Just before state lawmakers started debating the budget, Gov. John Kasich wasn’t saying much, though he made it clear he was in the Statehouse waiting to get that spending plan.
Kasich invited reporters into his office to see he was meeting with leaders of Ohio’s auto, property and life insurance companies to talk about jobs in that industry – but he wouldn’t talk about the budget. “I’m not commenting on anything – forget it. We’ve got the House and the Senate voting today. We’ll have plenty to say when the time is right,” Kasich said.
Kasich’s staff and lawyers will need time to go through the budget before he vetoes or signs anything, so the signing could happen almost at the deadline at midnight Friday. Since Kasich has talked extensively about how Medicaid expansion has been helping with the state’s opioid crisis, the Medicaid expansion enrollment freeze for next year that’s in the final budget is considered a likely veto target.