Congresswoman Kaptur is a steadfast supporter of affordable health care. 

In 2010, she voted for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides health insurance for millions of Americans, protects individuals with pre-existing conditions, and expands Medicaid. The ACA marketplace is still going strong in Ohio over a decade later, with a record-setting 477,000 Ohioans enrolled in ACA coverage in 2024 [1].

In addition, Kaptur introduced the Stop Price Gouging Act to hold drug manufacturers accountable for prescription drug costs. She co-sponsored the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which requires the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices. 

Importantly, during the pandemic, Congresswoman Kaptur voted for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which caps insulin costs at $35/month for Medicare patients and lowers prescription drug costs by allowing the federal government to negotiate drug costs [2].

Americans pay twice or three times more for their prescription drugs than people in other wealthy countries, with these high prices contributing to racial health inequities. The IRA is a significant policy attempt to address these injustices. 

The IRA also locks in lower monthly premiums for underserved communities. More than three-quarters of uninsured Black Americans had access to a monthly premium of $50 or less; and about two-thirds could find a plan for a $0-premium plan in 2021 thanks to the IRA. It will also keep free or low-cost health insurance available, with more than half a million more Black Americans securing health coverage because of the IRA [3].

Kaptur also voted for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which delivered immediate relief for hard-hit Black families and small businesses, built a bridge toward economic recovery, and reduced poverty in Black communities during the pandemic. While Black Americans are 13% of the U.S. population, they represent nearly 24% of age-adjusted COVID-19 deaths [4].

Finally, Congresswoman Kaptur co-sponsored the Black Maternal Momnibus in 2021, which aims to improve maternal health among racial and ethnic minorities. The Momnibus makes critical investments in housing, transportation, and nutrition. 

The Momnibus also extends SNAP and WIC eligibility into postpartum and breastfeeding periods, funds community organizations working on maternal health and equity, supports moms with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and promotes maternal vaccinations [5].

In 2022, Kaptur also announced a million-dollar federal grant to combat the opioid epidemic. This includes allocating nearly $2 million towards a new behavioral health transitional housing facility and $2 million towards a new inpatient mental health rehabilitation center [6].

Research could not find a clear stance on affordable healthcare for Merrin.

Congresswoman Kaptur voted for the IRA, a historic piece of legislation that raised taxes on the wealthy, closed the tax evasion loopholes used by billionaires, lowered prescription drug costs, lowered energy costs, and protected the ACA [7].

Kaptur also supported the ARPA, which provided billions for public health measures, extended additional unemployment benefits, made direct payments to individuals, and expanded the Child Tax Credit. She called the expanded CTC the “fundamental achievement of the ARPA.” The ARPA also increased SNAP benefits by 15% and funded partnerships with restaurants to feed American families and keep restaurant workers on the job [8]. 

Finally, Kaptur voted for the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which prohibits excessive price hikes for gasoline. She also blamed high gas prices on big oil companies not using their allotment of drilling permits [9].

Congresswoman Kaptur has frequently taken action to provide childcare relief for families. She voted for the ARPA, which provided billions for childcare and increased the Child Tax Credit.

Advance Child Tax Credit payments benefited nearly 150,000 children in her district. This increase also led to a 7% boost in childcare staffing levels and a 10% increase in wages for childcare workers [10].

The expanded Child Tax Credit increased aid per child from $2,000 to $3,000, and provided an additional $600 for children under age 6. 

These life-saving payments lifted nearly 10 million children above or close to the poverty line – including over 2 million Black children, about 4 million Latino children, and 441,000 Asian American children [11].

Kaptur voted for the Build Back Better Act in 2021, which if passed in its entirety, would have provided $200 billion for four weeks of paid leave and included much-needed funding to help families cover childcare costs. She also introduced the Childcare for Working Families Act, which included affordable childcare, higher quality care, higher wages for childcare workers, and expanded pre-K access [12].

Kaptur is a vocal supporter of the labor movement and higher wages. 

