Tim Ryan is a congressman from Ohio. Before that he briefly served as a state senator and a congressional staffer.
Previous Work Around Poverty and Opportunity
- As congressman, he proposed the WORKER Act that aims to increase the number of apprenticeships, expand funding for engineering programs in elementary and secondary schools and restructure the Department of Commerce to become the Department of Innovation and Investment.
- As congressman, he released a report, “Putting American Back to Work,” that describes how to respond to automation and globalization with the worker in mind.
On the Issues
Jobs: Is organizing a campaign around uniting as a country (“putting aside partisan politics”) and focusing on jobs, economy, wages and retirement security.
Affordable Housing: Announced over $17.4 million in housing grants for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District in 2018, announced over $59,000 for combating Veteran homelessness in the Mahoning Valley in 2018 and introduced legislation, the Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act, in 2018 that would provide federal funding to support blight elimination and neighborhood redevelopment activities in low-income communities.
Health Care/Insurance: Supports the Affordable Care Act, wishes to continue funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supports the 21st Century Cures Act, which expedites reviews of lifesaving medicine. Favors Medicare For All.
Education: Advocates for increased charter school accountability and financial transparency, student loan refinancing and improving the nutrition of school meals.
Criminal Justice: Wants to reduce mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug sentences and protect felon voting rights.
Minimum Wage: Supports better-paying jobs and criticizes the Democratic Party’s fixation on a $15 an hour minimum wage.
Safety Net: As a co-sponsor of the Social Security 2100 Act, seeks to increase the program’s benefits. In 2018, he expressed the desire to protect SNAP amidst proposed cuts.
Children/Families: Supports, with certain stipulations, up to 12 weeks of paid family leave.
Taxes/Tax Credits: Favors simplifying the tax code and lowering the tax rate. Endorses corporate tax cuts.
News Articles
“Rising Dem star Tim Ryan splits with party, endorses corporate tax cuts” (The Hill: 8/31/17).
“Tim Ryan: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate” (Axios: 4/7/2019)
“Can a Rust Belt Yogi Save the Democratic Party” (The Atlantic: 3/15/2019)