). With the 2014 calendar year quickly approaching and the Senate currently in a stall, Committee leaders from both bodies have negotiated a comprehensive version of the bill intended to move through Congress this week. This year, Congressman Turner has continued his work with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus to create further legislation to combat the issue of sexual assault within the military and ensure both that victims are cared for and that perpetrators are brought to justice and held accountable. Specifically, during the 113th Congressional Session, Congressman Turner along with co-sponsor Rep. Niki Tsongas introduced the BE SAFE Act and the Article 32 Reform Act as well as the No Tolerance Act with Rep. Joe Heck. Most of the provisions from these three bills have been incorporated into the House version of the FY2014 NDAA. “These legislative initiatives are unprecedented and powerful steps toward the eradication of sexual assault in the military,” said Congressman Turner. “These substantial bi-partisan reforms will enhance the rights of victims, strengthen military whistleblower protection laws, improve the ways in which the services respond to a sexual assault report, and ensure that perpetrators are appropriately held accountable and prosecuted for their crimes.” The provision in the FY2014 NDAA will: Eliminate a Convening Authority’s ability to dismiss or modify a court-martial conviction for serious offenses, including rape or sexual assault; Require the Services to provide a detailed military counsel to survivors of sexual assault within the military to assist through the investigation and criminal process; Guarantee that those convicted of sexual assau… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=f6ed47e3-bb83-4cec-a2f3-e3528063e5d3 | Portman Statement on Efforts to Help US Exporters at WTO Ministerial in Bali | 2013-12-08 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), former U.S. Trade Representative, issued the following statement regarding the agreement at the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Bali: “I am pleased that the World Trade Organization reached an agreement on a number of issues including trade facilitation measures at the WTO Ministerial in Bali. I appreciate the efforts of Ambassador Froman and his negotiators, and I hope we can continue these efforts of aiding U.S. exporters by moving quickly to enact Trade Promotion Authority. “Increasing efficiency and transparency at customs checkpoints around the world will help U.S. exporters who often face red tape and costly delays. These delays hurt U.S. workers and stall productivity.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/video?ID=a49801ef-b209-426a-817e-0aeed4a77279 | Portman on ABC's This Week: The Way to Deal with Income Inequality is to Get People Back to Work | 2013-12-08 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, appeared on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Portman discussed the looming budget deadline and the need for economic growth. Excerpts are below and the entire video of Portman’s interview can be found here. “I think there's an obvious solution here…We can shift some of the savings from the part of the budget that Congress appropriates ever year to...the two-thirds of the budget that is called mandatory spending. Keep the budget caps in place. Not raise taxes, which is important during this weak economy, and actually avoid a government shutdown. I'm hopeful that even by the end of this week, we’ll be able to come together and achieve that.” … “The key is that we not have another government shutdown, that we do keep the spending caps in place, and that we don't raise taxes at a time when the economy is still weak. I think we can accomplish that over the next couple days.” … “We are very concerned about jobs. That’s the key right now. How do you get people to work? If you want to deal with income inequality, the number one way to do it is to get people to work.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363758 | Bill Johnson Statement on Pearl Harbor Anniversary | 2013-12-07 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | "We must never forget those who lost their lives that day, and we must honor today as a solemn reminder to be thankful for all those in military uniform serving around the world in defense of our freedoms." share: f t Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor 72 years ago today: "Today marks the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The massive Japanese attack killed over 2,000 military service members, and destroyed nearly 20 battleships along with nearly 200 aircraft. But, what the Japanese Empire couldn't destroy was our American resolve, and our unwavering desire to rally around defending our country. We must never forget those who lost their lives that day, and we must honor today as a solemn reminder to be thankful for all those in military uniform serving around the world in defense of our freedoms. To those who have served and are currently serving, we owe a great debt of gratitude - thank you!" | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=821 | Renacci To Meet With Randolph, Suffield, And Brimfield Local Officials On Monday | 2013-12-06 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | renacci.house.gov | legacy | array 1 struct COLUMN 0 ID CF_CFPAGE LINE 42 RAW_TRACE at cffloor2dschedule2ecfm1427030490.runPage(C:\inetpub\wwwroot\renacci-jimbo\public\vendor\_skins\renacci\layouts\footer\floor-schedule.cfm:42) TEMPLATE C:\inetpub\wwwroot\renacci-jimbo\public\vendor\_skins\renacci\layouts\footer\floor-schedule.cfm TYPE CFML 2 struct COLUMN 0 ID CFINCLUDE LINE … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/columns?ID=8089f897-9ec5-4dda-a63a-bac7f6b9407b | Weekly Column: Obamacare Continues to Hurt Ohioans | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | During my time in the Senate, I have used this space to speak to the people of Ohio about the issues that our state and our nation are facing, and how we are working to address those problems in Washington. But this week, I want to let the people of Ohio speak for themselves. Last month, I invited Ohioans to contact me and share their experiences with Obamacare and explain how this law is impacting their lives. These are their stories. Susan from Batavia I am a single mother. I pay for my own health insurance. I am active and fit. I have cycled over 4000 miles this year. I am seldom sick. In the three years that I've paid for my own insurance, I went to the doctor once for illness. My rate was $146 month. In September, I received a letter from Anthem saying my plan does not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act and will be discontinued as of Jan. 1st, 2014. I was offered the same coverage for $350 per month. Mike from Westlake I own a small business. Our health insurance rates for single employees under 30 went from $198 per month last year to $560 per month this year. That's a 260% increase thanks to Obamacare! This bill is going to put small businesses out of business. William from Columbus We were paying $540 per month but received a letter from Anthem stating that the rates would increase to $662 per month beginning in Sept 2013 and then $1014 in Sept 2014 as a result of requirements per Obamacare. If this wasn't bad enough our family doctor of 25 years informed us that he will end his practice on Jan 1st, 2014. Reason being the government requirements of Obamacare just made it too difficult to continue. Rachel from Solon My husband and I own a small business. We were notified that our current health care plan is substandard at $860/month. To comply, we must pay $1880/month. This is beyond outrageous. Jon from Dublin We currently have a high deductible plan through Anthem and pay $331 per month. We are perfectly happy with our plan. It provides wellness visits for free, which… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=485a5def-66b5-4edb-b030-23a38c451eb2 | Portman Continues Push for Marietta Workers in Global Negotiations | 2013-12-05 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), former U.S. Trade Representative, continued his push for policies that would decrease unfair burdens on local workers, such as those employed by Marietta manufacturer Solvay Specialty Polymers, in the Information Technology Agreement negotiations. Portman and his staff have been working closely with Solvay Specialty Polymers of Marietta to lower tariff levels on a product compounded at their facility. These international negotiations aim to lower tariff levels on over 250 types of high tech and communications products. Solvay's Marietta facility employs nearly 300 workers. Solvay compounds a special material called Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCPs) that is used in a range of Information Technology products from smart phones to mobile computing devices. These materials have been key to developing more powerful and portable smart phones and tablets to support our growing digital economy. In order for global tariffs to be lowered on LCPs exported from Marietta, other countries must remove objections to its inclusion from their so-called Sensitivity Lists of products they seek to protect. Portman and has staff have worked closely with company officials and other foreign Embassies on this process, and are pleased that LCPs are now on the consensus negotiating list after countries such as China and Colombia have removed their initial objections to lowering tariffs on the product. Objections - mostly from China - persist on a wide range of other technology products. Those Chinese objections forced U.S. trade negotiators to temporarily suspend the broader negotiations. Nonetheless, Portman is pleased that some of the hurdles for Marietta's LCPs have been cleared, which will be helpful when the negotiations resume. “While global negotiations are never easy, I am pleased that real progress has been made for Ohio manufacturers such as Solvay in Marietta, said Portman. "Bringing down tariff barriers on American exports will help support jobs here in Southeast Ohio… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=817 | Renacci Statement Following Vote To Promote Economic Recovery | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | renacci.house.gov | legacy | array 1 struct COLUMN 0 ID CF_CFPAGE LINE 42 RAW_TRACE at cffloor2dschedule2ecfm1427030490.runPage(C:\inetpub\wwwroot\renacci-jimbo\public\vendor\_skins\renacci\layouts\footer\floor-schedule.cfm:42) TEMPLATE C:\inetpub\wwwroot\renacci-jimbo\public\vendor\_skins\renacci\layouts\footer\floor-schedule.cfm TYPE CFML 2 struct COLUMN 0 ID CFINCLUDE LINE … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://tiberi.