Senator Bernie Moreno wrote a sharp letter this Wednesday morning to Mayor Andrew Ginther. The Ohio Republican is angry about a new deal to bring nurses from Ghana to Columbus. He says the city spent $225,000 of public money on this plan instead of training local workers. This figure is just a small part of what the senator calls $8.3 million in wasted funds.
Moreno sent his message after officials signed an agreement in September. The deal sets up a joint nursing program between the city and the African nation. It aims to create legal paths for qualified Ghanaian nurses to work in Ohio. But the senator sees it differently. He wrote that the city chose to recruit overseas instead of investing in Ohio’s own people.
🚨 🚨 Halt the visas tied to this deal @SecRubio.
@MayorGinther thinks Ohio’s nursing shortage can only be solved by Ghana?!
Why aren’t our tax dollars funding nursing scholarships and careers for Ohioans instead?
Stop sidelining Americans with OUR money.
— Mehek Cooke🇺🇸 (@MehekCooke) October 15, 2026
“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 to Ginther, according to Fox News. He expressed deep disappointment over the move. The money went to Greater Columbus Sister Cities International as a 2026 grant. The city council approved the funds for exchanges with ten sister cities.
Moreno argues this partnership could hurt local nurses. He fears American workers might be replaced by cheaper foreign labor. He believes tax dollars should go to expanding nursing schools in the state. The goal is to train more Ohioans for these critical roles. “You were elected to serve the citizens of Columbus, not the citizens of Ghana,” Moreno wrote. He says the plan will likely lower wages for American nurses.
It’s worth noting that earlier this year a homecare nurse from Ghana named Roberta Achampong fled the country back to Ghana after allegedly stealing millions from Medicaid and buying a swanky house and a Porsche.
And now the mayor of Columbus wants more nurses from Ghana.
— Parker Thayer (@ParkerThayer) October 15, 2026
Conservatives on social media have also criticized the deal. Mehek Cooke, an attorney and GOP strategist, asked a simple question on X. Why are tax dollars not supporting nursing scholarships and careers for Ohioans instead. she posted. Others pointed to past issues with foreign workers. Policy analyst Parker Thayer noted a case where a nurse from Ghana allegedly stole millions from Medicaid.
The senator’s letter comes as the city defends the program. The agreement is meant to strengthen nursing education and workforce development. However, Moreno insists the funds should stay home. He recommends the mayor implement policies that invest in American nurses. “Increasing publicly subsidized foreign nursing recruitment programs will likely negatively impact American nurses’ wages,” he stated. He wants to see more support for Ohio colleges and universities.
Ginther has not issued a public response to the letter yet. The city council approved the grant to support business and cultural exchanges. The debate over foreign workers continues to grow in the state. Natalie Winters, a journalist, broke the reporting that sparked this pushback.
