Jon Husted claimed Elon Musk was helping Ohioans and supported DOGE spending cuts. However, DOGE cuts harmed Ohioans while Husted stood by in support. DOGE cuts hurt farmers whose produce was used to feed schoolchildren and local food banks. DOGE cut funding for programs in Ohio, such as the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center program that helped thousands of teenagers. DOGE also initially cut funding for Cleveland’s Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research, revoking $112,500 that would have gone toward fighting housing discrimination. Now Jon, does that sound like helping Ohioans?
Husted Claimed That DOGE Was Working To Save Money For Ohio Taxpayers. According to Cleveland.com, “Moreno did not respond to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Thursday, but Husted showed support for the spending cuts. ‘DOGE is diligently working to save money for Ohio taxpayer,’ he said in a written statement. ‘If its reform efforts lead to unintended consequences, I expect that the president’s team will strive to resolve them quickly. I’ve also heard from Ohioans who are grateful to see Washington finally keeping its promise to end the federal waste, fraud, and abuse that are weighing down our economy.’” [Cleveland.com, 2/21/25]
[AUDIO] Husted Claimed that DOGE Allowed For Savings. “The Democrats say it's cutting taxes for the rich. It's like, no, that's not what it's doing. It's preserving tax cuts for businesses and working families. And oh, by the way, Jack, something that is really important to me. It's also restoring some fiscal sanity to the Biden spending spree that went on over the last couple of years. We have $36 trillion in national debt. And it can't be just about tax cuts and it can't be just about spending. It has to be about how we're going to manage all of this and get the savings from things like what DOGE has done. Identify the things that really need to come out of the budget, focus on that so that we can preserve Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, the things that people who are most vulnerable need. You do it smart. You get the savings. You grow the economy and then everybody can win.” [Windsor Report, 4/11/25]
[AUDIO] Husted Met With Elon Musk To Discuss DOGE Cuts. “So I had a chance to meet with Elon Musk twice in the last week, and it's been fascinating to hear him talk about this. Yes, there are. Billions of dollars that have gone out the door for crazy things globally at USAID. On transgender. You know this and did that. And it's just in foreign nations. Look, I think that people when people think of USAID, it's like, sure, provide food for. For places where they may be experiencing starvation and famine that that they can see. But these politically charged crazy things that we wouldn't even want to see funded in our country, having them funded overseas just makes no sense. And and DOJ's exposing that at U.S. EPA, really taking billions and trying to turn it into some political activist Asian entity, these NGOs, crazy expenditure of money.” [President’s Podcast, 3/7/25]
WCMH: DOGE Cuts Hitting Ohio Farmers, Food Banks [WCMH, 3/18/25]
Through DOGE, USDA Cut Programs Meant To Help Schools And Food Banks Buy Food Directly From Local Farms, Ranchers And Producers. According to WCMH, “The USDA is cutting two federal programs that provided about $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms, ranchers and producers. […] The move cuts about $420 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, a program that helped feed hungry people with high-quality Ohio-grown products.” [WCMH, 3/18/25]
Signal Ohio: DOGE Cut Off Small Town America’s 250th Birthday Money [Signal Ohio, 7/1/26]
DOGE Cut Funding For The Ohio Humanities Council Who Was Seeking To Provide Funding To Local Groups To Celebrate America’s 250. According to Signal Ohio, “Ohio Humanities, the council that distributes federal small-dollar grants to the states’ local historical societies and community groups, was just embarking on funding history projects for the 250th when DOGE axed its funding last year. So too were the humanities councils in West Virginia, Alabama and Washington state, the leaders of all three told NOTUS. In nearly every state and territory across the country, the official humanities nonprofits created by a congressional mandate to help make history and literature accessible to all Americans had to give up their anniversary planning when DOGE pulled their federal funding, according to people involved with the councils at both the federal and state level.” [Signal Ohio, 7/1/26]
DOGE Cut A $175,000 Grant For The Contemporary Arts Center In Cincinnati. According to WCPO, “Christina Vassallo, executive director of the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in downtown, expressed her concerns about the adverse impacts of DOGE on their operations. ‘DOGE has absolutely negatively impacted our work here,’ Vassallo said. She highlighted the loss of a critical three-year grant that totaled $175,000. It came from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and was meant to enhance CAC’s teen programming. She said the center had a rich history of serving over 3,000 teens annually, with goals to reach 5,000 in the upcoming year before the funding cuts.” [WCPO, 5/30/25]
Cleveland-Based Fair Housing Nonprofit Sued DOGE And The Federal Government Over Abrupt Cuts To HUD Grants. According to Cleveland.com, "A Cleveland-based fair housing nonprofit is one of four organizations suing the federal government after its grant funding was abruptly shut off last month in what it describes as an ‘unlawful’ action by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research, along with three similar nonprofits in Massachusetts, Idaho and Texas, are asking a U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts to immediately restore their funding. The lawsuit was filed Thursday against the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The group is seeking class-action status, as dozens of other fair housing nonprofits were also affected by the funding cuts that were announced Feb. 27 . Such organizations use grant money from HUD to fight housing discrimination and enforce the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in communities across the U.S. The Cleveland organization -- and many others, including one based in Painesville that serves Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties -- received a letter from HUD on Feb. 27 notifying them that their funding had been revoked at DOGE’s direction. In total, 78 HUD grants flowing to 33 fair housing organizations were terminated, with many of the grants accounting for a substantial amount of the nonprofits' budgets, according to a 36-page filing." [Cleveland.com, 3/17/25]
Jon Husted Accepted $106,000 From Elon Musk For His Senate Campaign. According to The Hill, “Tech mogul Elon Musk’s super PAC has spent around $800,000 in top House and Senate races this cycle, according to the latest filings[...] The group spent around $170,000 in Maine, boosting incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) against Democrat Troy Jackson — and $106,000 in Ohio, where incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R) faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D).” [The Hill, 9/3/26]