congress Tim Ryan Contact information

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A lifelong Ohioan who lives just a few miles from the house where he grew up in Niles, Tim has spent his career fighting for Ohio workers. He’s seen in his own community what happens when our politics and our economy aren’t working for working people. And he understands that there’s nothing more patriotic than investing in our team, bringing good-paying jobs to Ohio, and making sure our workers can compete with countries around the world — and win.

In Congress, Tim has fought for working families in his district and across the country — opposing unfair trade deals that would ship jobs overseas, pushing to raise wages, and working to protect the promise of a secure retirement by strengthening Medicare and Social Security.

He has taken on the challenges facing Ohio communities, working across the aisle to combat the opioid crisis, and investing in clean water infrastructure for Lake Erie. He’s also worked hand-in-hand with businesses to revitalize American manufacturing and bring good-paying jobs and opportunities home to Ohio.

In the Senate, Tim will fight to raise wages, make healthcare more affordable, invest in education, rebuild our public infrastructure, and revitalize manufacturing so we can make things in Ohio again — and he’ll make sure we’re cutting workers in on the deal every step of the way.

Tim currently lives in Howland with his wife Andrea, their three children, and two dogs.

CUTTING WORKERS IN ON THE DEAL

The most valuable asset the United States has ever had was a thriving middle class. But today, after decades of disinvestment, unfair trade and outsourcing, and policies that have boosted the wealthiest and the biggest corporations at the expense of working people, Ohioans are working harder than ever before, doing everything right, and still falling further behind. Tim has spent his career fighting for working people, no matter their race or gender, and he’ll continue to fight in the Senate—beginning with passing the PRO Act, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding access to high-quality and affordable child care, and protecting the promise of a dignified retirement.

After seeing the devastating impacts of NAFTA on Northeast Ohio, Tim has consistently taken on both parties to oppose harmful trade policies that allow companies to ship Ohio jobs overseas and hollow out Ohio communities. He was an outspoken opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, voted against unfair trade deals introduced by Democrats and Republicans alike, and prior to the passage of USMCA, was a leading voice to renegotiate NAFTA to level the playing field for Ohio workers. Tim has also consistently called out China and other bad actors for illegal practices like currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, and corporate subsidies, and he will keep fighting to crack down on those who break the law to undercut Ohio workers and businesses.

Tim recognizes that a full economic recovery will require everyone at the table—including both businesses and workers—working together to reinvest into our people and communities. That’s why he’s consistently worked to bring businesses and investment to Ohio, to help small businesses keep their doors open during the pandemic, and to cut taxes for businesses that do right by their workers by providing paid leave and other critical benefits.

We can’t tilt the balance of power back to working people unless we’re cutting all workers in on the deal, which is why Tim will keep working to close the gender and racial pay gaps that have left working women and Black and Brown workers behind, to expand access to credit and capital for minority-owned businesses, and reinvest into communities across Ohio that have been left behind for too long.

REBUILDING OUR COUNTRY AND REVITALIZING MANUFACTURING

Ohio workers dominated the last industrial age—steel in Youngstown, rubber in Akron, glass in Toledo, as well as entire supply chains for the automotive and aerospace industries. Now, we have a chance to do it all over again with the industries of the future—whether it’s wind turbines and solar panels, semiconductors, or charging stations for electric vehicles. Tim is working to ensure that Ohio can once more compete and win by making bold investments into our infrastructure and revitalizing manufacturing to meet the needs of the 21st-century economy—beginning with efforts to fix our supply chain and bring down costs for Ohioans while creating thousands of good paying jobs for our communities

Tim believes we need a robust infrastructure bill that will put thousands of Ohioans to work rebuilding our roads and bridges, and connect Ohioans in our cities and rural areas to affordable, high-speed internet so we can compete around the world. At the heart of the infrastructure plan is Tim’s bipartisan Build America, Buy America legislation that he’s introduced alongside Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to make sure that any taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects use American-made materials.

Ohio workers have always led the nation and the world in making things. Tim will continue to honor that history by pushing to invest in skills training and apprenticeships, R&D, and emerging industries so Ohio can remain a manufacturing powerhouse.

INVESTING IN AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OHIOANS

In the richest country on Earth, it is unacceptable that anyone should go broke because they had to go to the hospital or pay for a prescription. Tim is committed to bringing down health care costs and giving Ohioans more options for how they get the care they need. He also knows we must invest into rural health care and find new ways to attract health care workers to underserved and rural areas so every Ohioan can get high-quality, affordable care without having to travel far from home.

Tim supports expanding Medicare by lowering the eligibility age to 60, and allowing people to buy into the program at 50, along with creating a public option that will increase competition and bring down costs. He also supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, which would keep more money in Ohioans’ pockets while also saving hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars and helping sustain Medicare for generations to come.