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363417 | TIBERI: PROPOSED RULE MISSES MARK, ALL SHOULD BE EXEMPT FROM BELLY BUTTON TAX | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Pat Tiberi | T000462 | tiberi.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH), Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures issued the following statement regarding the announcement of the Obama administration’s proposed rule exempting certain self-insured, self-administered plans from Obamacare’s “belly button” tax: “The Obama administration’s proposed rule misses the mark in carving out only a small portion of those affected by the belly button tax. Everyone should be exempt from this punitive tax, and quite frankly, the administration’s narrow carve-out is cronyism at its worst. The tax is far-reaching, affecting small businesses, large employers, and unions alike. The president shouldn’t be picking winners and losers. Reports indicate that the tax will be harmful to business, a disincentive for employers to provide health care coverage, and a contributor to rising health care costs and this is why the tax should be repealed for everyone.” Background: On December 2, 2013, the Obama administration published a proposed rule in the Federal Register exempting certain self-insured, self-administered health care plans from the belly-button tax for 2015 and 2016. On November 14, 2013, Congressman Tiberi and Congressman Daniel Lipinksi (D-IL) introduced H.R. 3489, a bill to fully repeal the tax. The bill has 16 cosponsors and has been referred to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The tax is intended to cover the administration’s reinsurance program, which provides payments to insurance companies to help offset high-cost enrollees. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363340 | VIDEO: Congressman Stivers Launches #AskSteve Video Series | 2013-12-03 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Steve Stivers launched his #AskSteve Video Series, where he will periodically answer constituents’ questions and concerns on his YouTube page. The first video in the series is included in the above link. Constituents are invited to join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter by using the hashtag #AskSteve. -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140301152137/http://joyce.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=469 | Joyce Votes Put TSA's Loose Change to Good Use | 2013-12-03 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Dave Joyce | J000295 | web.archive.org | legacy | WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) voted in favor of the TSA Loose Change Act, H.R. 1095, which would direct the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security to transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that provide places of rest and recuperation at airports for members of the Armed Forces and their families. Joyce stated: “TSA makes almost half a million dollars a year on loose change and this bill puts that money to good use by helping members of the Armed Forces and their families. It’s a simple concept, but certainly a worthy one, considering the sacrifices made by our troops every day.” According to the House Homeland Security Committee, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) makes on average $465,285 from airport check points annually. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01), passed by a voice vote. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=998f5a55-a095-4b18-afea-45963098333b | Portman, Ohio Congressional Delegation Urge DOE to Identify Plans to Preserve Nuclear Enrichment Project at Piketon | 2013-12-03 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) led the Ohio Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify viable near-term and long-term options to preserve the United States’ domestic enrichment supply, which fulfils multiple national security and energy security needs including powering the nuclear Navy and maintaining our nuclear deterrent. The Ohio Congressional Delegation writes, “We remain concerned that the United States is at risk of losing its domestic enrichment capability, which since World War II, has been used to meet our critical national security, energy security and nonproliferation needs.” They add, “The Administration's continued efforts to develop this technology in Ohio have been supported by the Ohio Congressional Delegation. But with the Department of Energy's two year Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) program coming to end on January 15, 2014, we urge your agency to move forward and provide a pathway for the successful deployment of U.S. advanced centrifuge technology that can meet our national security requirements and our nation’s important nuclear nonproliferation agenda.” At an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing in April 2013 regarding the nomination of Moniz to be the Secretary of Energy, Portman highlighted the importance of the American Centrifuge Project (ACP) in Piketon, Ohio, which is the cornerstone to fulfilling our national security requirements for a domestic source of enriched uranium. Moniz agreed with Portman that the United States must have the technology for a fully domestic source of enriched uranium to support our nuclear weapons program and the Navy nuclear reactors program, saying, “it’s a requirement that we have American origin technology for enrichment.” Last year, when Portman was on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and served as a conferee on the Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization for 2013, he ensured that fund… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363180 | Johnson's Community Fire Safety Act Passes House | 2013-12-02 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | "This legislation recognizes the fact that fire hydrants are not a major source of drinking water, and it protects public safety by ensuring that fire hydrants can continue to be produced and installed." share: f t WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after the House of Representatives unanimously passed his bipartisan Community Fire Safety Act with a vote of 384-0: “Today, the House of Representatives took an important step in stopping the EPA from going forward on a costly and potentially dangerous rule that would ban the installation of current fire hydrants after January 4, 2014. This legislation recognizes the fact that fire hydrants are not a major source of drinking water, and it protects public safety by ensuring that fire hydrants can continue to be produced and installed. Shower valves are already exempted from the Safe Water Drinking Act, and now this legislation exempts fire hydrants too. I thank Congressman Tonko for introducing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation with me, and I urge the Senate to take prompt action and pass this bill before the end of the year.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363085 | Bill Johnson Thanksgiving Statement | 2013-11-28 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | Bill Johnson (OH-6) released the following statement on Thanksgiving, November 28, 2013: share: f t Thanksgiving offers us the opportunity to take a moment to step back from our busy lives, and give thanks to our Creator for the many blessings He has given us. No nation on earth is blessed with the abundance that America has been given, and no other People have worked more diligently and effectively than Americans to improve the quality of life for mankind. As we gather around our dinner tables today, I hope we all remember how much we as Americans – regardless of race, religion, geography, or political party – have in common, and just how far we’ve come together since the first Thanksgiving in 1621. And, as we enjoy time with our family and friends, I ask you to keep in mind those men and women in the military serving overseas, and their families, who have an empty seat at their tables today. I am thankful for the privilege of serving the people of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio in Congress, and it is an honor I never take for granted. LeeAnn and Nathan join me in wishing you and yours a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363144 | VIEWPOINT: Under Obamacare, you can't keep what you have | 2013-11-28 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | By Congressman Steve Stivers The American people deserve health care that is affordable, reliable, and allows them to keep the doctor and insurance they like. Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing as the new health care law is being implemented. On October 1, 2013, the Obamacare web site went live. Since that time, there have been nothing but glitches and troubles surrounding this new system, including: web site errors, increased premium costs, and people losing their current insurance and doctor. There have been problems signing up through the web site since the beginning. Only six people in the entire nation were able to sign up on HealthCare.gov the first day, and in the first month only 1,150 Ohioans signed up. While I don’t support the health care law, it should have been an obligation and priority for the Administration to ensure the system that they created actually functioned properly. There are people who are relying on getting their health care through the exchange, and the system needed to be up and working for them on day one. The Administration should have also been honest about the impact of the law. The President stated, “If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.” But there have been at least 3.5 million Americans who have received cancellation notices for their insurance policies since the launch of Obamacare. I have personally heard from constituents who were happy with their insurance, but they lost their current plan due to the new regulations included in the health care law. That is unacceptable. Which is why last week, I voted in support of the “Keep Your Health Plan Act.” This bill would allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans that are currently available on the individual market. The legislation passed the House last week and is currently under consideration by the Senate. While I believe that we must work to replace the health care law moving forward, we must act now to ensure Ame… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://latta.