She voted for the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage for $15 per hour and increase pay for nearly 130,000 workers in her district. That bill would increase wages for nearly 32 million Americans, including roughly a third of all Black workers and a quarter of all Latino workers. 

In addition, Kaptur supports paid family and medical leave and paid sick time for employees. She wants to eliminate laws that block workers from bargaining for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. She also voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2021, which would have resolved inadequacies in the 1963 Equal Pay Act by attempting to close the wage gap for women and enacting additional worker protections [13] .

Kaptur voted for the IRA, which invests $60 billion in domestic manufacturing, creating new jobs, lowering energy costs, and improving supply chains. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the IRA will bring $12.8 billion in clean power generation investment to Ohio by 2030 [14].

Kaptur also voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which she says will deliver $2 billion to Ohio for infrastructure and jobs. The IRA and IIJA have already brought 300 jobs to northwest Ohio for decarbonization efforts. In Erie County specifically, the IIJA provided nearly $25 million for highway infrastructure improvements [15].

Kaptur also voted for the CHIPS and Science Act, a legislation designed to spur investment in American manufacturing. This act provides direct funding for the domestic semiconductor industry and incentivizes $150 billion in private investment. 

One of its significant components – the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program – stands out for its commitment to equity. It aims to ensure that federal funding is equitably distributed nationwide, investing in technology hubs that have the potential to benefit women, Black, Latino, Native American, low-income, and other underrepresented communities [16].

In 2023, Congresswoman Kaptur introduced the Social Security 2100 Act, which would address Social Security’s financial challenges by reinstating taxes on individuals who earn more than $400,000 [17].

Kaptur said she will never allow Social Security cuts and has heavily criticized Republican efforts to raise the retirement age and cut Social Security benefits [18].

Congresswoman Kaptur also consistently fought Republican efforts to cut SNAP and WIC benefits, including a Trump administration rule that allowed states to remove people from SNAP more quickly. 

Kaptur previously supported legislation to expand SNAP benefits for families with children with chronic medical conditions, provide incentives to purchase healthier foods, and allow recipients to join a program to make buying groceries easier [19].

Kaptur voted for the ARPA, which increased SNAP benefits by 15%. The ARPA funded partnerships with restaurants to feed American families and keep workers in the restaurant industry on the job. 

Kaptur also co-sponsored the Feed Our Families Act, which would protect SNAP and other food assistance during a government shutdown [20].

Research could not find a clear stance on childcare for Merrin. 

However, Merrin voted against a bipartisan-supported bill in 2024 that would expand services to new mothers, including providing childcare in regions particularly hit by high infant mortality rates [1].  

Merrin wants to repeal Ohio’s prevailing wage law. He supports eradicating high wages and expanded health coverage and pension plans for Ohio workers [2].

Merrin’s extremist Republican supporters also voted against the Raise The Wage Act of 2019, which would have raised the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. 

As mayor of Waterville (a suburb of Toledo), Merrin cut the number of paid sick days for village employees. In the Ohio legislature, he also sponsored legislation to cut local public employee sick days [3].

Research could not find a clear stance for Merrin on providing Ohio jobs. 

Merrin’s Republican supporters voted against the CHIPS and Science Act. The CHIPS Act invested over $50 billion in semiconductor production and spurred job growth throughout the country, including helping revive and increase Ohio’s manufacturing jobs [4]. 

Merrin does not believe in holding corrupt Ohio politicians accountable. 

He accepted thousands of dollars from – and later voted to protect – disgraced former Ohio Speaker Larry Householder. Householder was convicted of accepting over $60 million in bribes on behalf of FirstEnergy Corporation in exchange for arranging a more than $1 billion bailout for the company’s nuclear power plants. 

Merrin voted for the bailout – and then voted against expelling Householder even after he was arrested [5].

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur voted for the Inflation Reduction Act IRA), which implements a 15% minimum corporate tax on companies making over $1 billion in annual profits. The IRA also aims to lower healthcare and energy costs for families. It also extends Affordable Care Act premium credits, potentially saving people on Marketplace plans an average of $800 annually [21].

Merrin does not have a plan to tackle inflation in Ohio.