Every Ohioan should be able to get the care that’s right for them. Tim proudly supports the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which would invest in research and training to end the Black maternal mortality crisis. He’ll always fight back against dangerous efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and efforts to do away with the right to a safe abortion or otherwise deny families the ability to make important decisions about their reproductive care.

Finally, Tim has long been an outspoken advocate for the Ohioans impacted by the opioid epidemic. It is heartbreaking and unacceptable that we are losing over 100,000 Americans to overdoses annually, which is why Tim has worked across party lines to advocate for an approach to this emergency that combines treatment, law enforcement, and prevention. He was the lead Democratic sponsor of the landmark bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and is now working to build on it by passing CARA 3.0. Tim has worked across the aisle to increase funding and training for law enforcement to detect and prevent the spread of opioids and strengthen border security to stop the flow of deadly drugs from China and Mexico. He’s secured hundreds of millions of dollars for substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services in Ohio and will continue working to invest in research and monitoring on fentanyl, and establish more effective ways to treat substance use disorder.

GIVING SENIORS A PAY RAISE

For nearly a century, the promise in this country has been simple: anyone working hard has the right to a dignified retirement. Tim has always fought back against dangerous efforts to cut and privatize Social Security and Medicare that would directly harm older Ohioans, as well as surviving spouses and Ohioans with disabilities.

Instead, he’s working to give a pay raise to seniors and other beneficiaries of these critical benefits. In Congress, he has supported legislation that would put more money in seniors’ pockets by increasing benefits, cutting taxes, and ensuring that Social Security keeps up with the rising cost of living so that no one who has spent a lifetime working hard has to retire into poverty—all of which we can do by raising workers’ wages so we’re investing more money into retirement, and by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.

Tim also supports strengthening and expanding Medicare by lowering the eligibility age to 60 and allowing people to buy in at 50, allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices—which would result in big savings for seniors and taxpayers—and expanding benefits to include vision, dental, and hearing coverage so older Ohioans can get the care they need.

Finally, Tim knows a pension is a promise. He’s fought to shore up multi-employer pension plans and successfully worked with Senator Sherrod Brown to pass the Butch Lewis Act, protecting the hard-earned pensions of more than 40,000 Ohio workers and retirees, and he’ll always fight to make sure that after years of hard work, our seniors are cut in on the deal.

DOMINATING THE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY AND PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

From Lake Erie to the hills of Appalachia, Ohio’s natural resources are a source of pride, part of our way of life, and an economic driver that we need to protect. Tim is focused on making sure that efforts to combat climate change and protect the health of every Ohioan translate into investments into our people and our communities, creating good-paying jobs and opportunities for Ohio workers to once again lead the country and the world—all while ensuring that we enjoy the benefits for generations to come.

With climate change already bringing more intense heat, flooding, and changes to growing seasons for our farmers—along with greater risk of heat death and more unsafe air quality days that disproportionately harm low-income communities and people of color—Tim recognizes that we can’t afford not to act. He’s pushed to pass a robust infrastructure plan that will put thousands of Ohioans to work modernizing our grid, going big on clean energy, and preparing for the challenges of the 21st century, all while using American-made materials.

There’s no reason we should be relying on wind turbines and solar panels made in China. Tim is fighting to cut Ohio workers in on the deal by revitalizing clean manufacturing here at home—so we can supply the world with American-made wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, and everything else we’ll need to power the clean energy economy.

Finally, Tim has worked with Democrats and Republicans to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and fought to clean up Ohio’s waterways—ensuring our state remains open for business, investing in safe drinking water for all Ohioans, and boosting Ohio’s outdoors economy for generations to come.

HONORING OHIO’S MILITARY COMMUNITY AND STRENGTHENING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY

Tim has always shown up for the veterans, service members, and military families who take on the unthinkable to keep us safe. In Congress, he has worked to cut servicemembers and their families in on the deal by raising pay, investing in new pathways to civilian life, and expanding and modernizing the support and care systems that serve our servicemembers and veterans. And in the Senate, he’ll continue to fight to honor those who have served and sacrificed for our country.

Tim is working to close the pay gap between National Guard members, reservists, and active duty servicemembers, and to increase pay and benefits for those who serve our country. He voted to extend GI Bill benefits to those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and helped pass the biggest military pay increase in years and the biggest increase in VA funding in history—all while continuing to push for health care resources that meet the needs of our veterans today, including new treatments for those struggling with PTSD, opioid use disorder, and chronic pain.

Tim also recognizes that one of the best ways of honoring our troops is by making sure they can get a good-paying job as they transition to civilian life, by expanding access to skills training and career opportunities, investing in programs like Helmets to Hardhats, and rewarding businesses that hire National Guard members, reservists, and veterans.