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363071 | Latta Comments on President Signing Legislation to Combat Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Robert Latta | L000566 | latta.house.gov | legacy | Today, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3204, the Drug Quality and Security Act, sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), which included language based on Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013 (H.R. 1919), introduced by Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) earlier this year. "It is important the President has signed this bipartisan legislation into law today, which represents the culmination of years of work and collaboration from many stakeholders on establishing a secure pharmaceutical supply chain. I am proud to have sponsored H.R. 1919, which was included in this overall legislative package. This law will ensure Americans greater safety when taking prescribed medications and protect them from counterfeit and adulterated drugs." H.R. 3204 establishes a national standard for tracing requirements for pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesale distributors, pharmacies and repackagers based on changes in ownership. Further, it requires the affiliates of the supply chain, including third-party logistics providers to undertake verification and notification activities regarding suspect or illegitimate products. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2bf6c828-dfb2-4ed3-a659-ffeda9538f54 | Portman Honors Ohioans Celebrating Hanukkah | 2013-11-27 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) issued the following statement in advance of the first night of Hanukkah, which begins Wednesday evening: "As Jews in Ohio and around the world prepare to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Jane and I extend our wishes for a very Happy Hanukkah. "This year, we observe the rare coincidence of two joyous holidays - Hanukkah and Thanksgiving - which commemorate the struggle for religious freedom and liberty. As we celebrate these core values, we are reminded of the threats still facing our nation and our friends in Israel, and we rededicate our shared commitment to help light prevail over darkness." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=363044 | Stivers Statement on Recent Deal with Iran | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | The below statement can be attributed to Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH): “America’s stated policy goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, I am concerned that the interim agreement with Iran moves backward from our goal. The agreement reduces American leverage by suspending sanctions while it does nothing to deter, or even slow down, Iran’s progress toward reaching nuclear capabilities, which can later be weaponized. America should remain committed to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran to ensure the safety and security of all nations around the world.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=72e41b05-e79c-4f81-add7-aabc36c88930 | Weekly Column: Supporting Small Business Saturday | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | As hard as it is to believe, the holiday season is already upon us. That means the beginning of the holiday shopping season, too. It is an opportunity for millions of retailers around the country to turn their ledgers from red to black. While we are buying gifts for loved ones, we are also helping business owners and retail workers who depend on holiday spending to keep their doors open and their sales booming. It’s no secret that America’s small businesses have taken a hit in this tough economy. As a small business owner myself, I understand some of the pressures these businesses are facing. I also know that the financial security of our small businesses is imperative to our economic well-being. Half of Americans employed in the private sector work for small businesses. And nearly two-thirds of new private sector jobs are created by these employers. Simply put, whether it’s stocking up for a Thanksgiving meal or buying Christmas gifts, choosing to purchase those items at a local retailer is a great way to give back to our communities. As part of our efforts to give a hand to these employers and workers across this country, I cosponsored a U.S. Senate resolution in support of Small Business Saturday, coming up on November 30, 2013. As you may know, Small Business Saturday falls on Thanksgiving weekend, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On this day, Americans are encouraged to shop at locally-owned stores in recognition of the positive impacts small businesses make on our nation’s economy. Of course, we need to do more to address the many challenges that all our employers face. The entrepreneurial spirit is what the American Dream is all about, and I believe in supporting legislation to encourage that spirit and protect that dream. We need to recommit to creating an environment through fiscal discipline and pro-growth economic policies that will allow all American businesses to thrive. Whether it’s streamlining regulations to remove some of the red tape that keeps businesses from expanding, reforming o… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=eb0a508a-5ea2-49bb-92c6-8142f3627137 | Portman and Bipartisan Group of Great Lakes Senators Ask Conference Committee to Boost Lakes Navigation | 2013-11-26 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) joined twelve of his colleagues from Great Lakes states in sending a letter to leaders of a House-Senate conference committee considering major water resources legislation, asking them to include funding for vital Great Lakes navigation projects as they resolve differences between House and Senate bills. In the letter, Portman and his colleagues underscore the importance of adequate funding: “Despite the benefits the Great Lakes Navigation System provides, inadequate funding and maintenance has resulted in a tremendous backlog of dredging projects that has forced vessels to light load, grounded vessels, impeded safe navigation, and closed harbors and threatened other harbors with closure... The impacts of the lack of dredging and other required maintenance, including lock improvements, breakwater repairs, and construction of dredged material disposal facilities, have economic consequences that hinder economic growth.” Today’s letter is the latest in a series of important steps Portman has taken to protect and promote robust commerce on our Great Lakes. In February 2013, Portman cosponsored the Harbor Maintenance Act, bipartisan legislation to help ensure that funds collected for maintaining and operating federal ports, harbors, and channels are fully used for their intended purpose. Portman was a co-sponsor of similar legislation in the 112th Congress. In July 2012, Portman fought to include a provision in the transportation bill signed into law by the President expressing the Sense of the Congress that the Administration should request and Congress should fully expend each year all of the revenues collected in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for the operation and maintenance of the nation’s federally maintained ports. Portman then followed-up on this legislative success by joining a bipartisan letter to then-OMB Director Jeffrey Zients calling for the Administration to honor the will the Congress. Earlier this year, Portman also worked to secur… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=c596f8b1-58d7-4af5-852f-822fb427a825 | Portman and Brown Urge Commerce Department To Defend Ohio Steel Producers From Illegal Chinese Trade Practices | 2013-11-25 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) urged the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to protect Ohio-based companies like U.S. Steel from illegal Chinese trade practices by maintaining antidumping duties (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on Chinese steel pipe imports. Their effort comes in advance of an upcoming DOC ruling on a petition regarding product coverage for duties ordered on Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from China. The letter led by Portman and Brown was also signed by 10 of their Senate colleagues. “Ohio-based companies that produce Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) support many good jobs in our state,” Portman said. “Unfortunately, our businesses and thousands of American workers are at risk if important trade protections are watered-down, allowing cheap Chinese products to flood our domestic markets. American manufactured goods must be allowed to compete with their global competitors on a level playing field.” “The Commerce Department needs to do everything in its power to protect the American steel industry and the domestic workers and businesses it supports,” Brown said. “That means not allowing countries like China to use loopholes to circumvent international law and evade anti-dumping and countervailing duties. This puts our country's steel industry on an unfair playing field while it's already in the midst of a fragile recovery. That is why the Commerce Department needs to follow through on its preliminary ruling in favor of American steel, and see to it that China no longer can get away with unfair and illegal trade practices that hurt our economy, and put our jobs at risk.” Portman and Brown have long championed the American steel industry and fought to ensure it can compete fairly against some illegal Chinese trade practices and in the international market. Earlier this year, Portman and Brown applauded U.S. Steel’s announcement that it would consider expanding its steeling operations in Lorain. Portman and Brown’s efforts were vital to ens… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2ca62b3d-edce-4889-88ec-34dc64addcbe | Portman Statement on Administration's Deal with Iran on its Nuclear Program | 2013-11-24 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) issued the following statement on the Administration's announcement that it has reached a deal with Iran on its nuclear program: "I have serious concerns that this newly-announced deal will not stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It has kept the Iranian enrichment program intact and I would want to be sure that this does not set the stage for any long-term agreement that would do the same. The regional and worldwide impacts of continued Iranian enrichment could be disastrous. The current sanctions regime that Congress insisted on is what got the Iranians to the table. We need to keep the pressure on to force the Iranians to agree to a deal that ensures our security and that of our allies - one that verifiably dismantles their nuclear weapons program." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://chabot.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362751 | Chabot Introduces Legislation to Eliminate Wasteful, Duplicative Federal Commission | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Steven Chabot | C000266 | chabot.house.gov | legacy | U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Westwood) introduced legislation Thursday to eliminate the Denali Commission, a duplicative regional agency whose primary purpose is distributing federal funds to state and local entities in Alaska. Chabot's legislation, H.R. 3589, the Eliminate the Commission to Nowhere Act, has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Denali Commission is one of seven regional commissions that help direct federal funds to state and local projects. However, unlike the other commissions, the Denali Commission serves only one state Alaska. This has led some including the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Denali Commission to question the need for the Commission, since the federal funds handled by the Commission could easily be distributed directly to the State of Alaska and other local entities. After all, state and local governments are more knowledgeable and better equipped than the federal government to address the needs of local communities. In its October 2013 semiannual report to Congress, the OIG argued that the Denali Commission is little more than a glorified, and unnecessary, federal middleman. In the report, the Inspector General detailed several Denali Commission funding situations to illustrate that the Commission adds little, or no, value to the appropriations process. For example, the Denali Commission helps communities build powerhouses and tank farms by accepting federal funds from the USDA's Rural Utilities Service and then transferring those funds to a state agency and a large utility cooperative. As the OIG notes, these recipients are far more technically sophisticated than the Denali Commission and both are capable of directly dealing with the federal government without Denali as the middleman. The same pattern is repeated in the Denali Commission's efforts to build medical clinics, provide workforce training and help construct access roads. In each case, the Commission receives federal funds and transfers those funds to an e… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/articles?ID=859a2b78-e152-4b82-a7a8-763cc64096de | Portman: On 50th Anniversary of His Death, We Must Honor Kennedy's Bold Leadership | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) writes in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that “while today many will remember the president's death, it is far more fitting to remember his life, and the rich legacy he left behind.” Excerpts of the Op-Ed are below, and it can be found in its entirety here. Leadership, JFK-style, means doing the hard things Cleveland Plain Dealer Sen. Rob Portman November 22, 2013 For those of us my age and older, we’ll never forget where we were that Friday, fifty years ago, when we heard the news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot. One of my very first memories was being sent home from Kilgore Elementary School and watching the terrible events of Nov. 22, 1963, unfold on our black and white television. For millions more who were not yet born, the grainy images of a silent video of that day in Dallas have become part of our shared heritage. But while today many will remember the president's death, it is far more fitting to remember his life, and the rich legacy he left behind. A powerful example of that legacy happened early in his presidency, when Kennedy went before Congress on May 25, 1961, and laid down a marker for the world. With the Soviet Union racing ahead of us in technological innovation and fears that space could become a new battleground for the Cold War — one dominated by the communist empire — Kennedy made a promise. We would go to the moon, he said, and we would do it before the end of the decade. He made this promise despite the fact that John Glenn’s famous mission to become the first American to orbit the earth was only in the planning stages and wouldn’t take place for nine more months. Kennedy knew the challenges ahead. When he described his plan in a speech a year later, he didn't sugar-coat it. He didn't tell the American people that the goal of going to the moon could be accomplished with anything less than hard work, years of commitment and even the willi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=21cb9679-89e7-4b84-98dc-394fecf97284 | Portman, Cardin Urge Treasury Sec. Lew to Fix A Regulatory Flaw that Threatens the Retirement Security of American Workers | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew expressing concern with a regulation that could unintentionally weaken the retirement security of many American workers. This flaw undermines and runs counter to the original intent of the Treasury regulation—strengthening retirement security. Fortunately, Secretary Lew has the power to prevent the unintended consequences of this regulation without new legislation. In the letter, Portman and Cardin, both members of the Senate Finance Committee, warn that this technical glitch might inadvertently incentivize companies to hard-freeze the defined benefit pension plan of long-time employees and urge Lew to fix it, stating, “This is clearly not the intended effect of the nondiscrimination rules, which were written to strengthen retirement security, rather than to force many older employees into new pension plans that may not provide enough time to accumulate sufficient benefits before retirement.” The full text of the letter is below. Read a signed copy here. November 21, 2013 The Honorable Jacob J. Lew Secretary of the Treasury Main Treasury Building, Room 3330 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220 Dear Secretary Lew: We write to request action concerning a Treasury regulation that could unintentionally weaken the retirement security of many American workers. The regulation in question was created in order to strengthen retirement security, so repairing this flaw would support the Treasury’s original intent. It’s a regulation that can be improved without new legislation. Over the past several years, many companies have transitioned from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement plans. In doing so, many have elected to grandfather existing employees into the defined benefit plans in order to avoid disruptions and save them from having to build retirement savings in a new pension model mid-career. After “soft freezing” the existing pension plan, the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8ee15c3f-cbb2-4a87-a523-8cf02a6ea79d | Portman Visits Chrysler's Toledo Assembly Complex | 2013-11-22 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) visited Chrysler’s Toledo Assembly Complex. During his visit, Portman had the opportunity to meet with employees as he toured the assembly line and saw first-hand how the new Jeep Cherokee is manufactured. “Manufacturing has really been the backbone of Toledo for a very long time. It’s our legacy here,” said Portman. “Toledo was the glass capital of the world because of the innovation of this area and our solid industrial base, but it’s been a challenging time for Toledo as workers and businesses continue to struggle through a weak economy. We’ve been making Jeeps here in Toledo since 1941, and I believe that the same policies that can help Jeep to continue to succeed will also boost manufacturers and industry across our country. Finding some common ground in Washington to tackle the problems this country faces—whether it’s our soaring debts, unsustainable entitlements, antiquated and complex tax code, lack of training for Americans who are out of work, or a dysfunctional energy policy—will go a long way to not only helping the auto workers, but the entire American economy.” “Senator Portman is one of the American automakers' strongest supporters on Capitol Hill. He is a key leader on international trade policy and fundamentally understands the importance of addressing issues like currency manipulation,” said Governor Matt Blunt, President of the American Automotive Policy Council. “He has worked tirelessly to help create jobs and economic growth in communities throughout Ohio and the nation.” Portman, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and former U.S. Trade Representative, joined a letter signed by 60 of his Senate colleagues to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and current U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman, led by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), advocating for currency manipulation protections in trade negotiations such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In June 2013, Portman raised concerns about persistent… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362450 | Johnson's Live Internet Auctions Act Passes House | 2013-11-21 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | My legislation would allow for Internet-based auctions of federal onshore oil and natural gas leases. Additionally, this legislation will ensure lease sales are both efficient and timely so developers can begin producing American energy for American consumers and create much needed jobs. share: f t WASHINGTON – Congressman Johnson (R-OH) released the following statement in response to the House of Representatives passing his Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Live Internet Auctions Act as part of a broader bill, the Federal Jobs and Energy Security Act of 2013: “As most of us know, the federal government is grossly behind the private sector when it comes to technological innovation. Having spent 30 years in the IT industry, I understand how much more efficient the federal government could become if it were to begin using readily available 21st century technology. That’s why I introduced the BLM Live Internet Auctions Act, which modernizes the way in which federal onshore oil and natural gas leases are purchased. My legislation would allow for Internet-based auctions of federal onshore oil and natural gas leases. Additionally, this legislation will ensure lease sales are both efficient and timely so developers can begin producing American energy for American consumers and create much needed jobs. I’m hopeful that the Senate will follow the House’s lead and pass this common sense legislation.