Brown makes his case

SANDUSKY — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown stopped in Sandusky on Wednesday to be the guest on "Between the Lines," the Register's public affairs talk program. He spoke with Register executive editor Matt Westerhold and intern reporter Sydney Moore on a segment of the program, which is available to view on the Register's YouTube channel and on sanduskyregister.com. "Government can do really good things. This whole cynicism that government is always the enemy. No it isn't. Government is us. It's people. It's Sydney, it's you, it's Matt, it's you, it's all of us who petition our government to do the right thing," Brown said, referring to the effort to get passage of the Heath Robinson Keeping Our Promise PACT Act. The PACT Act was approved by Congress in August 2022 and provides full benefits for U.S. servicemen and women who suffered illnesses due to toxic exposures, from Agent Orange during the Vietnam era to toxic smoke from burn pits at U.S. military installations. More than 1.5 million veterans and their families have begun receiving benefits they were previously denied, thanks to the PACT Act. Brown continued. Between the Lines is brought to you by Serving our Seniors. "It's just like, government finally, my colleagues finally, finally, finally stood up to the drug companies and now we have a cap of $35 for insulin per month. I know people who couldn't take their insulin but couldn't afford it and that shortened their lives." The cap was part of the Inflation Reduction Act approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. During the interview, Brown discussed his re-election campaign, other legislative accomplishments, the presidential race and young voters. Brown said he's staying in Ohio but he's watched the Democratic National Convention on television this week. "I'm running for re-election in Ohio," he said. He also said he supports the Democratic ticket. "Of course I endorse Kamala Harris," he said. Bernie Moreno, the Republican running against Brown has also been invited to be on "Between the Lines." Both men have been invited to participate in a U.S. Senate debate sponsored by Ogden Newspapers Northwest Ohio. Coming Saturday: U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown makes a case for reelection. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown visits the Register for a segment of "Between the Lines" on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Register photo/ERIN CALDWELL