The Buckeye Institute submitted testimony to the Ohio House Medicaid Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 795, and offered policy solutions to eliminate Medicaid fraud while maintaining and protecting this valuable program. In his testimony, Rea S. Hederman Jr., the vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, noted that protecting Medicaid’s “integrity is vital for delivering benefits while maintaining taxpayer trust,” but pointed out that “waste and fraud plague” the program.

At The Center Square and The Gazette, Rea S. Hederman Jr., vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, and John Hendrickson, policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation, look at Iowa’s successful tax reforms adopted under Gov. Kim Reynolds. “It is imperative that the flat tax is protected through conservative budgeting and that policymakers continue to look for avenues to further lower the rate. Lower taxes produce prosperity over time, and Iowa is benefiting from Gov. Reynolds’s strong reforms.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the April 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “In April, Ohio’s unemployment rate fell from 4.1 to 3.9 percent, significantly better than the national average. Although—as reflected in the slide in Ohio’s labor force participation rate—the drop in unemployment is primarily due to unemployed Ohioans no longer looking for work, and mirrors a similar decline seen in the national labor force participation rate.”

In a new policy memo, The Buckeye Institute urged Ohio policymakers to pursue reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to avoid being hit with a $321 million bill for high rates of fraud, waste, and abuse. Rea S. Hederman Jr., vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, outlined reforms that are necessary because the federal government “now requires states with a six percent or higher erroneous payment rate to pay between five and 15 percent of benefit costs.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on Ohio’s March 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “The first months of 2026 saw slow job growth in the Buckeye State, but March closed out the first quarter on a positive note. And while national economic growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, so did inflation. Higher gas prices and inflation remain a threat to the economy, but for now, Ohio workers are benefiting from an above-average job market.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the February 2026 jobs report, saying, “The trends we have seen over the past few months tell us that Ohio is experiencing slow job growth, and that while Ohio’s new flat tax and energy reforms will help attract employers and workers to Ohio, lawmakers must not rest on these successes. As job creation slows, lawmakers must remain focused on reining in government spending and adopting pro-growth policies that will benefit Ohio’s businesses and workers.”

In a new policy report, Damaging Consequences, The Buckeye Institute models the economic impact that a federal carbon tax would have on the U.S. economy, job creation, tax collection, consumer spending, and business investment. Buckeye’s economic modeling revealed that an $800 billion annual carbon tax would cost every American $2,900 annually and devastate the U.S. economy, resulting in  $1.2 trillion in economic loss in 2034.

As we approach Tax Day, Rea S. Hederman Jr., The Buckeye Institute’s vice president of policy, has a piece on Crain’s Cleveland Business on Ohio’s “popular flat-rate income tax.” Hederman writes, “After a decade of solid tax reforms, including a popular flat-rate income tax for all Ohio taxpayers, April 15 will sting less this year than it did last year. And when the flat-tax rate drops to 2.75% next year—saving $1 billion over two years—it will sting even less.”

In a new policy report, The Buckeye Institute exposes how public nuisance legal theory is being used to attack energy companies and set U.S. energy policy through the courts. “The rash of public nuisance climate lawsuits spreading across the nation is a dangerous attempt to use the courts to force communities to adopt net-zero carbon-emissions policies. This effort to impose an ESG agenda through the courts, after failing to do so through Congress, would financially cripple energy companies and threaten the U.S. economy.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the January 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “While Ohio’s private sector added 16,300 new jobs in January, Ohio’s unemployment rate improved at the expense of fewer workers in the job market. January’s report—which was delayed while the federal government recalculated its state employment data—shows that Ohio’s job market remains slow-growing, and macroeconomic headwinds, such as higher fuel prices, will continue to slow the job market.”