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=44d6c69d-2c0f-468b-b242-b34e0ff07ed6 | Portman Fights for Akron's Lockheed Martin Employees | 2013-11-21 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) sent a letter to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics urging consideration to qualify Akron, Ohio for assistance through the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) Defense Industry Adjustment Program. OEA provides assistance to communities whose workforce is affected by changes in Defense Department contracting or basing decisions. Akron is home to a Lockheed Martin facility, which last week announced it will begin significant personnel reductions. The Akron facility has long supported the Department of Defense in wartime production, aerospace simulators, space exploration and many other military systems. In the letter, Portman states, “To address announced workforce reduction, we must work with the community to ensure the workforce is prepared to transition and that new opportunities are waiting for them…We ask the Office of Economic Adjustment to assist Akron and Summit County with this mobilization effort through economic development and diversification. I would expect that if qualified, subsequent assistance would help the community ensure the workforce is ready to meet future demands and be competitive for economic opportunities.” The full text of the letter is below. Read a signed copy here. November 21, 2013 The Honorable Frank Kendall Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) 3010 Defense Pentagon Washington DC, 20301-3010 Dear Secretary Kendall: I am writing to urge your consideration of Akron, Ohio for assistance through the Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Industry Adjustment Program. As you may be aware, Akron is home to a Lockheed Martin facility, which recently announced it will implement significant personnel reductions. This facility in Akron has long supported the Department of Defense, for decades it supported wartime production, aerospace simulators, space exploration and many other military systems. Decisions regarding several major defense acq… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=eb434a5d-bbfa-481f-a4fc-a3b1f6f8bb30 | Portman Effort To Commemorate FDR's D-Day Prayer with the Nation at the WWII Memorial Passes Energy Committee | 2013-11-21 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013 (S.1044), bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA), passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote. Portman’s legislation would direct the Interior Secretary to install a plaque or inscription at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944. “On D-Day, courageous Americans risked and sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedoms and end tyranny abroad,” said Portman. “On that day, President Roosevelt asked our nation to come together to pray for the men overseas. His words brought strength and comfort to many during one of the most challenging times for our nation. “At no cost to the taxpayer, this memorial ensures that FDR’s prayer will become a permanent reminder of the sacrifice of not just those who fought in World War II, but also of the men and women who fight for us today and all those who lay down their lives for the cause of liberty. I am pleased that my bill passed out of committee and that we are one step closer to ensuring that this important, extraordinary prayer and this example of the power of faith in our Nation's history be added to the World War II Memorial.” “We would like to commend Senator Portman, Senator Landrieu, and members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for today's referral of S.1044 to the full Senate,” said Ohio Christian Alliance President Chris Long. “President Roosevelt’s prayer articulated the great crusade that was underway to liberate millions suffering under tyranny. He honored the war effort and paid tribute to the fallen and those veterans who fought courageously in the conflict. It is only fitting that succeeding generations learn of this prayer that was offered at that most poignant moment in our nation’s history. We are encouraged by the support that this legislation is receiving and… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://billjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362375 | Johnson Introduces Legislation Curbing EPA's Absurd New Rule | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Bill Johnson | J000292 | billjohnson.house.gov | legacy | "My common sense legislation simply exempts fire hydrants from the law, just as shower valves are already exempted. I urge the House to take quick action on this legislation and bring it to the floor for a vote." share: f t WASHINGTON – Representative Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) released the following statement today after introducing H.R 3542, the Community Fire Safety Act of 2013 – important legislation that would keep fire hydrants legal. “On October 22, 2013 the EPA quietly decided that fire hydrants would no longer be compliant with a rule regulating the public’s drinking water. Under the rule, no commercially available fire hydrants could be installed after January 4, 2014. This means that whenever a car slides off the road and into a fire hydrant, cities across the country will either have to pay a fine to the EPA for installing an illegal fire hydrant, or risk leaving citizens in danger of being without life-saving fire hydrants. While I support reducing the amount of lead in our drinking water, it is unconscionable that the EPA has put our public safety at risk because during the hot summer months sometimes, somewhere kids may play in fire hydrant water. I’ve never heard of children becoming sick from playing in fire hydrant water. My common sense legislation simply exempts fire hydrants from the law, just as shower valves are already exempted. I urge the House to take quick action on this legislation and bring it to the floor for a vote.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://gibbs.house.gov/press-release/congressman-bob-gibbs-opening-remarks-house-senate-conference-meeting-wrrda | Congressman Bob Gibbs Opening Remarks from House-Senate Conference Meeting on WRRDA | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Bob Gibbs | G000563 | gibbs.house.gov | legacy | (Remarks as Prepared) I am very pleased that we are here today to begin the conference committee process for the next Water Resources Development Act. Reaching an agreement between both chambers of Congress is vitally important to our nation’s economy and our global economic competitiveness for years to come. Our nation’s ports and vast inland waterway system provide American farmers and manufacturers with a unique competitive advantage. But without timely and adequate investment, that advantage will be lost. In fact, we have already seen nations like China and Brazil begin to invest in their own waterborne transportation systems. Without reforms to the project delivery process and funding for strategic infrastructure, America’s competitiveness will decline. WRRDA is a real jobs bill – not only temporary construction jobs, but also permanent careers generated by increased efficiencies for our businesses that rely on properly maintained ports and inland waterways. I’m proud of what the House was able to accomplish in its version of the bill, and I think that the final vote tally of 417 to 3 is evidence of bi-partisan common sense policies and reforms. This bill changes the way the Army Corps of Engineers does business. While it once took the Corps three to five years to complete a study, it has become normal for this process to take 10 to 15 years. WRRDA cuts the red tape, streamlines reviews, and accelerates the lengthy process, saving us precious time and money and allowing infrastructure improvements to move forward in a 3 year timeline and for less than $3 million. It is appropriate that we address the cost portion of the equation as we do in this legislation, since time is money. The House-passed WRRDA is the most-fiscally responsible version ever passed. For the first time, there are no earmarks and new project authorizations are more-than offset by deauthorizing old and unneeded projects still on the books. While earmarks are now a thing of the past for WRRDA, it is important that Congress retains its … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://latta.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362478 | Latta Introduces Bill to Honor the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Robert Latta | L000566 | latta.