Senator Brown - Weekly Update: Central Ohio

1. Connecting Central Ohio Small Businesses with Important Online Tools to Grow, Create Jobs
2. Championing Marion’s Nucor Plant Expansion
3. Hearing from Central Ohio Workers on Fixing Unfair Trade Practices
4. Honoring the Legacy of Rabbi Abraham Heschel at Columbus Interfaith Event
5. Sponsoring Franklin County Student to Serve as Senate Page 
6. Sen. Brown’s Office is Here to Serve You

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Connecting Central Ohio Small Businesses with Important Online Tools to Grow, Create Jobs

Sen. Brown speaks to the audience of a small business workshop co-hosted by Facebook and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

With so much commerce taking place online these days, it’s critical we give Ohio small businesses the tools they need to compete. In June, Sen. Brown kicked off a small business workshop in Columbus, co-hosted by Facebook and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The workshop connected small businesses in central Ohio with important tools to build their online presence in order to grow their business and create jobs. Sen. Brown talked with Columbus Chamber President Don DePerro about the importance of small businesses in a Facebook Live discussion and provided opening remarks at the event. A Facebook small business expert discussed resources available to small businesses to boost business by using technology to connect to customers. Workshop participants also heard from a panel of local small businesses and had the opportunity to meet with other central Ohio small businesses. By connecting Ohio entrepreneurs with Facebook experts, we can help Ohio businesses grow and continue to create jobs.

Championing Marion’s Nucor Plant Expansion

“I have no doubt the steelworkers at Nucor Marion are the reason Nucor Corporation made this significant investment,” said Sen. Brown.

Ohio steelworkers are the best at what they do, turning out tons of steel each year to support a number of industries and Ohio’s economy. In March, Sen. Brown applauded news that Nucor Corporation will invest $85 million in Nucor Steel Marion’s steel bar mill. The mill recently celebrated its 100th year of making steel and is the largest producer of rebar and signpost in Ohio. Sen. Brown has long championed stronger trade enforcement and met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to discuss how Sen. Brown can work with the Commerce Department and President Trump to aggressively enforce trade law and boost Ohio’s steel industry. Sen. Brown secured a commitment from Secretary Ross to visit Ohio and see the impact of failed trade policy on Ohio workers firsthand. Sen. Brown’s legislation, the Leveling the Playing Field Act, cosponsored by Sen. Portman, led to key wins for Ohio steel companies, including Nucor, in major trade cases last year on cold-rolled, hot-rolled, and corrosion-resistant steel.

Hearing from Central Ohio Workers on Fixing Unfair Trade Practices

Sen. Brown talks with central Ohio workers about how to fix broken trade policies.

In May, Sen. Brown convened a roundtable with central Ohio workers at the Carpenters and Joiners Local 200 Union Hall in Columbus to hear from Ohio workers about trade practices that have harmed workers. Sen. Brown sought feedback as he looks to work with President Trump to rewrite U.S. trade policy. Immediately after President Trump’s election, Sen. Brown reached out to President Trump’s transition team to offer his help on retooling U.S. trade policy. Sen. Brown held a series of roundtables with Ohio workers this spring to get their input on what the priorities should be for renegotiated trade deals. Sen. Brown is ready to work with President Trump to deliver on his promises, or to hold him accountable if he doesn’t.

Honoring the Legacy of Rabbi Abraham Heschel at Columbus Interfaith Event

Sen. Brown speaks at an interfaith event honoring Rabbi Abraham Heschel, a civil rights activist who worked closely with Dr. King.

After fleeing persecution, Rabbi Abraham Heschel took it upon himself to courageously speak out for social justice, civil rights, and tolerance for people of all races and religions. In May, Sen. Brown spoke at an interfaith event honoring the legacy of Rabbi Heschel, a social activist who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other prominent civil rights activists. During his speech, Sen. Brown announced his intention to work with colleagues in Congress to introduce legislation to award Rabbi Heschel the Congressional Gold Medal. Last year, Sen. Brown led a group of bipartisan senators in urging President Obama to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rabbi Heschel for his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, his leadership on interfaith dialogue, his theological scholarship, and his role as a public intellectual. Rabbi Heschel’s uncompromising social activism continues to serve as a model for us today, and awarding Rabbi Heschel the Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting honor for his important legacy.

Sponsoring Franklin County Student to Serve as Senate Page

In May, Sen. Brown announced that Sydney Ward, a Canal Winchester resident and a junior at Eastmoor Academy High School, was selected to be a Capitol Hill page. Pages have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and see their government in action with responsibilities ranging from delivering correspondence to senators to helping prepare the floor for the legislative workday. Dating back to the 19th Century, the Senate Page Program has developed into one of the nation’s most rewarding public service programs for students. Interested students can find more information on the page program by contacting Sen. Brown’s office.

Sen. Brown’s Office is Here to Serve You

Sen. Brown is committed to helping Ohio constituents

Sen. Brown is committed to assisting Ohioans who have encountered difficulties with federal matters. Ohioans can call Sen. Brown’s state offices and work directly with a constituent services representative to obtain information or resolve an issue they are having with a federal agency. Common areas of inquiry include: Social Security and Medicare benefits, veterans’ benefits, military service issues, passport or visa problems, housing matters, IRS issues, and more.

For example, a central Ohio constituent contacted Sen. Brown’s office seeking her father’s military records and medals. Sen. Brown’s office contacted the National Personnel Records Center on her father’s behalf. While the original records were destroyed in a fire, the agency reconstructed the father’s information and was able to secure six medals and awards for the constituent.

Central Ohioans can contact Sen. Brown’s office by calling (614) 469-2083.

This spring, I hosted a series of roundtable conversations around the state on topics ranging from healthcare to job creation. While these roundtables produced lots of good discussions, two topics stood out: combating the opioid epidemic and growing local jobs.

First, we know that the opioid addiction epidemic takes far too many lives and destroys too many families across Ohio.

One of the biggest culprits of the deadly overdoses on the rise in our state is the drug fentanyl. To prevent the flow of this deadly illegal drug into the country and into our Ohio communities, I have joined senators from both parties to introduce the bipartisan INTERDICT Act.

The INTERDICT Act will provide more resources directly to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), so that agents can scan shipments for fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic substances at the border, and stop these drugs from making it into our neighborhoods. Senator Portman is supporting this legislation, and I’m supporting Senator Portman’s STOP Act, which would work with my bill to keep fentanyl out of Ohio. Both bills have been endorsed by law enforcement.

In every community I visit, when the opioid crisis comes up, heads start to nod and eyes start to well up. I don’t think there is a community in Ohio that hasn’t been affected by opioid addiction.

While we work to provide the necessary resources for Ohio communities to combat the opioid epidemic, at the same time we must also work to strengthen local economies.

I’ve held roundtables with workers across Ohio to get their input and hear what future trade policy should look like. Using input from these roundtables, I sent a letter to President Trump outlining a strategy for renegotiating NAFTA to secure the best deal for Ohio workers. The plan has four key parts, including new strategies that the U.S. hasn’t used in past trade deal negotiations.

American jobs shouldn’t be up for negotiation, and American workers can’t be traded away as bargaining chips. By setting high standards, putting workers ahead of corporations, and refusing to compromise on outsourcing, we can create the best possible deal for all American workers.

One of my most important jobs as your senator is listening. The best ideas don’t come out of Washington – they come out of conversations and roundtables across Ohio. Hearing what you are seeing in your communities – what’s working, what’s not, what new issues come up – will be critical to how Congress moves forward from here.

Sincerely,



Sherrod Brown
United States Senator