Merrin believes in taking away much-needed public dollars that go towards Ohio’s essential services like public education and healthcare that benefit all Ohioans. 

Merrin led efforts in the Ohio Legislature to cut the state’s income tax, costing the state a significant avenue of funding. 

Ohio’s income taxes largely support the state’s general fund; more than half of which goes directly to Ohio’s public education system [6].

Kaptur is a stalwart supporter of abortion rights and received an endorsement from Planned Parenthood for her current re-election bid. She supports eliminating the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funds from being used for abortion services [22].

Kaptur voted for the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2023, which authorizes federal support for state-based maternal mortality programs and directs states to review pregnancy-related deaths, identify causes, and make recommendations to prevent future deaths [23].

Finally, Kaptur co-sponsored the Black Maternal Momnibus in 2021 to improve maternal health among racial and ethnic minorities. The Momnibus extends SNAP and WIC eligibility into postpartum and breastfeeding periods, funds community organizations working on maternal health and equity, supports moms with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and promotes maternal vaccinations [24].

Merrin is a fervent anti-abortion advocate. 

Merrin stands at the forefront of the most restrictive abortion legislation in the country. His website brags that he played a “key role” in passing Ohio’s Heartbeat Bill, a six-week abortion ban that included no exceptions for rape or incest [7].

Merrin also co-sponsored a wide-ranging abortion restriction bill to ban abortion at conception, punish doctors and individuals seeking abortions, and require doctors to re-implant ectopic pregnancies (which are medically impossible) [8]. 

Merrin received an endorsement from Donald Trump, who said he was proud to have ended Roe v. Wade, and supports states enacting aggressive restrictions on reproductive health [9].

Kaptur has provided over $10 million in federal funding to Toledo public schools that will improve teacher pay and retention [25].

Merrin does not support fairly and fully funding public schools for Ohioans.

He is an avid supporter of school vouchers, and calls school choice one of his main legislative priorities. He supported a costly universal voucher program that would have diverted millions of dollars from Ohio public schools towards private and religious schools, potentially costing the state over a billion dollars in the first year alone [10]. 

In addition, Merrin does not believe in providing Ohio students with a diverse, well-rounded, and thoughtful education that helps them succeed in the future. 

He supported controversial legislation that he said “reforms the liberal bias, indoctrination, and DEI initiatives at universities.” The bill prevents honest and accurate education around topics including climate change, electoral politics, immigration, abortion, and more. It also prohibits Ohio universities from taking public stances on certain topics. It was unanimously opposed by Ohio faculty, students, and academic officials [11].

Congresswoman Kaptur is a strong supporter of commonsense public safety policies and policing reforms. 

Kaptur co-sponsored the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which prohibits profiling in law enforcement, bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants, mandates dashboard and body cameras, and other police-related reforms. She supports increasing mental health crisis response training for law enforcement and helping law enforcement recruit and provide de-escalation training at the local and tribal levels [26]. 

Kaptur also supports reducing non-violent drug penalties. She co-sponsored the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015, which reduced certain mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenses. She is in favor of decriminalizing marijuana and facilitating financial support for the legal cannabis industry [27]. 

As far as gun safety, Congresswoman Kaptur favors implementing background checks for gun owners, banning assault weapons, and improving firearm storage regulations. She also supports providing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking victims with greater federal resources to encourage better community responses to these crimes [28].

In 2020, Merrin introduced a bill that would provide tuition support to the family members of public safety officers (including police). He also supports strengthening penalties for reckless driving and obstruction of justice from law enforcement [12]. 

His candidacy is endorsed by Toledo police unions [13]. 

Congresswoman Kaptur supports eliminating student debt. She took a stand against a Republican bill that aims to repeal the Biden-Harris administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, which has been a lifeline for many low- and middle-income borrowers because it has significantly reduced their monthly payments [29]. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaptur authored a letter to urge student loan servicers to provide relief for borrowers [30]. In 2019, Kaptur introduced the Transform Student Debt to Home Equity Act of 2019, which would allow college graduates to restructure their student debt and build equity by purchasing habitable foreclosed and vacant homes [31].