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) today introduced H.R. 3544, a bipartisan bill that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) for their superior service and major contributions during World War II. The OSS was America's first effort to implement a system of strategic intelligence during World War II and provided the basis for the modern-day American intelligence and special operations communities, including being the precursor to the CIA. “The heroic actions and innovative inventions by members of the OSS played a crucial role in the allied victory in WWII. It is time for these ladies and gentlemen of the Greatest Generation to be collectively recognized and honored for their efforts,” said Congressman Latta. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://latta.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362479 | Latta Recognizes the 20th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Robert Latta | L000566 | latta.house.gov | legacy | Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement today in recognizing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: “Throughout my years of service, I have worked to protect one of our most fundamental constitutional rights – the free exercise of religion. This week, we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a bipartisan law that prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion. I remain committed to protecting and honoring laws that safeguard our constitutional freedoms and protect Americans’ religious liberties and conscience rights.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202512/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=807 | Renacci Casts Vote To Protect Ohio Jobs, Expand Energy Production | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) today voted in favor of H.R. 2728, the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act. This bill would protect Ohio jobs and expand American energy development by prohibiting the Department of the Interior from enforcing unnecessary and duplicative federal hydraulic fracturing regulations that stand to put our energy independence and economy at risk. “At a time when Ohioans are looking for an economic recovery, it is unacceptable that the Obama Administration has proposed federal regulations that will cost jobs, decrease American energy production, drive up energy prices, and strangle our economic growth. Ohio has safely and successfully regulated hydraulic fracturing for years, and states should have the right to continue to regulate this activity; Washington doesn’t always know what is best for Ohio.” said Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16). “I was proud to support the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act. Ohio now has the potential to be a leader in domestic energy production, and this bill not only protects current jobs, it also paves the way for much-needed high-paying jobs in Northeast Ohio. I will continue to work to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions that support an all-of-the-above energy approach, and I encourage the President and my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.” Rep. Renacci spoke on the House floor today in support of the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act during the debate of an amendment that would make public information from states that have established efficient and effective regulatory programs. Click HERE to view the video. Floor Speech Text “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Flores amendment, which would make public states that have established efficient and effective regulatory programs that both encourage domestic development of our resources and protect the environment and health of our citizens. “My home state of Ohio has some of the most transparent and robust … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://wenstrup.house.gov/updates/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362258 | Wenstrup Continues Pushback Against Common Core | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Brad Wenstrup | W000815 | wenstrup.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Monday, Congressman Brad Wenstrup and five other Ohio congressmen sent a joint letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, expressing concerns about the rushed and expensive implementation of Common Core. Common Core is the federal education initiative being adopted by approximately forty five states, including Ohio. The letter insists that local parents, teachers, and state officials know what is best for their school districts, not federal bureaucrats. I fear that these national Common Core standards are trying to force a one-size-fits-all solution on uniquely different states, Wenstrup said. Ohio isn't the same as Hawaii, or Texas, or New York. We can't be rushing to push our children into mediocrity; it's not fair to them. This comes the same day Secretary Duncan walked back remarks disparaging concerned mothers for questioning Common Core's implementation. This is not the first time Wenstrup questioned the Common Core initiative: in April, he expressed concerns about the standards' implementation and federal data collection policies on every student, and in July, voted for H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, which would prohibit federal officials from compelling states like Ohio to adopt Common Core standards. ### Office of Representative Brad Wenstrup www.Wenstrup.House.gov | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=0994ae4e-6d62-4f1f-a300-93327a9c5fd4 | Portman, Brown, and Ryan Introduce Legislation to Honor Windham, OH Army Specialist Robert Towles | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), worked together to introduce legislation to honor Army Specialist Robert Towles of Windham, OH with the Distinguished Service Cross—the U.S. Army’s second highest military honor. Although he was seriously wounded himself, Mr. Towles heroically fended off an enemy attack in Vietnam and saved the lives of fellow soldiers in his Company. The Army initially awarded Mr. Towles the Bronze Star for Valor but determined in 2013 that he is eligible to receive the Distinguished Service Cross, which more appropriately recognizes his actions. This bipartisan legislation will ensure that Mr. Towles receives proper recognition for his acts of valor and is honored with the Distinguished Service Cross despite the many years that have passed. “The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest award that can be given to a member of the United States Army. Only those who exercise extreme gallantry at the risk of life can receive it. It is past time that Specialist Robert Towles was considered for this great honor. It is one he has earned,” said Senator Portman. “Mr. Towles is a hero who exemplified true bravery, honor, and sacrifice while himself wounded in combat,” Senator Brown said. “His service to our nation promoted peace and democracy, and his actions saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. It is for these reasons that Mr. Towles deserves both our gratitude, respect, and the Distinguished Service Cross.” “Our country will be forever indebted to Mr. Towles for his dedicated service and life-saving heroism. I first began working with Mr. Towles to get him this award nearly ten years ago, and while it’s taken a long time to arrive at this point, I am grateful that he will finally receive the recognition he has always deserved,” said Congressman Ryan. On November 17, 1965, Specialist Robert Towles and the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry encountered enemy soldiers. Towles was wounded early in the fighting… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=3eb38d48-c11d-4ea5-9ee5-94a9dd772209 | Your Tax Dollars...Down The Drain: NSF Spends $350,000 to Help Golfers Putt Better | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today released the following statement in a monthly series highlighting Washington’s wasteful spending during a time of record debt and deficits: In just the latest example of wasteful spending, this month’s example of government waste comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which spent $350,000 on a study intended to help golfers improve their scores. “Few things frustrate golfers as much as navigating their way from the tee towards the hole, only to miss a short putt. Maybe they will rest easier knowing that Washington is on the case to improve their scores, spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a study to show that golfers can increase their chance of sinking their putts by imagining that the hole is bigger. Perhaps Washington has similarly failed to rein in its out-of-control spending because too many perceive the hole in the federal budget to be small. Acknowledging that the current national debt now tops $140,000 per household may help the federal government better ace its spending restraint,” said Portman. “I re-read my copy of the U.S. Constitution, and I still cannot find the section empowering Washington to spend tax dollars on golf tips. While $350,000 may not seem like much money in Washington, there are families, businesses, and higher-priority government programs that surely could have used that money.” The Purdue University study – funded by a portion of this $350,000 NSF grant as well as National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding – asked 36 golfers to putt towards two different-sized holes. Lighting was used to alter their perceptions of hole sizes. Simply making the smaller hole appear to be larger resulted in golfers shooting more successfully. Taxpayers may not be finished with their investment: “More work is needed to better understand this effect, but we think the perceived increase in target size will boost confidence in one's abilities,” said Jessica K. Witt, a Purdue University professor who led … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=c2c97439-b335-4025-9392-b97346378936 | Portman, Tester Investigate National Security Workforce | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) today took on the out-of-date and inadequate way the federal government designates certain positions as national security ‘sensitive’ or that require a security clearance. Portman and Tester held their second hearing in two days in their Governmental Affairs subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce. Today’s hearing examined whether the arbitrary manner in which government agencies