US Senate

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich stepped into the national spotlight that’s shining on the teetering automotive industry during a press conference in Washington on Thursday.

Voinovich (R-Cleveland) helped draft a plan to make auto companies eligible for $25 billion in loans to support the operations of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler before they exhaust their cash reserves. The plan Voinovich worked on aims to free up $25 billion already approved by Congress to auto makers in pursuit of “green” car technology.

The office of U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Cleveland) announced today that Ohio's senior senator has helped secure nearly $4 million in grant funds to assist workers affected by layoffs within the Wilmington Air Park at DHL Express, ABX Air, Inc., and ACS Business Process Solutions.

Earlier in November, DHL's German parent company said it would cut 9,500 jobs in the United States as well as eliminate shipping within the U.S. by land and air, but DHL spokespeople are saying the air cargo hub in Wilmington will continue to operate for now. 

However, DHL is still planning on a deal with UPS that would compromise the Wilmington hub and could result in the loss of around 8,000 jobs. DHL says it expects a decision with regard to the UPS deal by the end of the year.

At the time, Voinovich said his office would be, "tireless in their efforts to ensure that state and local governments have the full federal resources needed to cope with this economic disaster."

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Cleveland) is working on an alternative to a Democratic plan to give U.S. automakers $25 billion in loans to prevent bankruptcy.

Voinovich's office announced Wednesday that he is drafting legislation to allow previously authorized $25 billion for re-tooling to be used as a general loan. Democrats want the loan money to come from the multibillion bailout passed earlier this year.

Last week Voinoivch wrote a letter with Michigan's two Democratic U.S. senators support of the Democratic plan to make auto companies eligible for bailout money. Voinovich also voted for the $25 billion for re-tooling. 

voinovich.senate.gov

Sen. Voinovich

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Cleveland) has come out in support of a bailout of for the auto industry.

Voinovich, who will likely run for reelection in 2010, will join both Democratic senators from Michigan in writing to their senate colleagues asking them to make auto companies eligible for some of the $700 billion in the bailout package passed earlier this year.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain) told the Senate Banking Committee that the federal bailout won’t work if it doesn’t target foreclosures and there isn’t enough oversight of the bailout.  

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced he would not seek to use taxpayer money to purchase mortgage-backed assets, but instead put money directly into banks hands to facilitate lending.

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's approval rating is 30 percent, according to a survey conducted by Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling.

The Dayton Daily News reports PPP shows Vonovich (R-Cleveland) getting beat by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D) 42 to 38 percent and also being beat against Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D) 40 to 38 percent.

Voinovich and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Niles) would tie at 33 percent and the senator would defeat U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Copley) by 5 percent.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain) held a press conference Monday afternoon outside his Cleveland office to discuss the news that freight carrier DHL will lay off people at its Wilmington facility.

Earlier this year, the estimated number of people who were going to be put out of work once the DHL-UPS merger occurred was 8,000. However, a DHL spokesman said the 9,500 people to be cut work throughout the country and will not be all cut from Ohio.

Brown said that he was deeply distressed by the news from DHL.

"The Ohio Congressional delegation, the governor, ABX, ASTAR, and Wilmington-area workers offered to work out a plan to help keep the company viable and save Ohio jobs," Brown said. "It saddens me that DHL refused to consider any proposal."

America has chosen its next president. The House and Senate are set (mostly). So now it's time for the Politicker team to get some rest.

Check back here on Monday for all the latest and greatest political news. For now, enjoy our coverage of Election 2008 from the earliest announcements, through the conventions, to the big day.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorian) said that history will mark 2006 as the end of a conservative period in American that began around 1980.

"Voters clearly in 2006 said no to that conservative era and marked the closing of that conservative era," Brown said. "What happened in 2006 was voters basically said no to the betrayal of the middle-class, the betrayal of long-held American values, the undermining of American values. They said no to the drug companies writing medicare laws. They said no to the oil industry dictating energy policy. They said no to insurance companies writing healthcare law. They said no to Wall Street pushing through these trade agreements that cost us millions of manufacturing jobs in [Ohio] and across the country."

Brown said that 2008 is the launch of a new progressive era.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorian) told the gathering of Democrats at the Columbus Renaissance Hotel that Ohio has given Barack Obama the presidency.

Brown's remarks came after several news organizations projected Obama the winner of Ohio in the 2008 presidential election.

"Ohio is the state that matters and you are the reason that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States," Brown said.

Brown said that on th Senate floor he sits right behind the junior Senator from Illinois, Obama.

Brown said that when he goes back to Washington he's going to go up to Obama and say, "Good afternoon, Mr. President."