Merrin does not support President Biden’s student loan forgiveness policies, calling them “concerning” and “not fair [14].”

Congresswoman Kaptur is a strong advocate for voting rights, independent redistricting, and campaign finance reform.

Kaptur co-sponsored the Freedom to Vote Act, which protects voting rights, ends partisan gerrymandering, and improves campaign finance regulations. She said the act would “end the dominance of wealthy special interests and say once and for all that our #DemocracyIsNotForSale [32].” 

Kaptur also supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), which strengthens the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The VRAA would help restore the original VRA by preventing voter ID laws, polling place closures, and purges of voters from registration rolls. It would also help preempt policies that would marginalize voters of color and provide greater ability to sue for relief [33].

Merrin supports stricter voter ID requirements and voting access policies that prevent many Ohioans from voting.

He championed recent requirements that voters show photo ID in order to vote. He also supported having fewer ballot drop boxes, shorter time frames for mail-in ballots to be received, and a reduced in-person absentee voting window [15].

Congresswoman Kaptur is a particularly strong supporter of housing reform and has delivered much-needed housing for her district. She has secured nearly $6 million for senior-focused affordable housing and said that affordable housing leads to better outcomes for wages, education, and healthcare [34]. 

Kaptur has also supported a slate of legislation to improve affordable housing and housing access for economically disadvantaged communities. These bills include:

• The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023, which extends the low-income housing tax credit to incentivize affordable housing development [35].

• The Restoring Communities Left Behind Act, which would provide local funding for neighborhood revitalization in low-income neighborhoods [36].

• The Housing is Infrastructure Act, which supports public housing, affordable housing construction, and mortgage access [37].

Merrin sponsored a bill in the legislature that would accelerate the eviction process by requiring weekends and holidays to count as official days toward eviction timelines. This bill would increase housing insecurity and homelessness for many low-income and elderly Ohioans [16]. 

1 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 3590 Roll Call 165, 3/21/2010; Ohio Capital Journal, 2/2/2024; CBS News, 1/10/2024.

2 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 6/22/2017; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 3, 4/22/2021; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 5376 Roll Call 420, 8/12/2022.

3 The White House, 9/12/2022; The White House, 8/16/2022.

4 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1319 Roll Call 72, 3/10/2021; The White House, March 2021.

5 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 959, 2/8/2021; Black Maternal Health Caucus, 5/15/2023.

6 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 10/3/2022.

7 NPR, 8/12/2022; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 5376, 8/12/2022; U.S. Senate, accessed 8/8/2022.

8 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1319, 3/11/2021; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1319, Roll Call #72, 3/10/2021; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 6/21/2021; US Department of Agriculture, 3/22/2021.

9 U.S. Congress, HR 7688, 5/19/2022; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 7688 Roll Call 232, 5/19/2022; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 6/16/2022.

10 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1319 Roll Call 72, 3/10/2021; U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 3/1/2021; WTOL,7/12/2021; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, accessed6/20/2024.

11 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,3/1/2021.

12 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 5376, U.S. House of Representatives, HR 5376, Roll Call #385, 11/19/2021; Time, 11/19/2021; Vox, 10/28/2021; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 4/28/2023; Senator Tim Kaine,4/27/2023.

13 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 7/18/2019; U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 7/18/2019; Economic Policy Institute, 7/25/2023; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 7, 4/15/2021; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 7 Roll Call 108, 4/15/2021.

14 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 5376 Roll Call 420, 8/12/2022; U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 8/12/2022; Blue Green Alliance, accessed 9/19/2022; Department of Energy, 12/15/2023.

15 Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 3/26/2024; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 10/14/2022; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 8/10/2022.

16 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 7/28/2022; Axios, 8/1/2022; Dayton Daily News, 11/21/2021.

17 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 4583, 7/12/2023; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/14/2022; Newsweek, 11/9/2023.

18 Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 7/6/2023; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 4/12/2023.

