WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the past three weeks, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) visited communities across the state to hear from Ohioans and highlight key wins that he worked to secure with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; the PACT Act; and key wins in the 2023 Fiscal Year Spending Package.

During a stop in Cincinnati: Brown joined President Joe Biden, retired Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and other state and federal officials, at the Brent Spence Bridge to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded $1.635 billion to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to construct a new companion bridge to the Brent Spence Bridge. A majority of the funding announced, $1.385 billion, was made possible by Brown’s Bridge Investment Act. Brown first introduced the Bridge Investment Act in 2018, and it was included in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Brown helped write and pass.

Read what they’re saying about Brown’s stop in Cincinnati:

9, WCPO, Cincinnati: Roughly $1.6 billion secured for new Brent Spence Bridge construction

    ‘“After working on this for more than a decade, we are finally going to build a new Brent Spence Bridge,’ said Senator Sherrod Brown. ‘The infrastructure law is already making Ohio bridges safer – starting right here in Cincinnati – and I’m going to keep working to make sure Ohio gets its fair share – or more – of infrastructure funding.’”

During a stop in Cleveland: Brown and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the NASA Glenn Research Center and met with the Glenn leadership team as well as Ohio’s economic development leaders to discuss the state’s role in supporting NASA’s mission to explore the Moon and Mars. Brown and Nelson also toured Glenn's Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Lab. Brown secured critical funding for NASA Glenn in the 2023 Fiscal Year Spending Package.

Read what they’re saying about Brown’s stop in Cleveland:

Toledo Blade: NASA prepares for returning manned spaceflights to moon

    “Mr. Brown said he was 15 when former Ohio astronaut John Glenn spoke at his Eagle Scout dinner and recalled how he inspired him. He said that the science he’s seen inside NASA Glenn over the years has dazzled him.”

News 5 Cleveland: Top NASA officials talk future of Glenn Research Center

    “‘This is increasingly a jewel for Cleveland,’ Sen. Sherrod Brown said. ‘3,500 jobs here and we know those jobs lead to all kinds of other jobs and we know what that means.’”

3, WKYC, Cleveland: Sen. Sherrod Brown joins top administrators for tour of NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland

    ‘“We can all agree, there is no better place in the country to talk about new and emerging technologies – particularly for NASA and the future of aerospace – than Ohio,’ said Brown. ‘Cutting-edge technology is being developed at NASA Glenn and it’s in part possible because of both the funding secured in the 2023 Fiscal Year Spending Package and the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. Supporting job-creative innovation is what bipartisanship looks like.”’

    “According to Brown's office, NASA currently employs 3,500 people and indirectly supports more than 11,000 jobs in Ohio. NASA provides the state an economic benefit of $2.45 billion annually – $1.8 billion of that in Northeast Ohio. It is estimated that for every $1 of funding at NASA Glenn, $3 are created in the Ohio economy.”

Sandusky Register: Glenn, Armstrong played big role in Artemis mission

    “Here on Earth, spending at NASA Glenn supports 3,500 jobs. Additionally, it helps support nearly 11,000 jobs, Brown noted. Brown helped obtain hundreds of millions of dollars of funding for NASA Glenn and Armstrong in the budget passed late last year.”

Brown also joined the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA) to discuss “WRAAA Works!,” a new program that aims to help low-income older Ohioans better age in place and remain independent longer. Brown secured WRAAA’s request for more than $1.3 million in congressionally directed spending in the 2022 Fiscal Year government spending package. This funding will allow older Ohioans and individuals with disabilities in northeast Ohio to make changes to their homes to better meet their daily needs.

Crain's Cleveland Business: Aging agency unveils four new programs for seniors, supported by $3.4 million

    “We all can thank Sen. Brown and County Council leaders Jones and Conwell for securing these grants, as the programs that will be implemented will allow our seniors to remain safe and secure in their homes,’ Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said in a provided statement. ‘These investments will have a profound impact on the lives of older adults in Cuyahoga County and will help keep them in the homes they love and the communities they cherish.’”

WOSU, Columbus: Northeast Ohio seniors get new assistance options with help from Washington

    “‘My job is to listen to you and translate that into legislative language, if it makes sense, and work to get those some of that... congressionally directed spending,’ he said. ‘I'll never apologize to anybody for delivering those dollars back to Ohio.’”