Tim understands that our defense needs and the challenges our military faces are constantly evolving. For instance, China is outpacing the United States in emerging technologies that give them a massive strategic advantage on the world stage. Tim is working to bring research dollars to Ohio to develop new defense technologies here, and to strengthen our defense industrial base so that instead of relying on foreign countries to supply our military, we can secure our supply chain and create good jobs in Ohio.

HELPING OUR STUDENTS WIN THE FUTURE

As a dad of three and the husband of a first-grade public school teacher, Tim knows firsthand what it’ll take to make sure all our kids can get a great education. That’s why he’s working to invest in high-quality affordable child care, universal pre-K, and two years of tuition-free community college for anyone who wants, along with bold investments to modernize our school buildings and give our teachers the resources they need. Our kids are entering a competitive and rapidly changing world, and we owe it to them and their parents to make sure they’re ready to take on any challenges the world throws at them. Tim is working to invest in programs to help kids build grit and resilience, expand access to healthy food in our schools, and teach entrepreneurship so the next generation can build the businesses of the future.

Tim recognizes that with other countries making huge investments into their workforce, we can’t afford not to give our team the skills to compete and win. He’s working to bring back and modernize shop class, and reinvest in skills development and registered apprenticeship programs because not having a college degree doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to get a good job and help Ohio dominate the future.

Finally, Tim and Andrea are still paying off student loans, and they understand the pressure that the student debt crisis has put on so many Americans. Which is why in addition to making it easier to go to community college, Tim supports expanding access to tuition-free college in exchange for public service, allowing student-borrowers to refinance their loans, and expanding loan forgiveness so that crushing debt isn’t holding Ohioans back from serving their community or pursuing the career that’s right for them.

CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR RURAL OHIO

As we get Ohio working again, Tim is committed to making sure our rural areas don’t get left behind any longer.

Tim is fighting to make big investments into our roads and bridges and affordable high-speed internet that will help connect our communities and make it easier to do business in rural Ohio — all while creating good-paying construction jobs for local workers and using American-made materials to do it. Ohio is home to the best workers in the world, and our rural communities have a critical role to play as we bring our supply chain home and revitalize manufacturing.

With the right leadership, our small towns and rural areas can continue to offer a great quality of life for all who live there, which is why Tim is pushing to put people to work rebuilding and modernizing our schools and building more affordable housing, helping rural Ohioans get the skills to find a good job, expanding access to affordable child care, and making sure Ohio’s rural hospitals have the resources they need to keep their doors open. In Congress, he’s worked to secure funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission, which provides critical resources to health care providers throughout eastern Ohio so that families can access the care they need without having to drive hours away. He also knows how hard the opioid epidemic has hit rural Ohio. He’s worked across party lines to expand rural mental health care for veterans and expand access to telehealth services for those struggling with substance use disorder, and will continue to fight for resources to address this devastating crisis.

Finally, Tim is proud to support the Ohio farmers who feed and fuel the world. He’s pushed to bring down input costs for farmers, inspire the next generation of Ohioans to pursue careers in agriculture, and is working to make sure that family farmers are able to pass their land on to the next generation. Tim also recognizes the critical role that farmers play in protecting our environment, which is why he has proudly cosponsored legislation to expand the use of low-carbon biofuels, and to partner with and reward farmers who employ conservation practices to improve soil quality and sequester carbon.

ENDING RACIAL DISPARITIES

Ohioans are ready to dominate the future, but we can’t do it unless every one of us is able to compete on an even playing field, and that begins with taking action to end the systemic racism that continues to play a role in every aspect of our lives—the schools our kids attend, which communities get funding for infrastructure and public services, whether we can get the health care we need, what jobs we have access to and how much money we earn, and how we’re treated in the eyes of the law.

Tim recognizes that for too long, Black and Brown communities across Ohio have been cut off from the resources they need to compete and thrive. He’s committed to ending disparities in access to resources to help businesses grow, investment into high-quality public education beginning with universal pre-K, and affordable health care from providers who understand their patients’ needs.

He’s committed to bringing people together to drive the conversation forward about how we build and restore trust between our police and the communities they are sworn to serve, and supported legislation to invest in training and expand accountability for law enforcement, including introducing a bipartisan immersive training bill that earned the support of both NAACP and law enforcement organizations. He’s also voted to ban the use of chokeholds, require training to end the use of racial profiling in policing, and create a National Police Misconduct Registry—all of which would increase accountability and ensure best practices and training.

Finally, Tim understands that one of the most fundamental ways to make our government work equally for all of us by ensuring that every Ohioan has access to the ballot box, a right that has too often come under attack here in Ohio through voter roll purges, attempts to cut down on early voting and ballot drop boxes in the midst of a pandemic, and gerrymandering that waters down the voices of Black voters. That’s why he is an original cosponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act and other critical legislation to shore up our democracy, and why he will always work to protect and strengthen Ohioans’ most fundamental right.

