As a federal shutdown continues and controversy swirls over President Trump's use of National Guard troops in American cities, Ohio's Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky's Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear were in Cincinnati Tuesday to talk about bipartisanship.
During a conversation hosted by University of Cincinnati's Portman Center and moderated by former U.S. Republican senator from Ohio, Rob Portman, Beshear and DeWine said they've found plenty of common ground during their tenures — and even before they became governors.
Beshear highlighted the work the two did as their states' attorneys general on the opioid epidemic and holding drug companies accountable. DeWine was Ohio AG from 2011 to 2019. Beshear was Kentucky's top attorney from 2016 to 2019.
"You and I worked together as attorneys general to make sure no one saw this as a partisan issue," Beshear said to DeWine. "It was just the right thing to do. I think that's an example about how almost all of us came together knowing something was important. It wasn't red or blue at all."
Both also talked about the importance of working together as governors on the massive Brent Spence Bridge Corridor revamp. That project secured $1.6 billion in federal grants, but also required millions in state funds from both Ohio and Kentucky — as well as significant work by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
"What the public doesn't see is all the work that has gone on for a long time between our two departments of transportation," DeWine said. "They're working together literally every day. That kind of work prepared us for this moment, when we should be breaking ground next year."
On Trump's use of the National Guard
DeWine and Beshear don't always agree, obviously. One area where they diverged slightly during the conversation: Trump's use of National Guard troops in American cities.
DeWine said public safety is something usually best left to law enforcement professionals, though he acknowledged the National Guard can have a role at times. He sent 150 National Guard troops to aid Trump's crime reduction efforts in Washington, D.C. But he's indicated he won't send them to other cities like Cleveland and Portland, Oregon. He said he prefers partnerships between state and local law enforcement, like the one currently in place in Cincinnati.
"They have a role. I have sent the Guard to different cities in Ohio when the mayor asked us to, when there's an agreement that it's the best thing to do," DeWine said. "I look at this as: What is the most effective tool to deal with a crime problem? If it's a crime problem we're talking about, most effective is get other law enforcement involved to help local cities."
Beshear was more openly opposed to Trump's use of the National Guard, especially when deployed to other states and cities where they're not asked for.
"Decreasing crime and making people feel safer is hard work that can't be solved by a stunt," Beshear said. He said boosting state police staff and taking long-term measures to prevent crime and reduce recidivism are his priorities.
On the shutdown
Both governors fielded multiple questions about the ongoing government shutdown — one of the most dramatic illustrations of the country's current political divides. Congress is gridlocked on a budget as Democrats and Republicans battle over cuts to Medicaid and the expiration of subsidies for health insurance plans available under the Affordable Care Act.
"The further you go along, it's going to impact more and more people," DeWine said of the impasse. "Unless something changes at the end of the month, there's not going to be money for SNAP, there's not going to be money for WIC. When you see that stop, when you see it impacting air traffic control and things like that... it's going to get to a point where the pain is very, very clear."
When asked if Ohio will temporarily fill funding gaps for WIC and SNAP should the government stay shut down after Nov. 1, DeWine said the state is looking into it. But, he said, the state faces significant legal, financial, and administrative challenges that might keep it from being able to extend the benefits on its own. He's hoping Congress reaches a deal soon.
Beshear said he's seen the impact of the shutdown already.
"We're looking at a lot of families that aren't getting a paycheck who work for the federal government, many of them who are still at work right now," he said. "I just flew through CVG and talked to a lot of the great people in Customs who are working in that airport. They're worried about the next payments they need to make on their mortgage or their electric bill."
Beshear said those workers need to be prioritized and paid. But he also said the expiration of ACA subsidies will lead to people losing their health care.
"Everything is pushed in this diametrically opposed 'choose A or choose B' type of proposition," he said. "Right now we have this partisan clash where a win for one is a loss for another."
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