Husted delivers for Ohioans during first year in office

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today released an end-of-year update highlighting key accomplishments from his first year in the Senate, including returning millions back to Ohioans and advancing legislation to make life easier and more affordable.

"When I took office, my goal was simple: deliver real results for Ohio families. I started on day one without staff, an office, a phone or even a pencil-but over the past year, my team and I have hit the ground running. From lowering costs and cutting red tape to returning millions of dollars to Ohioans, we've worked every day to make life better for the people we serve. I'm committed to continuing this work in the year ahead and look forward to what's next," said Husted.

View Husted's end-of-year statement here.

Husted had three bills signed into law in 2025:

• The bipartisan SMART OTC Act became law, which modernizes the FDA's process for giving more prescription drugs status as over-the-counter (OTC) options, making these medications cheaper for families across America.
• Husted's resolution that became law reversed a Biden-era energy regulation that forced unreasonable energy efficiency standards on an array of appliances that families and businesses use every day.
• The Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act was signed into law to protect Ohio's Great Lakes by renewing critical funding for scientific research that supports conservation efforts and ensures the long-term health of Ohio's lakes.

In addition, Husted supported the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which became law in July. The budget law lowers taxes for working Ohioans and their families. This legislation helps Ohioans keep more of what they earn, supports job creation and small businesses, strengthens border security and reinforces America's national defense by:

• Funding border security measures at the southern border and on Lake Erie.
  • This funding will help identify people illegally in America who have committed crimes, getting them off the streets and returned to their home countries.
• Helping Ohioans keep more of what they earn by preventing tax hikes that would cost the average American family of four earning $80,000 an extra $1,700 in federal taxes.
  • The average Ohio household would have owed an additional $2,140 in federal taxes if Republicans had not passed the budget law.
• Protecting 20% small business deduction. If Democrats had succeeded in blocking this budget law, 842,000 Ohio small businesses would have lost their small business tax deduction.
• Supporting Ohio families and vulnerable children by making the adoption tax credit partially refundable up to $5,000.
• Including no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime pay.

Husted secured Ohio-specific funding wins, which were signed into law:

• Through the November government funding package, Husted secured:
  • $30 million to begin construction of the Human Performance Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
  • $1 million for a rural facility in Coshocton to improve the community's and visitors' health.
  • $999,000 for a lab modernization for Holzer Health System in Gallipolis.
• In the National Defense Authorization Act, Husted secured $60 million for critical Ohio military construction and infrastructure projects across the state.

Husted help secure funding for Ohio's rural hospitals:

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will award the State of Ohio more than $202 million for Fiscal Year 2026 as part of the Rural Health Transformation Fund.
• The Rural Health Transformation Fund was created by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act passed by Congress earlier this year and signed into law by the president on July 4, 2025.
• Husted fought aggressively for the creation of the fund to support Ohio's network of rural hospitals. Continued funding for Ohio under this program will provide more than $1 billion over the next five years to support rural health care access in the state.

Husted remained in regular communication with Ohioans throughout the year by:

• Hosting seven telephone town halls, reaching out to more than 1 million Ohioans to hear about various issues important to them.
• Holding more than 400 face-to-face meetings with constituents.
• Sending more than 400,000 pieces of mail to Ohioans who reached out with questions or concerns.

Husted returns money to Ohioans:

• Since taking office in January, Husted has returned more than $4.5 million to Ohioans through constituent casework, helping families and individuals resolve issues with federal agencies and recover funds.