GOP senator takes aim at blue-city mayor for move promoting foreign workers in key industry: 'Lit on fire'

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) is taking aim at the Democratic mayor of Columbus, Ohio, over a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed with the African nation of Ghana promoting a joint nursing program.

"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 Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday morning, expressing "disappointment" over the MOU in Columbus, the state capital of Ohio.

"But this figure is only a fraction of the approximately $8.3 million in taxpayer dollars you have lit on fire to benefit noncitizens and foreign governments since you were elected as mayor."

Moreno’s criticism comes after the city and Ghanaian officials signed a memorandum of understanding in September establishing the Ghana-Columbus Nursing Partnership Programme. The agreement is intended to strengthen nursing education, expand workforce development and create legal pathways for qualified Ghanaian nurses to enter Ohio’s healthcare workforce.

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Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno repeatedly pressed a former Biden adviser on whether illegal immigration is a crime in a heated hearing. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Moreno argued that the agreement could result in American nurses being replaced by lower-cost foreign labor and said public funds should instead be used to expand enrollment and training capacity at Ohio colleges and universities.

"You were elected to serve the citizens of Columbus, not the citizens of Ghana," Moreno wrote. "Increasing publicly subsidized foreign nursing recruitment programs will likely negatively impact American nurses’ wages. These funds should be invested directly in Ohio nursing students and utilized to expand Ohio’s universities and colleges nursing programs’ capacity. I recommend you implement policies that invest public funds in American nurses."

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Mayor of Columbus, Ohio Andrew J. Ginther delivers remarks during the NCAA Football Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium on January 26, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

The partnership between Ghana and Columbus has been widely blasted by conservatives on social media in recent weeks, with many arguing that American citizens should fill those jobs.

"Why aren’t our tax dollars funding nursing scholarships and careers for Ohioans instead?" Attorney and GOP strategist Mehek Cooke posted on X in response to reporting from journalist Natalie Winters. "Stop sidelining Americans with OUR money."

"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," policy analyst Parker Thayer posted on X. "And now the mayor of Columbus wants more nurses from Ghana.'

The $225,000 referenced in Moreno’s letter was approved by Columbus City Council as a 2026 general fund grant to Greater Columbus Sister Cities International. The ordinance says the money is intended to support business, government, cultural, educational and environmental exchanges among Columbus’ 10 sister cities, including Accra, Ghana, as well as the organization’s staffing and administrative costs.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ginther’s office for comment.

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"Ghana has made significant investment in training nursing professionals who can migrate legally to enter a ready market in Columbus," Ginther said during the signing ceremony, according to a press release from the government of Ghana.

The press release added that Ghanaian officials "emphasized that the agreement extends far beyond simple labor migration and stated that the MoU serves as a strategic platform for: mutual skills transfer between medical professionals, institutional strengthening for healthcare facilities, joint research collaborations and health innovations and global improvement of patient health outcomes."

Moreno wrote that he hopes the mayor will "reallocate public dollars toward expanding enrollment and training capacity at area colleges and universities, which would generate additional high-earning job opportunities for younger generations in our community and improve patient care."