A number of Turner’s projects for 2026 are repeats from last year, focused on a series of economic development projects in the region.
His plans include $3 million for Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, $2 million for the Wright Dunbar development project and $1 million to build senior housing at the Dayton Veteran Affairs Medical Center, among millions of dollars for other local projects.
Happening in southwest Ohio:
• WPAFB: Turner told members of the Dayton Defense industry group recently that he was able to secure waivers that protect the jobs of probationary-status civilian federal government employees at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. What remains to be seen, however, is how many Wright-Patterson civilians have opted to take advantage of Trump administration incentives to retire early or leave their positions.
• Town halls: While Turner spoke to members of the Dayton Defense trade group within the DoubleTree by Hilton, a crowd of about 40 people outside urged the congressman to speak with constituents in public town hall meetings. “He’s never held a town hall, and we have questions. I think he owes us some answers,” said one Oakwood resident picketing on Presidential Drive and Center Park Boulevard.
• Medicaid and federal clinics: President Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes changes to work requirements and increased frequency of Medicaid redetermination, which are checks to ensure an individual still qualifies for the program. Some federally qualified health clinics, like Rocking Horse Center in Springfield, foresee an increase in uncompensated or uninsured patient care. Clinics of this kind can hardly ever turn away patients due to federal law.
• Marijuana reclassification: The Trump administration says it will consider reclassifying marijuana on the federal level. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, putting it on par, legally, with heroin, LSD, quaaludes, ecstasy and other substances. A Dayton-area dispensary said a change in classification wouldn’t legalize cannabis nationally, but it could open opportunities for cannabis businesses to access banking services and have some tax benefits that would lower their high tax rate.
• Butler County ICE: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has agreed to give Butler County a legal opinion on whether it is proper for the sheriff to house ICE detainees long-term who have only been civilly charged in the jail. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser has said the mass effort on the part of the federal government to rid the U.S. of people in this country illegally, whether they have a criminal record or not, could have serious legal and liability ramifications for the county.
Other federal updates
• D.C. shutdown: Trump this week announced he’s taking over Washington D.C.’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling in the nation’s capital. The president said he was declaring a public safety emergency and his administration would be removing homeless encampments in an effort to “take our Capitol back.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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