With less than two months until Election Day, we can expect to hear a lot of attacks and name-calling leveled at candidates on the ballot in November. But one thing Ohioans can know for sure is that they have a true champion in U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Sen. Brown always does what is best for working families in Appalachia and all across our state, and he’ll work with Democrats and Republicans alike to do it. That’s what we need from our elected officials — someone who will work with the president when he’s right, but someone who is not afraid to stand up to the president when he’s wrong.

When Barack Obama was in office, Sen. Brown spoke out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and opposed trade deals with Panama, Colombia and South Korea that would ship good Ohio jobs overseas.

After President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Sen. Brown sent him a letter detailing ways they could work together on fair trade agreements to level the playing field for our workers. Since then, Sen. Brown has worked closely with President Trump, our U.S. Trade Representative and fellow Ohioan Bob Lighthizer, and the administration. He’s proud to play a critical role in ensuring we have trade policies that protect American manufacturing and put workers first.

As communities in Appalachia and across our state struggle with the devastating impact of an opioid epidemic that claims 11 lives per day in Ohio, Sen. Brown is reaching across the aisle to find solutions to address it.

His INTERDICT Act, which President Trump signed into law this spring, gives law enforcement the tools they need to stop opioids from entering the country and poisoning our communities. Sen. Brown’s bipartisan bill to support grandparents raising children in light of the epidemic, something we see all too often in our communities, also became law in June.

Sen. Brown also has a strong partnership with his Republican counterpart Rob Portman. They’ve successfully worked together to secure funding for critical programs in Ohio that are providing much-needed treatment and support for those suffering from addiction.

When President Trump’s budget proposed completely eliminating funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission, a resource our communities rely on for economic development in the region, Sens. Brown and Portman fought back. They urged the White House to reconsider the proposed cuts and called on them to maintain funding.

One economic issue that many of us are concerned is the cost of healthcare, and Sen. Brown has fought to expand access to quality, affordable care for all Ohioans.

When the Trump administration and Washington Republicans tried to sabotage our healthcare system, Sen. Brown stood up for us. He worked to ensure the five million Ohioans with pre-existing conditions stay protected. And he knows how important Medicaid expansion has been in helping more than 700,000 Ohioans get healthcare, including those struggling  with addiction.

No matter who is in the White House or what is going on in Washington, we can count on Sherrod Brown to always fight for us. Appalachia can’t afford to lose him in the Senate.

 

Tanner Heaberlin is a teacher in Lawrence County. He previously served as a County Commissioner.