During stops in Toledo, Sandusky, Ashland, Springfield, Delaware, and Youngstown: Brown hosted roundtables with local veterans to discuss how the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, will expand benefits for Ohio veterans. The legislation is named in honor of Heath Robinson, a Central Ohio veteran who deployed to Kosovo and Iraq with the Ohio National Guard and passed away in 2020 from cancer after exposure to burn pits during his military service.

Toledo Blade: Veterans gather with Ohio senator to put out call for potential PACT Act recipients

    ‘“They never say it costs too much to send someone to war, but they said it is too expensive when they come home,’ said Sen. Brown, who admits the health care comes with a potential $280 billion price tag over the next 10 years.’”

Sandusky Register: Veterans exposed to toxins urged to sign up for possible benefits

    “At a roundtable event, held Thursday afternoon at American Legion Post 83 in Sandusky, Brown and Zeier stressed it’s important for veterans who qualify for veterans’ health care and for veterans benefits to register with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, so that if they get sick from exposure to toxins from burn pits, their paperwork is completed.”

    “Brown said he considers it so important for veterans to learn about the PACT Act that he’s trying to do round table events in all of Ohio’s 88 counties to try to draw attention and news coverage to the program.”

    “Brown said he is particularly focused on getting veterans to sign up for benefits from the PACT Act, but said, ‘It never hurts for any veteran to sign up with the VA.”’

Dayton Daily News: Local vets on fight for benefits: ‘When are we going to take the burden off the veteran?’

    “‘Providing health care and benefits for veterans who suffer from toxic exposure is a cost of going to war,’ said Brown. ‘If you were exposed to toxins while serving our country, you deserve the benefits you earned, period. No exceptions.”’

Dayton 24/7 Now: Sen. Sherrod Brown discusses Pact Act passage expanding VA benefits

    “Brown was joined by veterans who have been exposed to, and affected by toxins during their military service.”

    “Brown is working with Ohio veterans, their families, and advocates to bring additional attention to provisions in the PACT Act so veterans can get the care they’ve earned and deserve.”

91.3 WYSO, Springfield: Here’s how local veterans can get new PACT Act benefits

    “Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown said the goal of the roundtables he is holding around the state is to encourage affected veterans to file claims for PACT Act-related disability compensation and to apply for public Veterans Administration, or VA, health care–veterans who do sign up for VA health care will be automatically screened for the health problems that can come from exposure to the harmful substances covered by the Act.”

    “Brown told the press after the event that he was thrilled when the PACT Act finally passed last August–especially after there was opposition to it from some Republicans in the Senate.”

The Delaware Gazette: Brown talks PACT Act with local veterans

    ‘“This legislation will assist and potentially change lives of many veterans that reside in Delaware County. The Delaware County Veteran Service Commission looks forward to continued collaboration with Senator Brown and his team as we outreach and assist veterans that this legislation is designed to help,’ said Brian Gallagher, director of the Delaware County Veterans Service Office.”

21, WFMJ, Youngstown: Sherrod Brown visits Youngstown to discuss PACT Act benefits to veterans exposed to toxins

    “Brown told 21 News the PACT Act stemmed from a conversation from a Sandusky woman whose son-in-law was exposed to toxins and that the bill was named after him.”

    ‘“I listened to her and we took action, and that really is my job. We pass legislation and then how do we get it implemented and how do we make sure it works, that's what this meeting's about today in Youngstown,’ Brown said.”

27, WKBN, Youngstown: Senator details how new act may help local veterans

    ‘“Most people don’t know what the Pact ACT is. Most veterans still don’t know, but I just want to make sure that every veteran who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, if they had any exposure to these football field-sized burn pits, even if they aren’t sick, go sign up,’ Brown said.”

The Vindicator: Sen. Brown touts toxic pit law as ‘most important’

    “U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said a law that took effect Jan. 1 to allow veterans exposed to toxic burn pits while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan to get medical coverage and benefits ‘is one of the most important things we’ve ever done.’”

During a stop in Columbus: Brown also joined nursing students and faculty at Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus to celebrate his recently passed Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses or (TRAIN) Act. The TRAIN Act, which Brown introduced with Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), was signed into law by President Biden in December.