19 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/23/2023; U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 12/10/2019; Sherrod Brown, 5/20/2020; U.S. Congress, HR 4855, 1/19/2018; U.S. Congress, HR 706, 2/1/2023.

20 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1319, Roll Call #72, 3/10/2021; US Department of Agriculture, 3/22/2021; U.S. Congress, H.R. 5668, 9/21/2023.

21 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 8/12/2022

22 Planned Parenthood Action, accessed 3/27/2024; Toledo Blade, 2/27/2020. 

23 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 3838 Roll Call 61, 3/5/2024; U.S. House of Representatives, 118th Congress, HR 3838.

24 U.S. House of Representatives, HR 959, 2/8/2021; Black Maternal Health Caucus, 5/15/2023.

25 U.S. Congress, H.R. 3501, 5/18/2023; U.S. Congress, H.R. 3184, 5/10/2023.

26 U.S. Congress, HR 3713, 12/23/2016; U.S. Congress, HR 3617, 4/1/2022; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 3617 Roll Call 107, 4/1/2022; U.S. Congress, HR 1996, 4/19/2021; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 1996 Roll Call 120, 4/19/2021.

27 U.S. Congress, H.R. 715, 2/1/2023; U.S. Congress, H.R. 698, 2/1/2023; U.S. Congress, H.R. 660, 1/31/2023; U.S. Congress, H.R. 1620, 3/8/2021.

28 U.S. House of Representatives, H.J.Res. 88, Roll Call #705,12/7/2023.

29 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur,3/24/2020.

30 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur,6/27/2019.

31 U.S. Congressman Marcy Kaptur,10/1/2020.

32 U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 7/18/2023; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 1/22/2024.

33 U.S. Congress, HR 4, 8/24/2021; U.S. House of Representatives, HR 4 Roll Call 260, 8/24/2021; Brennan Center For Justice, 7/13/2023.

34 Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 9/16/2021; Twitter, @RepMarcyKaptur, 4/26/2023.

35 U.S. Congress, H.R. 3238, 5/11/2023; U.S. Congress, H.R. 7024, 1/17/2024.

36 U.S. Congress, H.R. 837, 2/6/2023.

37 U.S. Congress, H.R. 4497, 7/16/2021.

1 Toledo Blade  6/12/2024

2 Ohio Legislature, 135th General Assembly, 6/26/2018; Center for American Progress, 12/22/2020; Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/23/2022.

3 Toledo Blade, 3/10/2011; Journal-News, 9/13/2017. 

4 Axios, 8/1/2022; Dayton Daily News, 11/21/2021.

5 Daily Beast, 1/30/2024; U.S. Attorney Southern District of Ohio, 6/29/2023; New York Times, 6/29/2023; Ohio Legislature, HB 6, 7/23/2019.

6 Derek Merrin for Congress, accessed 3/29/2024; Ohio Income Taxes, accessed 4/1/2024; Policy Matters Ohio, 1/30/2019.

7 Derek Merrin for Congress, accessed 3/29/2024; News 5 Cleveland, 1/4/2023; ACLU Ohio, 9/27/2023.

8 Ohio Legislature, HB 413, 11/14/2019; ACLU Ohio, 12/19/2019; The Guardian, 11/29/2019.

9 ABC 6 News, 3/19/2024; NBC News, 4/8/2024.

10 Twitter, @DerekMerrin, 2/3/2023; Twitter, @DerekMerrin, 2/24/2023; Statehouse News Bureau, 3/9/2023.

11 Twitter, @DerekMerrin, 2/7/2024; Statehouse News Bureau, 12/6/2023.

12 Toledo Blade, 7/25/2024

13 Derek Merrin for Congress, accessed 9/6/2024.

14 Twitter, @DerekMerrin, 6/20/2024; Toledo Blade, 6/21/2024.

15 Derek Merrin for Congress, accessed 3/29/2024; Ohio Legislature, HB 458, 12/14/2022; Ohio Bar, 1/13/2023.

16 Cleveland.com, 12/9/2018; Ohio House of Representatives, accessed 4/2/2024.