Rep. Carey votes to fully fund the government, secures more than $10 million for Ohio projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-Ohio-15), a member of the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees, last week voted to pass the final package of appropriations bills to fully fund the government for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).

Included in the package is more than $10.3 million for six projects across Franklin, Miami, and Shelby counties secured directly by Rep. Carey.

“Republicans promised that we would fund the government responsibly and look at each funding bill individually, instead of wrapping them all into a thousand-page omnibus. This allows us to set our own priorities into law, including sensible spending cuts, instead of simply extending the priorities of the past. This process has been the result of bipartisan, good-faith compromise, and I was proud to help secure more than $22 million in total for our district across all 12 funding bills,” Rep. Carey said.

BACKGROUND:

The package includes the following appropriations bills: Defense; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD); Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS); and Homeland Security. These bills now go to the U.S. Senate where they will need to pass with 60 votes before being signed into law by President Trump.

The Labor-HHS bill also includes language authored by Rep. Carey to extend Medicare add-on payments to ground ambulances through December 31, 2027, which will help reward first responders.

Included in this package:

• $3,000,000 to the City of Dublin, Ohio to support the Emerald Connector from Tuller Road to Emerald Parkway in a new I-270 crossing that provides regional traffic congestion relief and improves multimodal access between Emerald Parkway, Sawmill Road, the Bridge Street District, and Bright Road. This investment will enhance connectivity, increase safety for all modes of travel, and support future economic development by integrating with existing and planned land use and transportation networks.

• $2,500,000 to Franklin Township, Ohio for the Westland Mall Redevelopment-Essential Multimodal Infrastructure Project, an opportunity to reconnect with a community through the redevelopment of a large parcel that has been blighted for over twenty years.

• $2,000,000 to the Ohio Department of Transportation (Columbus, Ohio) for a project to add a third lane alongside US 33 and construct an interchange at Bixby Road. The project will widen US 33 from I-270 East to Gender Road to increase capacity and reduce congestion along the corridor.

• $1,000,000 to the City of Piqua, Ohio for infrastructure enhancements needed to support the expansion of downtown businesses and housing opportunities in downtown Piqua. The project improvements focus on the walkability and connectivity of downtown destinations, linking proposed downtown housing to downtown businesses and shops, and generally enhancing the safety of pedestrians moving about the downtown area. The improvements will include curb extensions at intersections and accessibility and beautification upgrades.

• $1,000,000 to the City of Troy, Ohio for the Great Miami River (GMR) Recreation Connectivity Project, consisting of multiple quality of life improvements, including: removing the low head dam; restoring an oxbow for wildlife that was removed when the low head dam was installed; installing new multi-use recreational trail networks; and river access area for recreational paddlers that will connect the river and the Great Miami River Recreational Trail to Downtown Troy and Herrlinger Park.

• $800,000 to the City of Sidney, Ohio to support the Sidney/Shelby Water and Sewer Expansion Project, an initiative designed to extend municipal water and sewer lines south of the current service area. This would open access to over 900 acres of prime, developable land ideally situated for residential neighborhoods and light-to-medium industrial development.