Husted noted that it will be the first time in 15 years that an Ohio senator has served on that government spending panel.
“We haven’t had anyone from Ohio since George Voinovich on Appropriations,” added Husted. “And the fact that I got here, I got on it in my first two years is great for Ohio.”
In his first year in office, Husted quickly learned the ropes of how to get money back to Ohio, winning 17 budget earmarks in the various government funding bills approved for 2026.
Those plans included everything from a nanoscience lab at the University of Dayton to a manufacturing education center at Sinclair Community College, plus a variety of other programs sprinkled around the state.
Now that Husted is on the Appropriations Committee, it could give Ohio lawmakers an edge in getting their local projects included in government funding bills.
“I learned a long time ago, if you really want to understand government, you have to understand how government spends its money, and playing a role in that is very important,” the Husted said.
The seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee became available because of changes in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
The spot came open after U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, was confirmed to the post of Secretary of Homeland Security.
Mullin was approved by the Senate on Monday night and sworn in by Trump on Tuesday afternoon.
Husted arrives on the panel just as the Appropriations Committee is trying to forge a deal to end a funding impasse at the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to a shutdown since February 14.
“There are 12 appropriation bills that need to be passed; we’ve passed 11 of them. The last one is DHS,” Husted said.
The appointment also comes as Senate Republicans have seemingly been trying to give Husted more attention this election year, as former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown hopes to win the Democratic primary and challenge Husted in November.
Brown earlier this month took a swing at Husted over federal spending on the war in Iran.
“After just one week, Washington has sent over $11 billion to fight another war while Ohioans are struggling here at home,” said Brown. “Ohioans are seeing soaring gas and diesel prices, families can’t afford their health care, and farm bankruptcies are up 46%. Ohioans simply can’t afford another endless conflict in the Middle East.”
Last week, Husted took the lead on an effort to pin down Democrats on the issue of using photo ID at the polls on Election Day.
“It’s possible to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Husted said on the Senate floor, as Democrats blocked his efforts to approve the photo ID plan, which has been part of a broader debate on a GOP elections bill backed by President Trump.
Husted is not the only member of the Ohio delegation who gets to deal with spending matters. Across the Capitol, one lawmaker from each party is on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Joyce, a northeast Ohio Republican, and Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo.
“We’ll focus on trying to be a good steward of the taxpayer funds,” Husted said.
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