As Donald Trump prepares to speak on the economy and affordability at manufacturing facilities in Reading, Ohio, and Hebron, Kentucky, in the Greater Cincinnati area on Wednesday, costs are skyrocketing as a result of his administration’s failed policies. Trump’s approval rating in Ohio, a state he won by double digits in 2024, is deep in the red at around negative 15 percentage points. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis, Trump has threatened thousands of jobs, jeopardized hundreds of millions of dollars in Ohio energy investments, and ripped away over $1 billion in federal funding for health care and food aid. His war on Iran has spiked gas prices 25% at the pump for Ohioans and ratched-up fertilizer costs 33% for farmers, who were already in dire straits, right as planting season begins. Trump and Republicans in Congress have worked in lockstep to reward their rich and powerful friends at the expense of everyone else. They are obliterating the economic security of millions of Buckeyes and people across the country – and working families are the ones paying the price.
The Buckeye Affordability Crisis
- COST-OF-LIVING IS OHIOANS’ TOP CONCERN: Ohio residents are facing high prices due to Trump’s economic policies. A majority (55%) of Ohioans believe the economy has gotten worse in the last year. Most voters identified the economy as their most important issue, with inflation close behind. Trump’s tariffs have had a massive impact on the state’s economy:
- 60% of Ohio residents oppose Trump’s tariffs.
- Nearly 3 in 4 Ohioans (73%) believe his tariffs benefit the wealthy, and over two-thirds (67%) believe they benefit large corporations.
- Nearly two-thirds of Ohioans said they do not think the working class or middle class stands to benefit from Trump’s tariffs.
- In the first year of Trump’s second term, Ohioans paid an average of $1,532 more in goods and services.
- OHIO HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE UP THANKS TO TRUMP & REPUBLICANS: The Trump-GOP Big, Ugly Bill cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Now, more than 340,000 Ohioans stand to lose their health care. The 500,000+ Buckeyes who buy health insurance on their own through the ACA and receive tax credits are facing an average premium increase of 137% this year; their coverage costs are at least doubling on average. Ohio hospitals are also estimated to lose over $1 billion a year due to Medicaid cuts alone. 29 Ohio hospitals and clinics are closing, have already announced cuts, or are at risk of closure in the wake of the Trump-GOP bill. Trump promised to lower drug prices, but instead he padded drug company profits and raised drug costs for thousands of seniors. Worse still, his ‘TrumpRx’ initiative is little more than a storefront that doesn’t save Ohioans a penny, offering brand-name drugs that Ohio patients could get for cheaper through their insurance or as generics. Even other drug discount hubs like GoodRx offer some lower brand-name prices and cheaper generic drugs.
- GAS PRICES ARE SURGING 25% IN OHIO THANKS TO TRUMP’S WAR IN IRAN: In his State of the Union less than a month ago, Trump bragged about gasoline being “below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon.” Now, thanks to his war in Iran, gas prices in Ohio are up to $3.43 a gallon – 66.5¢ higher than they were just four weeks ago, a nearly 25% increase in gas prices. Cincinnati has seen some of the largest gas price increases in the country. Meanwhile, Trump has completely dismissed concerns about rising gas prices, declaring, “If they rise, they rise.”
- JOB LOSSES & LOST INVESTMENT IN OHIO: Trump has threatened nearly $500 million in Ohio energy investments, cancelling, delaying, and forcing layoffs at 10 energy-related projects, leading to around 3,500 jobs threatened or lost. The Cincinnati area alone has lost hundreds of jobs since Trump took office. Ohio saw nearly 41,000 job losses in 2025 – the 8th-highest in the country – and experienced a 70% increase in layoffs compared to 2024:
- EV battery manufacturer Ultium Cells announced layoffs impacting 1,300 workers.
- First Brands Group closed four Ohio facilities, killing more than 1,200 jobs.
- American Signature filed for bankruptcy, shuttering its Columbus headquarters and laying off 256 Ohio employees.
- Global supplier and manufacturer Copper Standard closed its New Lexington manufacturing facility, killing 228 jobs.
- Machining business Eagle Machining closed its Fayette manufacturing facility, laying off over 230 workers.
- Ohio biotech company AmplifyBio shut down in April, killing 212 jobs.
- TRUMP IS TANKING MANUFACTURING – OHIO’S TOP INDUSTRY: In Trump’s first year, manufacturing jobs have declined nationwide. Ohio’s manufacturing sector is a top economic driver in the state, supporting over 680,000 jobs and generating nearly $140 billion in state GDP — nearly a fifth of the state’s economic output. The manufacturing industry has been devastated by tariff uncertainty and federal funding cuts. A survey of Ohio manufacturing executives found that one-third reported tariffs were impacting their sales. Of those, a majority reported declining sales, averaging losses of -16%.
- TRUMP IS HURTING OHIO FARMERS: Trump’s disastrous agenda has devastated Ohio agriculture, a massive industry employing 1 in 8 Ohioans. The Buckeye State experienced a staggering 74.4% decline in exports to China and $76.2 million in lost soybean sales. Ohio farmers have been caught in the middle of trade wars, undermined by Trump’s $40 billion Argentina bailout, and had their labor force gutted by Trump’s massive deportation scheme. Thanks to Trump’s war with Iran, input costs have risen sharply right as planting season begins. Fertilizer prices are through the roof, up 33% since the start of the conflict, and high diesel prices impact everything from transportation to tractor use.
- OHIO SMALL BUSINESSES ARE SUFFERING: Ohio small businesses have been disproportionately hurt by Trump’s policies. Two-thirds (65%) of Ohioans said they do not think small businesses stand to benefit from Trump’s tariffs. Ohio importers paid the sixth-highest tariff bill in 2025, with the cost of Trump’s tariffs running Buckeyes around $6.5 billion. The state is home to over 1.1 million small businesses. The Trump-GOP plan to rip away ACA tax credits is hitting Ohio’s small businesses especially hard. Nearly 100,000 small business owners in the state rely on the ACA for coverage – nearly 1 in 6 ACA enrollees in Ohio.
- OHIO ENERGY COSTS SKYROCKETING: Since Trump took office in January, household electric bills have increased by 13 percent nationwide. In the Ohio area, utilities and fuel costs have increased three times faster than regional inflation. Climate Power estimates that electricity bills in Ohio are rising by around $183 annually. Buckeyes’ winter heating bills have already been spiking this season, costing as much as 11 percent more than last year.
- BUCKEYE STATE HOUSING CRUNCH: Housing costs are rising faster than inflation and wages in the region, up 4.5% since last year. Nearly half of Ohio renters and nearly 20% of Ohio homeowners are cost-burdened. Ohio homeowners also pay the eighth-highest property taxes in the country.
- HELP RIPPED AWAY FROM BUCKEYES: Trump’s budget cuts are ripping away vital assistance for health care, food, and more from millions of Ohioans. Trump and Republicans in Congress cut $187 billion in food assistance, which helps give about 1.4 million Buckeyes access to food. These cuts leave an estimated 98,000 Ohio families at risk of losing their food aid and will leave Ohio without $1 billion in annual federal funds – a 30% reduction.
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