WASHINGTON D.C. - Ohio lawmakers are reacting to the omnibus spending bill that was agreed upon Sunday night to avert a government shutdown.
Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown touted $300 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
“Winning full funding for this bipartisan initiative is a victory for Lake Erie, the Great Lakes and Ohio. Lake Erie is critical to Ohio for tourism, for our fishing industry, and for the drinking water of three million Ohioans,” Portman said. “The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been an effective public-private program protecting the Lake from threats like harmful algae and invasive species like Asian carp. When the Obama Administration tried to cut funding for this program, I fought that proposal at every turn until we fully funded it each year and then we extended the program for five years. I will continue to work with my bipartisan colleagues to protect this program in the future.”
Sen. Brown also announced more than $160 million in funding to combat the opioid crisis in states like Ohio that have been hardest hit by the epidemic. The bill fully funds the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act that was proposed by Sen. Portman.
“As individuals, families and communities across the country continue to be devastated by the opioid epidemic, I’m glad to see more federal resources for individuals and families to get the treatment they need and for law enforcement to combat the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities,” said Brown. “Stemming the tide of the opioid epidemic in Ohio will require the cooperation of federal, state, and local partners, and we know there is more work to be done. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to make sure local communities have the resources they need as we work to tackle the opioid epidemic in Ohio.”