Robert E. Latta dossier →

• In-person town halls and direct constituent accessibility in OH-05 — spanning over a decade of documented refusals 3694 days silent
  Expected position: As the representative of a district spanning 12 counties with a 7.8% poverty rate and significant reliance on Medicaid and SNAP, Latta would be expected to hold in-person town halls to engage constituents on the OBBB's healthcare cuts, DOGE-related federal spending reductions, and the impact on rural Ohio communities. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: Latta has refused to hold in-person town halls for at least a decade. On March 25, 2025, nearly 200 constituents gathered in Norwalk for a town hall — Latta's office never responded to multiple invitations. A seat was reserved for him at a table with a microphone and name placard; he was a no-show. On April 11, 2025, his spokesperson stated he 'will not provide a platform for orchestrated disruptions to create media spectacles.' His website shows no district events since 2015. Constituents organized 'Biking with Bob' events to confront him during his Saturday bike rides. The League of Women Voters stated: 'A politician who refuses to listen to their constituents is no representative at all... Not holding these public forums is patently undemocratic.' During this same period, Latta was actively issuing press releases on energy policy, budget reconciliation, and legislative victories, and held telephone town halls with screened questions. Primary URL: https://www.13abc.com/2025/04/11/rep-latta-declines-constituent-led-town-hall-request/
• ideological & single-issue
  Interested donors: Stanley Black & Decker Inc. Political Action Committee
  Stanley Black & Decker Inc. Political Action Committee (amounts: $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: ideological & single-issue
• law & lobbying firms
  Interested donors: Honeywell International PAC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC
  Honeywell International PAC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC (amounts: $8,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: law & lobbying firms
• other / unclassified
  Interested donors: National Confectioners Association Of The United States, Inc. Political Action Committee (, Office Of The Commissioner Of Major League Baseball PAC, Ice Miller PAC, Oklo Inc. PAC
  National Confectioners Association Of The United States, Inc. Political Action Committee (, Office Of The Commissioner Of Major League Baseball PAC, Ice Miller PAC, Oklo Inc. PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $6,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: other / unclassified
• other candidates' committees
  Interested donors: Huck PAC
  Huck PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: other candidates' committees
• colleagues' leadership pacs
  Interested donors: Jobs Opportunity Now PAC, Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Cmr Political Action Committee, Bringing Republican Excellence To Town PAC (Brettpac), Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Buckeye Liberty PAC
  Jobs Opportunity Now PAC, Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Cmr Political Action Committee, Bringing Republican Excellence To Town PAC (Brettpac), Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Buckeye Liberty PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: colleagues' leadership pacs
• corporate pacs, industry unlisted
  Interested donors: The Lubrizol Corporation Employees PAC, Oklo Inc. PAC, United States Cellular Corporation PAC, Boehringer Ingelheim PAC, Vmware, Inc. Political Action Committee (Vmware PAC), Transcanada USA Services PAC, Ericsson Inc. U.S. Employees Political Action Committee ('Ericsson PAC'), Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. PAC
  The Lubrizol Corporation Employees PAC, Oklo Inc. PAC, United States Cellular Corporation PAC, Boehringer Ingelheim PAC, Vmware, Inc. Political Action Committee (Vmware PAC), Transcanada USA Services PAC, Ericsson Inc. U.S. Employees Political Action Committee ('Ericsson PAC'), Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. PAC (amounts: $9,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $6,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $6,000 (2024), $6,000 (2024)) — interest area: corporate pacs, industry unlisted

• H.R. 1 ↗ YEA 2025-07-03
  One Big Beautiful Bill Act — On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment and Final Passage
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Latta's Yea vote (218-214) is the defining vote of his 18-year congressional career. As Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of Energy & Commerce, he was a key advocate for the bill's energy provisions, celebrating the markup that would 'prioritize American energy dominance.' He framed the vote as delivering tax relief and addressing the national debt — a characterization contradicted by the CBO's projection of $3-4 trillion in deficit expansion. His district's 7.8% poverty rate, $71,027 median income, and heavy reliance on Medicaid expansion (Ohio expanded under the ACA) made the bill's $930 billion in Medicaid cuts particularly impactful. His top donors — Marathon Petroleum ($140,683), oil & gas industry ($634,941), and electric utilities ($544,006) — strongly supported the bill's energy deregulation. The AFL-CIO scored his vote against working people. A constituent wrote in BG Independent Media that Latta 'has not told his constituents why it was so important to give the very wealthiest Americans one trillion dollars in income tax savings.' Latta also voted Yea on first passage on May 22, 2025, and Yea on the budget reconciliation rule vote.
• H.R. 1628 ↗ YEA 2017-05-04
  American Health Care Act of 2017 — On Passage (Repeal of the Affordable Care Act)
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Latta voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which had extended coverage to over 20 million Americans. During this period, constituents 'reached out to Latta's office on multiple occasions asking for a traditional town hall to talk health care but heard nothing back.' His hometown newspaper headlined: 'Latta missing in action as citizens demand town hall.' The BG Independent Media reported that Latta held 'poorly publicized telephone town halls where calls can be screened so as not to include anything we actually are demanding accountability on.' This vote, combined with his refusal to engage constituents on healthcare, established the pattern of ducking in-person forums while voting for major healthcare cuts that has continued through his OBBB vote.

No documented broken promises on file.

• statement_vs_disclosure SCORE 90
  Latta's press release claimed the OBBB would 'strengthen Medicaid,' while CBO projections showed approximately $930 billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years. His district's 7.8% poverty rate and significant rural population reliant on Medicaid expansion make the framing of the bill as Medicaid-protective directly misleading. Constituents at town halls Latta refused to attend cited Medicaid cuts among their top concerns.
• platform_vs_vote SCORE 90
  Latta built a decades-long brand as a 'Watchdog of the Treasury' fiscal conservative who voted for Balanced Budget Amendments in 2011, 2018, and 2026. He then voted for the OBBB, which the CBO found would add $3-4 trillion to the deficit — the very outcome his entire political identity was constructed to oppose. Voting to constitutionally require balanced budgets while simultaneously supporting the most deficit-expanding legislation of the Trump era is a foundational fiscal contradiction.
• statement_vs_disclosure SCORE 90
  Latta publicly framed the OBBB as addressing the national debt and cutting wasteful spending, while the nonpartisan CBO projected it would add $3-4 trillion to the deficit. His claim that the bill moves 'one step closer to cutting wasteful spending' is directly contradicted by independent fiscal analysis showing the bill significantly expands — not reduces — the national debt.
• statement_vs_disclosure SCORE 60
  Latta celebrated broadband funding he voted against. The Ohio Democratic Party documented he 'voted against The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which made the funding possible' while simultaneously issuing a press release celebrating the investment. This is a classic 'vote no and take the dough' pattern — opposing legislation then claiming credit for its local benefits.