designate ‘sensitive’ positions hurts federal workers and burdens taxpayers. At the conclusion of the hearing, Portman and Tester announced plans to introduce legislation to improve the security clearance process by requiring clearer, government-wide rules designating ‘sensitive’ positions as well as regular policy reviews. The Senators’ legislation will also hold individuals who intentionally compromise the integrity of a background investigation more accountable. “I think we can all acknowledge that there is a significant need for reform with regard to the security clearance process,” said Portman. “We must get our arms around the amount of information the government is classifying and tasks that are deemed sensitive for national security. This relates directly to the demands placed on our clearance process.” “The lack of clear guidance has led us down a path to where we now have almost five million Americans with security clearances and access to our nation’s most sensitive information and secure facilities,” Tester said after hearing from witnesses. “There is a real need for such guidance and to improve the security clearance process.” The hearing also examined concerns about a recent court case – Kaplan v. Conyers – that would allow the federal government to make personnel decisions regarding ‘sensitive’ positions while denying federal employees the right to appeal those decisions. Today’s hearing brings more attention to consequences of the U.S. Court of Appeals decision. In September, the Senators told the Director of National Intell… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=c7bbe8d8-dfc6-4aa4-93b6-440b04a13b51 | Portman Supports Measures to Improve Behavioral Health System | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – In recent weeks, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has thrown his support behind several measures to improve the delivery and coordination of behavioral health services. Last week, Portman introduced the Behavioral Health Information Technology Coordination Act (S. 1685) to ensure mental health providers are part of the nation’s electronic medical records network. In addition, the bill would add mental health professionals to legislation passed in 2009 to assist healthcare providers in adopting health-information technology. “Due to a disconnect between our nation’s doctors and mental health care professionals, Americans suffering from mental illness are among the nation’s most underserved and overlooked populations,” said Portman. “By fixing an oversight in the system and making Health IT the bedrock to fully integrated care, my bill will enhance care and treatment for the mentally ill and put them on a path to lead healthy and productive lives.” “The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers is very excited and appreciative of Senator Portman’s introduction of the Behavioral Health IT Coordination Act (S. 1685),” said Hubert Wirtz, CEO, The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers. “Adequate investment in health care information technology is critical to enabling mental health and addiction providers to implement systems that help them improve care coordination, provide quality care, measure outcomes and enable continuity of care between primary care, mental health and addiction services. Without this, community behavioral health providers cannot adequately track outcomes, engage in wellness management, and engage in cost-effective chronic disease prevention and recovery.” Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA-18) has introduced bipartisan companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The Behavioral Health Information Technology Act (H.R. 2957) has been endorsed by the American Psychological Association, Association for Behavioral Heal… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=f21efb26-2a32-4160-b15a-2197526b240b | Congressional Gold Medal for Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Passes Senate | 2013-11-20 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Last evening, the U.S. Senate approved an effort to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II Doolittle Raiders. The legislation, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and is endorsed by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. This legislation will put the Congressional Gold Medal on permanent display in Ohio’s National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “During World War II, the Doolittle Raiders exemplified our military’s selfless acts of valor,” Portman said. “They courageously defended our freedoms through their daring operation and restored hope in Americans still reeling from the attacks on Pearl Harbor. These heroes deserve our gratitude, and this award will serve as a token of appreciation to the four living Doolittle Raiders and ensure that their service is not forgotten. I look forward to the House taking swift action to get this important legislation over the finish line.” Last year, Portman and Brown teamed up with then-Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) in cosponsoring a Congressional Resolution to honor the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering companion legislation. Representative Pete Olson (R-TX-22) introduced H.R.1209 which currently has 173 cosponsors including Ohio Representatives Chabot, Gibbs, Fudge, Johnson, Joyce, Latta, Ryan, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, and Wenstrup. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362090 | Steve Stivers: Under Obamacare, you can’t keep what you have | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | The American people deserve health care that is affordable, reliable, and allows them to keep the doctor and insurance they like. Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing as the new health care law is being implemented. On October 1, 2013, the Obamacare web site went live. Since that time, there have been nothing but glitches and troubles surrounding this new system, including: web site errors, increased premium costs, and people losing their current insurance and doctor. There have been problems signing up through the web site since the beginning. Only six people in the entire nation were able to sign up on HealthCare.gov the first day, and in the first month only 1,150 Ohioans signed up. While I don’t support the health care law, it should have been an obligation and priority for the Administration to ensure the system that they created actually functioned properly. There are people who are relying on getting their health care through the exchange, and the system needed to be up and working for them on day one. The Administration should have also been honest about the impact of the law. The President stated, “If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.” But there have been at least 3.5 million Americans who have received cancellation notices for their insurance policies since the launch of Obamacare. I have personally heard from constituents who were happy with their insurance, but they lost their current plan due to the new regulations included in the health care law. That is unacceptable. Which is why last week, I voted in support of the “Keep Your Health Plan Act.” This bill would allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans that are currently available on the individual market. The legislation passed the House last week and is currently under consideration by the Senate. While I believe that we must work to replace the health care law moving forward, we must act now to ensure Americans can keep th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203025/http://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=806 | Renacci Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Enhance Access To Quality Care For Seniors | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Jim Renacci | R000586 | web.archive.org | legacy | Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) today introduced H.R. 3531, the Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act. This bipartisan bill will reduce barriers to health care services for our nation’s seniors by eliminating the three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for Medicare beneficiaries who are in need of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. Eliminating the three-day stay requirement is supported by both hospitals and nursing homes throughout the country. “The Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act will enhance access to quality care for our nation’s seniors by protecting the doctor-patient relationship and removing Washington red tape as a barrier to their health care,” said Rep. Jim Renacci. “Beneficiaries in need of skilled nursing care are typically the frailest and oldest of the Medicare population, and they should not be shut out of these critical rehabilitation services due to Washington over-regulation. As a former operator and manager of long-term care facilities in Northeast Ohio, I remain committed to finding bipartisan solutions that will allow Ohio seniors to receive the treatment they need at the time they need it – without Washington standing in the way.” Peter Van Runkle, Executive Director of the Ohio Health Care Association, added, “Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care and rehabilitation for seniors, but discriminates against seniors who need care but didn’t spend three days as a hospital inpatient. We applaud Congressman Renacci’s courageous effort to eliminate discrimination and cover all seniors who need these important services.” James Griffiths, CEO of JAG Healthcare in Rocky River, OH, added, "There is no question that the future of health care will be dependent on efficiency and quality. It makes perfect sense to eliminate the three-day qualifying hospital stays for Medicare recipients because it will enable skilled nursing facilities and other providers along the continuum to provide services without the clumsy and in s… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/columns?ID=e44bb7c0-84a0-4789-86df-6eace939b009 | Weekly Column: The Gettysburg Address, Remembered | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | There are two paintings beside the desk in my office. One is of