Trending
Some may sound like campaign commercials, but radio advertisements from members of Congress are funded by taxpayer dollars and go through a bipartisan process to make it on the air.
In the Mahoning Valley, U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, and Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, are running radio ads with the closing disclaimer: "Paid for by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives."
The two also are running for re-election in newly-drawn districts with Johnson seeking to represent the 6th that has Mahoning as its most-populous county, and Joyce in the 14th that has Trumbull as its second most-populous county. The revamped district includes all or part of 11 counties including all of Columbiana.
"They're using tax dollars to indirectly campaign," Paul Sracic, a Youngstown State University political science professor, said. "There's tons of unfair advantages for incumbents. This is one of them. It's an advantage of incumbency. You have this money to get your name out there. For low-information voters, if they vote, they'll say, "I'll vote for the guy or woman who's in there now." This builds name ID as many people don't know who their congressman is."
The money for the commercials comes out of each congressional office's annual operating budget of about $1.3 million, which is funded through tax dollars and is referred to as a member's representational allowance. Other allowable expenses include staff salaries, travel in the district and back and forth to Washington, D.C., as well as district office rent and utilities.
While communications with constituents -- known as franking privileges -- have been permitted since 1789, it's only been a little over three years that radio and online ads from congressional offices were allowed, according to the bipartisan U.S. House Communications Standards Commission, which is overseen by the House Administration Committee.
"The costs associated with delivering franked mail are paid with taxpayer dollars out of the official funds of the office of the authorized user of the frank and other official communications," according to the commission's
communications standards manual.
The ads have to stop at least 60 days before a primary or general election.
"That acknowledges indirectly that there is a suspicion of campaigning," Sracic said.
Each commercial must be approved by the bipartisan commission before it airs to determine if the content is "official congressional business," according to the commission.
The tagline that the ads are "paid for by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives" may result in some "blowback" to members of Congress though "neither is in danger of losing their seat," Sracic said of Johnson and Joyce.
"You can see more populist voters getting a little irritated by that," he said.
BILL JOHNSON
Johnson's office has spent about $60,000 so far this year on two radio commercials.
One ad has a woman as if she were leaving a voicemail for Johnson, saying she and her husband can't afford to fill up their cars with gas and asking what's happening.
In response, Johnson says: "That's a real worry. Not long ago, America was energy independent. But no more. Washington regulations, red tape and flawed policies have led to record high gas prices, soaring energy costs and runaway inflation. The numbers on the gas pump and grocery store checkout add up way too quickly."
He then adds that he'll "fight for energy solutions that help Ohio workers and families," and urges the listener to visit his congressional website and "stand with me demanding energy independence, lower gas prices, lower inflation and a stronger economy."
The other radio spot has a person saying he's a veteran who finds "dealing with the VA on healthcare difficult and burdensome."
Johnson responds that he's an Air Force veteran and "fighting to improve services for our veterans" has been "a priority since Day One." He adds that he's committed to helping his constituents "navigate the Washington bureaucracy whether it's the VA, SocialSecurity, passports, IRS or another federal agency."
Ben Keeler, Johnson's spokesman, said the congressman "is always looking for new ways to get his message out to reach as many of his constituents in Ohio's 6th District as possible. His recent radio ads, which were approved by the bipartisan franking commission, are no different. He feels it's important to let those he serves know that his office is here to help navigate bureaucratic red tape in the federal government and inform them on where he stands on critical issues like out-of-control inflation and rising energy prices."
Keeler added: "He'll continue communicating with those he serves in as many ways as possible and as efficiently as possible to reach as many folks as possible while being mindful that these are taxpayer dollars. His congressional office has returned over $780,000 to the U.S. Treasury over the last five years."
Louis Lyras of Campbell, Johnson's Democratic challenger in the general election, called the ads "free advertising. Well, it's not free because it's taxpayer money. It gives him an unfair advantage. He's got this additional air time, and I've got to watch my budget. Any mailings or advertising with taxpayer money is to his advantage. I don't like it, but it is what it is."
TIM RYAN
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, who is running for the Senate, hasn't aired any official congressional office radio commercials.
So far this year, Ryan's office has spent $5,225 on online ads, said Caty Payette, his spokeswoman.
The online ads, which are about three minutes long compared with the 30-second radio commercials, have women talking about Ryan's constituent services.
Ryan doesn't appear in either ad.
Vincent Peterson II, a community liaison in his Warren office and the Democratic nominee in the 64th Ohio House District, is featured in one and Jason Miller, a community liaison in his Akron office, is in the other.
In one ad, a Trumbull County woman laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic talks about her troubles getting unemployment insurance until she called Ryan's office and Peterson helped her.
"Tim Ryan being our congressman, he was able to help me get that issue resolved within a couple of weeks," she said.
In the other ad, a Summit County woman whose husband, a Marine, died from drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., talks about getting letters from an Akron hospital mistakenly billing her for years for $6,400 in medical fees and Ryan's office, through Miller, successfully got it reduced to $250.
"The needs and well-being of the hardworking people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District continue to be Congressman Ryan's top priority," Payette said. "That is why the congressman and his staff continue to use the most effective tools at our disposal to connect with northeast Ohioans where they're at -- whether in-person or online -- and ensure they know where to access all the federal resources available to them."