KEEPING OHIOANS SAFE

Every Ohioan should be able to go about their lives safely and free from the threat of violence.

As a dad of three and the husband of an elementary school teacher, Tim has fought to end the epidemic of gun violence that threatens communities across Ohio. In the wake of the 2019 Oregon District shooting in Dayton, Tim led a caravan of gun safety advocates to Mitch McConnell’s hometown to demand the Senate take up gun safety reform legislation, including commonsense proposals to expand background checks and keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and dangerous criminals.

Tim understands that local law enforcement needs resources to protect the communities they serve, and that police officers should earn a good wage and benefits that reflect the dangers they face every day, which is why he has brought back millions of dollars to help communities across Ohio recruit and train officers.

He also knows that public safety also means modernizing our policing to address the challenges of the 21st century—like making sure law enforcement has the resources to detect and stop the spread of opioids and synthetic drugs—and bringing folks to the table to address police brutality and systemic racism and restore trust between law enforcement and the people they’re sworn to serve and protect. Tim has worked across party lines to sponsor legislation to invest in immersive training for law enforcement to better respond to people experiencing mental health crises, and continues to support efforts to expand racial bias training and increase transparency and accountability in policing.

MODERNIZING OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

As the great-grandson of immigrants, Tim understands personally how new Americans’ contributions to our communities have shaped the fabric of our society. If we’re serious about honoring our heritage as a nation of immigrants, we need to set aside the scare tactics and work to modernize our broken system to keep families together—all while taking steps to grow our economy and keep Americans safe.

In Congress, Tim has worked to secure funding to make sure law enforcement agencies are adequately staffed, and invest in technology and resources to secure our border as effectively as possible to better keep out terrorists and criminals and prevent the spread of fentanyl and other deadly drugs.

He’s voted to reform our broken immigration system and spoke up against efforts to separate immigrant families and end protections for young people brought to the United States as children. Above all, Tim remains committed to working with anyone to make it easier to immigrate here legally, streamline and update our intake processes for refugees and asylum seekers, and establish a path to citizenship for the workers and small business owners who are already in the United States.

STRENGTHENING OUR DEMOCRACY

Tipping the balance of power back to working people in the United States will demand bold reforms to strengthen our democracy. Tim has long fought to get money out of politics and ensure that our government works on behalf of working people—not just corporations and the wealthy and well-connected.

He’s cosponsored and repeatedly voted for legislation that would roll back the Citizens United decision, require dark money groups to disclose their donors, and end the influence of corporate special interests on our elections.

And while Ohioans speak out against partisan gerrymanders that dilute the voice of communities of color and voting restrictions that keep people of color, people with disabilities, working-class people, students, veterans, and seniors from the ballot box, Tim is pushing to pass critical legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act—and calling on the Senate to abolish the filibuster in order to get the job done.

PROTECTING REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

Every Ohioan should be able to access the health care that’s right for them, and that includes protecting the right to safe, legal abortion. As the state legislature and local governments around Ohio push dangerous proposals to ban abortion without exception for rape or incest, and to punish people for helping those seeking urgently-needed care, Tim is working to protect reproductive freedom for all Ohioans.

Tim is a proud cosponsor and recently voted to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade. He has voted against efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and other health care providers, and opposes efforts to restrict access to health care coverage for reproductive care. Finally, Tim recognizes that the greatest threat to reproductive rights in the United States today comes from efforts to throw out decades of legal precedent and overturn Roe. In the Senate, he will study judicial nominees’ records and past statements on reproductive rights, and oppose the confirmation of those who will not protect this critical right.

STANDING WITH LGBTQ+ OHIOANS

All Ohioans should be able to live their lives safely, with dignity, and free from discrimination or fear. Tim is a proud cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would strengthen legal protections for LGBTQ+ Ohioans and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, employment, health care, and more.

Tim is committed to making sure LGBTQ+ youth can grow, learn, and thrive in a safe environment, which is why he’s supported legislation to end harmful practices like conversion therapy, and combat bullying and harassment in schools and on college campuses.

Tim recognizes the courage and sacrifice it takes to step up and serve our country, and he’s working to ensure that LGBTQ+ Americans who serve are able to do so, and to be treated equally and with respect. He voted to end the ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, and is working to make sure LGBTQ+ veterans can get the health care they need by working across the aisle to establish a Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Veterans within the VA.

Finally, he recognizes the critical role that the judiciary plays in safeguarding the rights of all Ohioans. As Senator, he will carefully consider every judicial nominee’s record and positions when it comes to ensuring that our LGBTQ+ friends and loved ones enjoy equal protections under the law.