Cirino, Stewart Blast Amy Acton's Billions in New Spending

COLUMBUS, OH — In a recent video posted on X, Democrat candidate for governor, Amy Acton, announced a series of big-government proposals that could create at least $21 billion in new state spending in the first year – a 45 percent hike.

Ohio has roughly $30 billion in annual General Revenue Fund receipts—with roughly $9.8 billion projected to come from Ohio’s personal income tax in Fiscal Year 2027—so between a medical debt bailout, expanding childcare subsidies, restoring the Local Government Fund, and increasing public education spending, Acton would need to double the state income tax on working Ohioans to pay for these pie-in-the-sky proposals.

Today, Ohio House Finance Committee Chairman Brian Stewart and Ohio Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jerry Cirino condemned Acton’s irresponsible proposals.

“Apparently, Amy Acton either does not know – or does not care – that the Ohio Constitution requires us to have a balanced budget every year. Ohio taxpayers do not want to be on the hook for her unaffordable spending spree. Her absurd ‘plan’ is the latest example of how unfit for office she truly is,” said Chairman Stewart.

Chairman Cirino added, “This is more irresponsible fiscal policy from Democrats that Ohio taxpayers simply cannot afford. It’s beyond reckless. After months of attacking conservatives while failing to offer any policy proposals of her own, Amy Acton has made clear that her agenda means higher taxes, bigger government, and greater burdens on working families. Period.”

According to preliminary estimates, Acton’s proposals could add billions in new costs to state government:

• Medical Debt Bailout: $15.1 billion, with ongoing costs unclear
• New Childcare Subsidies: $5.6 billion in new annual spending
• Restoring the Local Government Fund: $597 million in new annual spending
• Public Education Increases: Likely billions in additional annual spending

Additionally, Acton has yet to say how she would fund the property tax relief she’s promising while pursuing this major expansion in state spending.

Liberal Amy Acton’s numbers simply don’t add up, and now Ohioans can track her big-government spending proposals at CantAffordAmyActon.com.

• Medical Debt Bailout: The national average amount of medical debt in 2021 was reported at $18,660, and an estimated 810,000 Ohioans have medical debt. Assuming the average Ohioan with medical debt has a comparable average as the average American, that would be $15.1 billion of debt Acton is proposing to erase, with unknown ongoing costs to taxpayers and no solutions to actually get the cost of healthcare under control.
• Childcare Subsidies: In her post, Acton cites a cost of childcare of $25,000 for two kids, but that’s likely low. CNBC reports that childcare in Ohio ranges from $13,000 to $17,000 per child. Assuming the lower estimate, there are up to 520,000 Ohio households with a child under six years old, so even if each household only has one child, that is $6.76 billion in new spending. Additionally, Acton’s proposal ignores the childcare workforce shortage, which complicates implementation and potentially adds additional costs to her plan. Because Ohio currently spends $1.1 billion on childcare through the Department of Children and Youth, that total is subtracted from $6.76 billion to reach an estimated total cost of $5.6 billion per year in new spending.
• Local Government Fund Restoration: Acton claims Ohio is “not funding the local funds anymore.” The estimate assumes she is referring to the Local Government Fund (LGF), which was reduced from 3.68%, now at a rate of 1.75% (increased in this latest budget). The LGF is due to cost $541.2 million in Fiscal Year 2027 at the new 1.75% rate. If it is “restored” to 3.68%, this would cost an additional $597 million per year.
• K-12 Education: As is typical for Acton’s campaign, she does not clearly explain her education proposal, so it’s difficult to know just how much this could cost taxpayers. Delivering meaningful property tax relief while fully funding public education would cost billions of dollars. For every $1 of relief, ~$0.67 would be needed to offset education alone.

These proposals would dramatically expand government and heap new costs on Ohio taxpayers. Simply put, Ohioans can’t afford Amy Acton.

Visit CantAffordAmyActon.com to learn more.