Ohio Senator Criticizes Columbus Mayor Over Nursing Partnership With Ghana

Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has criticized Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, a Democrat, over an agreement with Ghana that promotes a joint nursing program. Moreno laid out his objections in a letter to the mayor sent Wednesday morning, in which he expressed "disappointment" over the arrangement.

The city and Ghanaian officials signed a memorandum of understanding in September that created the Ghana-Columbus Nursing Partnership Programme. The agreement aims to strengthen nursing education, expand workforce development and create legal pathways for qualified Ghanaian nurses to join Ohio's healthcare workforce.

"Instead of investing in Ohio's domestic workforce, you and the Columbus City Council chose to direct $225,000 in public dollars towards recruiting nurses from overseas," Moreno wrote. He added that the figure is only a fraction of roughly $8.3 million in taxpayer money that he said Ginther has "lit on fire" to benefit noncitizens and foreign governments since being elected mayor.

Moreno argued the program could lead to American nurses being replaced by cheaper foreign labor. "You were elected to serve the citizens of Columbus, not the citizens of Ghana," he wrote, warning that publicly subsidized foreign recruitment would likely hurt the wages of American nurses. He urged the mayor to put the money into Ohio nursing students and to expand capacity at the state's universities and colleges.

The $225,000 cited in the letter was approved by the Columbus City Council as a 2026 general fund grant to Greater Columbus Sister Cities International. According to the ordinance, the money is meant to support business, government, cultural, educational and environmental exchanges among the city's 10 sister cities, which include Accra, Ghana. It also covers the organization's staffing and administrative costs.

The partnership has drawn sharp criticism from conservatives on social media in recent weeks, with many saying Americans should fill the jobs. Attorney and Republican strategist Mehek Cooke asked on X why tax dollars were not funding nursing scholarships and careers for Ohioans instead. Policy analyst Parker Thayer also posted on X, pointing to a homecare nurse from Ghana who allegedly stole millions from Medicaid earlier this year and fled back to Ghana.

Ginther spoke at the signing ceremony, according to a press release from the government of Ghana. "Ghana has made significant investment in training nursing professionals who can migrate legally to enter a ready market in Columbus," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office for comment.

The Ghanaian press release said officials stressed that the agreement goes well beyond labor migration. They described it as a strategic platform for mutual skills transfer between medical professionals, institutional strengthening for healthcare facilities, joint research collaborations and health innovations, and improved patient health outcomes worldwide.

Moreno said he hopes the mayor will redirect public money toward expanding enrollment and training capacity at area colleges and universities. In his view, that would create more high-earning job opportunities for younger generations in the community and improve patient care.