George Washington, the man who helped establish the Union. The other is of Abraham Lincoln, the man who saved it. One hundred and fifty years ago today—or seven score and ten years, as he might have put it—Abraham Lincoln stood on a wind-swept battlefield at a tiny railroad crossing in southern Pennsylvania. He was not the featured speaker that day. That honor fell to Edward Everett. Everett’s speech would last two hours; his first sentence was more than seventy words long. Lincoln had come to dedicate a cemetery, a burial ground for the soldiers who only a few months before had fought outside of a town called Gettysburg. The Civil War was two years old then, and though it would rage for another two more, there was a sense that the tide had turned, that the war would end with the Union preserved, albeit after many thousands more lives were sacrificed. And so while Lincoln was there ostensibly to set aside a final resting place for those who had died in battle, his true purpose was even greater than that. Part of the genius of the Founders was that they were able to look beyond their own times and their own struggles to see that the colonies, united together and “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” could change the world. But that Union, with that goal, was a work in progress. As Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said, it was not perfect, but it was perfectible. It was the striving for that perfection—the perfection of freedom—that was the great task Lincoln spoke of. But Lincoln knew something else, too. He had set out to save the Union. In this, he had failed. At least, he had failed to save the Union as it had existed before. Change was inevitable. “A new birth of freedom” was needed. And only by rededicating ourselves to that central principle at the heart of the Declaration of Independence—that all people are born free—could our nation endure. We still hear Lincoln’s call today. The work of which he spoke is… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=098b4cca-efcb-4755-8d30-42fabb029db4 | Resolution Calling For The Release Of Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko Passes Senate | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling for the release of Ukraine’s former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) co-sponsored the resolution in July. In 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly abusing her power in the awarding of a natural gas contract. Numerous political and human rights groups have called the charges politically motivated and selectively prosecuted and called for Tymoshenko’s release. Last week the Ukrainian Parliament delayed a vote on a bill that would have secured Tymoshenko’s release. “As a new member of the community of democracies, I urge Ukraine to answer the call of the European Court of Human Rights and release Ms. Tymoshenko from prison,” said Portman. “This will demonstrate to the world Ukraine’s commitment to democracy and the right to disagree with the government without fear of imprisonment. Ukraine has an opportunity to secure a prosperous future through closer economic and political ties to the United States and the European Union, and I support this goal. It would be a shame to see Ukraine’s path forward derailed by the mistaken policies of the past. ” Since her trial and imprisonment in 2011, numerous human rights groups and government around the world, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, have called the charges politically motivated and called for Ms. Tymoshenko’s release. The Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe passed a resolution in January 2012, declaring that the articles under which Ms. Tymoshenko was convicted were, “overly broad in application and effectively allow for ex post facto criminalization of normal political decision making.” Later that year, both the European Parliament and the U.S. Senate passed resolutions condemning the sentencing of Ms. Tymoshenko and calling for her release. In late April, The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Ms. Tymoshenko’s pre-trial detention was unlawful, that the lawfulness of her detention had no… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=316f1915-c8fc-42a9-b9a8-16a556f97889 | Portman Statement on Chairman Baucus' International Tax Reform Discussion Draft | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – Today, U. S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement regarding the international tax reform discussion draft released by Finance Committee Chairman Baucus: “As Ohio businesses and families continue to struggle through this weak economy, we desperately need comprehensive tax reform to enable American companies to expand, hire more workers, and compete effectively in the global economy. Although I disagree with some of its proposals, I hope the discussion draft will focus attention on our outdated approach to international taxation, and encourage constructive debate over how best to promote American competitiveness. “It is urgent that we fix our broken, complex, and antiquated tax code and replace it with revenue-neutral, pro-growth tax reform that lessens the burden on job creators and encourages them to grow. Real tax reform means reducing tax rates, including cutting the top federal corporate income tax rate to at least the average of other developed countries, about 25 percent. It means eliminating complex deductions and credits where Washington tries to pick winners and losers, sapping the strength of American innovation and decision-making in our private sector. It means simplifying complex international tax rules that serve only to harm the global competitiveness of American businesses and cost American jobs. “Congress must enact tax reform to help American workers, to bring new innovative technologies to market, to infuse our economy with new international capital, and to provide a better future for our children and grandchildren to succeed in the new global economy.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=e1fbd929-5b20-4ce8-8546-f2c9bb6fa2e4 | Portman, Tester Seek to Empower Government Watchdogs, Save Taxpayer Dollars | 2013-11-19 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Rob Portman | P000449 | www.portman.senate.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), leaders of the Senate Subcommittee working to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government, today sought new ways to strengthen government watchdogs and save taxpayer dollars. “Inspectors General and their oversight offices are key as the watchdogs of the federal government,” said Portman at today’s committee hearing. “With the current financial status of the federal government and our now $17 trillion debt, we certainly owe it to our constituents that their tax dollars are being spent in the right way. The oversight workforce must help ensure that that happens.” “Folks back in Montana are skeptical about the way things work in Washington – and I don’t blame them,” Tester said at today’s subcommittee hearing. “Without independent voices of oversight, we have no hope of maintaining the public’s trust in government. We need to empower folks like you to serve as our eyes and ears within government.” Watch Portman’s remarks here. Portman and Tester invited inspectors general from two federal agencies to testify at today’s hearing. The officials told the Senators there are still too many gaps in government oversight, but that government watchdogs saved nearly $50 billion in 2012 – providing a $17 return on every dollar. Portman and Tester pushed the officials to say what steps Congress could take to better work with government watchdogs, to make sure oversight officials are getting the resources and access they need to effectively prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and to enhance government transparency and uphold the privacy rights of Americans. “The need for strong and effective independent oversight over agency operations has never been more important, and complete access to information is a cornerstone of effective independent oversight,” Michael Horowitz, Inspector General for the Department of Justice, told the panel. Portman and Tester also called the Department of Homeland Security’s chief privacy officer to testify as t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| http://stivers.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362386 | Stivers announces Toys For Tots drop-off sites | 2013-11-18 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | OH | Steve Stivers | S001187 | stivers.house.gov | legacy | Stivers announces Toys For Tots drop-off sites f t # e FROM THE LANCASTER EAGLE GAZETTE, November 18, 2013 Written by | Staff report WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, announced that his Ohio district offices will be drop-off sites this year for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. From now until Dec. 13, residents can drop off new, unwrapped toys between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Lancaster district office, 123 S. Broad St., Suite 235. For additional information, call Stivers’ Lancaster district office at 740-654-2654. f t # e | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
Advanced export
JSON shape: default, array, newline-delimited, object
CREATE TABLE [releases] (
[url] TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
[title] TEXT,
[date] TEXT,
[year] TEXT,
[month] TEXT,
[party] TEXT,
[chamber] TEXT,
[state] TEXT,
[member_name] TEXT,
[bioguide_id] TEXT,
[domain] TEXT,
[scraper] TEXT,
[source] TEXT,
[date_source] TEXT,
[text] TEXT,
[has_text] INTEGER,
[collected_at] TEXT,
[updated_at] TEXT
);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_date]
ON [releases] ([date]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_year]
ON [releases] ([year]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_party]
ON [releases] ([party]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_chamber]
ON [releases] ([chamber]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_state]
ON [releases] ([state]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_bioguide_id]
ON [releases] ([bioguide_id]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_has_text]
ON [releases] ([has_text]);