“It really is just to try and exchange ideas, get people talking and figure out ways we can best move our shared policy goals forward as well as keeping an eye on making sure that what our state government is spending money on are those critical services,” said Rep. Tex Fischer from Mahoning County, chair of the new caucus.
While that effort is underway, other Ohioans might be wondering what happened to the idea of a DOGE dividend check — although it’s not ruled out as a possibility, don’t expect it to hit your bank account anytime soon.
Here’s what’s impacting the Dayton region:
Local project funding at risk: Ohio Republicans helped approve a six-month government funding bill in the U.S. House this week. But the plan denied federal funding for a variety of local projects: $3.5 million to help build a new Interstate 75 exit at Millikin Road in Liberty Twp., $3 million for work on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, $2.25 million for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Unit, and $750,000 for a childcare center in West Dayton, among other projects in the region.
WPAFB: As of Friday afternoon, Congress did not pass the annual appropriations bills designed to fund the government, so representatives resorted to passing short-term extensions instead. The U.S. House passed a continuing resolution this week that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September — but Dayton development leaders cautioned that continuing resolutions can prolong the start of projects planned for the region’s military base.
Federal employment in Dayton: The impact of recent federal job cuts is impossible to miss in the Midwest, with our part of the nation seeing a 61% increase in job cuts from 25,722 in 2024 to 41,506 in 2025. The largest increase happened here in Ohio, jumping from 3,651 to 22,592 — that’s a 519% increase, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Roughly 83,500 workers in Ohio were employed by the federal government at the end of 2024.
DEI: The Air Force Research Laboratory, housed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, paused a “low dollar-value product contract” specifically related to DEI activities, but wouldn’t tell a Dayton Daily News reporter what company was impacted. That contract pause complied with one of Trump’s executive orders signed in January.
USDA: The USDA this month notified states that it did not plan to carry out a second round of funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, but funds for existing contracts nationwide aren’t frozen. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks said it worked with roughly 170 food aggregators during the program’s three-year span. This produced 4.6 million pounds of food statewide, and food bank network leaders aren’t sure if they can replace that.
Stimulus checks? The Trump administration last month said it was considering a plan to use 20% of the $2 trillion goal in federal government savings to fund payments, or DOGE dividends, to taxpayers. Another 20% of savings would go toward paying down the national debt. A DOGE stimulus would need to be approved by Congress, and there’s no indication that is coming before our federal representatives anytime soon.
Ohio DOGE: The new Ohio House Republican DOGE caucus members say their efforts will produce government efficiency. One issue on the table for the Ohio GOP DOGE could be property tax reform.
Other federal updates:
A St. Patrick’s Day visit: A few weeks following a heated meeting with Ukraine’s president, Trump was greeted this week by Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin for the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House. During the appearance with Martin, Trump repeated his claim that the European Union was created just to take advantage of the U.S.
Education Department layoffs: Among a total of more than 1,300 layoffs announced this week at the Department of Education were roughly 240 in the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families nationwide.
Housing programs slashed: As cuts and funding freezes continue at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Trump administration is halting a $1 billion program that helps preserve affordable housing. The program awarded the money to projects that would upgrade at least 25,000 affordable units across the country, and details of how it will be phased out aren’t clear.
Hold off on the Champagne: The trade war continued this week with Trump on Thursday threatening a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a 50% tariff on American whiskey. Wine sellers and importers say a tariff of that size would essentially shut down the European wine business in the States.
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