U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson spoke to constituents of Ohio's staunchly conservative Eighth Congressional District Tuesday night, touching on immigration, the economy and the debt ceiling.
As he took questions written on flashcards, Davidson hit a number of political and culture war talking points the GOP has been emphasizing ahead of next year's presidential and congressional elections. The Republican from Sidney discussed impeaching U.S. President Joe Biden over allegations related to corruption, to applause from some in the crowd. He criticized Biden's handling of the economy and immigration and accused Democrats of "weaponizing the federal government."
"Some people have noticed that the Department of Justice isn't really focused on justice," Davidson said, referring to indictments against former President Donald Trump alleging he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Some legal experts have called the case against Trump involving the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol "damning." Trump is also facing indictments in New York, Georgia and Florida.
Davidson also talked about why he's one of only a few members of Congress to have never voted for aid to Ukraine as it tries to fight off Russia's invasion.
"My thing is, we don't get into a war unless we know what the mission is and what the exit strategy is," Davidson said, suggesting Biden's handling of aid to Ukraine was questionable.
Davidson did give Biden credit for working to curb what he called unfair fishing practices by China off the coast of South America. He spoke about voting for the debt ceiling deal in late May, which won Republicans some federal spending caps; but he pledged not to vote for an upcoming congressional budget unless it includes more immigration limits and curbs on the DOJ. That spending legislation must pass before the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
Local questions also popped up, including one from an Okeana resident about solar panels. The clean energy infrastructure has run into opposition from some in Ohio's rural communities.
Davidson pointed to the federal Farm Bill, where he'd like to eliminate federal subsidies for solar panels on farmland.
"I don't think it makes sense to subsidize solar panels period," he said. "Democrats might disagree, but one thing I hope we can find common ground on is that we shouldn't put them on fertile farm ground."
Even as he railed against the indictments against Trump, Davidson praised other contenders for the party's 2024 presidential nomination.
"When it comes to the White House, we've got to retake it," he said. "That's why we have a primary. Donald Trump looks very strong right now in the primary field, but DeSantis is out there, we have an Ohio guy, Vivek Ramaswamy, who's really getting a lot of headlines, Tim Scott and others. So I trust that the people of the GOP will get out, participate in the primaries, and we'll see how it goes."
Davidson has held the district including western Hamilton County, Hamilton and Middletown since 2016, when he won a special election to replace retiring House Speaker John Boehner.