Blue 812 News Issue 17

Apr 20, 2025

Indiana U.S. Sen. Todd Young stopped in Bloomington on Tuesday, where he shared what he wants from the Trump administration on tariffs and how he feels about DOGE. He chose his words carefully during his address at the Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event, while over 100 protestors gathered outside. When asked about his views on DOGE making cuts to federal programs, Young responded “There aren’t many things that I’ve encountered since I’ve been an elected official that are more popular among my constituents than DOGE,” as scattered boos emerged from the crowd. At one point during the interview, when anti-Young protesters chanting outside could be heard in the ballroom, he remarked, “That’s the sound of freedom.” For now, Todd. Read more at Indiana Public Media

In a surprise to absolutely no one in the 8th district, Messmer has no apparent plans for public events during the current two-week recess. If not holding town halls were the only accessibility issue swirling around Messmer, he wouldn't be so unusual among House Republicans, but Messmer also has refused to speak to the Courier & Press, which serves by far the largest county (Vanderburgh) in his 21-county district. Why? He sent the newspaper an email saying it reported he didn't debate his 2024 election opponents when he did.

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On Wednesday, state leaders received an updated revenue forecast projecting near-zero revenue growth over the next two years - showing just 0.8% growth in FY 2026 and 0.1% in FY 2027, a $2.4 billion decline from previous projections, largely due to economic uncertainty and tariffs. This will significantly constrain state budget negotiations, especially as Medicaid costs are projected to rise by $1.2 billion over the biennium. Now lawmakers are trying to cut $2 billion from the budget they just wrote before Sine Die on April 29 ― though they've originally been planning to try to adjourn by April 24 ― or, perhaps, find new revenue.

Budget architects Sen. Ryan Mishler and Rep. Jeff Thompson have said “everything is on the table” when it comes to potential cuts. However, it doesn't appear that they are considering legalizing cannabis to offer a new revenue stream, something that brought Illinois checks google … $2 billion in tax revenue in 2024. Huh. That’s a neat number. Anyway… the shortfall is especially grim news for Indiana, as so much of our employment is centered around manufacturing. According to Axios, "if sky-high tariff rates remain in place, many U.S. companies and industries will no longer be able to compete in China's market, putting thousands of Hoosier jobs at risk." Hoosiers already earn lower-than-average wages but pay above-average for healthcare. In this equation, the loss of jobs would prove disastrous to working families.

Trump administration officials RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz were in Indianapolis on Tuesday to help Braun announce a flurry of executive orders with the goal to "Make Indiana Healthy Again." The “Make Indiana Healthy Again” initiative includes nine executive orders, with almost half focused on SNAP.

Hoosier ghouls in attendance Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, and former Attorney General Curtis Hill cheered when Braun announced that he would ask the federal government to ban SNAP recipients from buying soda and candy.

But the SNAP changes Braun is seeking go beyond that: including requiring supervised job searches and workforce training for everyone on SNAP, even if they're exempt from federal work requirements for another reason, like taking care of a young child.

The other executive orders cover a wide range of topics, including access to local food, diet-related chronic disease, and transparency related to food dyes and additives. One focuses on student health by establishing a fitness test and fitness month for Indiana schools.

For some Hoosiers, healthy choices can be inaccessible due to food deserts, high costs and lack of time to invest in a healthier lifestyle, but these executive orders don’t address the issue of affordability.

The initiative also included an executive order on Medicaid, largely duplicating the Senate GOP’s priority legislation on the program, Senate Bill 2. Braun said he expects that measure to reach his desk, likely this week.

“Today, Indiana’s governor stood beside a health secretary with a professional record of spreading vaccine misinformation — during an active measles outbreak even in Indiana — and claimed the state was taking bold steps to improve public health,” State Senator Shelli Yoder said, continuing on to note that the restrictions on Medicaid and SNAP based on fraud and abuse shouldn’t be positioned as public health issues; they are “political talking points used to justify cruelty.”

Corrine Straight did an explainer video on MIHA and Hoosier Health Matters broke the EOs down on their most recent episode.

The Senate GOP’s overhaul of Indiana's Medicaid expansion received final approval from lawmakers Thursday, now heading to the governor’s desk — despite concerns it could result in people losing coverage.

Lawmakers said their main focus with Senate Enrolled Act 2 was “right-sizing” the Healthy Indiana Plan, or HIP. Among other things, SEA 2 reintroduces Indiana’s previously halted work reporting requirements. While GOP lawmakers like Sen. Garten mockingly state the work requirements won’t affect the majority of HIP participants who are already working, Medicaid experts said the reporting requirements usually lead to people losing coverage, even if they meet the requirements. One expert said the requirements don’t encourage more workforce participation; they require additional paperwork for something Medicaid members are likely already doing.

The bill also requires the Family and Social Services Administration secretary to limit enrollment based on how many people can be covered by the funding sources available for the plan. Even with higher-than-expected enrollment, the HIP program has never exceeded its funding sources, according to FSSA’s monthly financial reporting. Indiana is responsible for 10 percent of the cost of the HIP program, but it doesn’t actually pay that cost. Instead, 90 percent of the state’s portion is covered by a fee paid by hospitals and the rest is covered by cigarette taxes. Read more at Indiana Public Media.

Statehouse scuttlebutt says this will be the last week of the legislative session! Some bills are in conference committee right now, which is an extra step assigned to bills when the changes made to the bill by the opposite chamber were rejected by the original. It's the last chance for legislators to make improvements on bills. Unfortunately, it's also where sneaky changes are made to bills last minute, behind closed doors and away from public input.

Some significant pieces of fought-over legislation are now the law of the land with Braun's signature last week:

On their way to Braun’s desk:

What died this year? Bills on immigration, public school chaplains and more.

Here are some of the bills on the conference committee schedule for Monday, April 21. Contact the two legislators listed for each bill to share your comments.

These are just some of the bills scheduled for upcoming action this week. View more bills and the latest schedule at madvoters.org.

President Biden’s clemency has come at a cost for the inmates formerly on death row at Terre Haute’s federal penitentiary. Twenty-one former death row prisoners at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute are suing Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to block their possible relocation to a high-security facility in Colorado, alleging that the Trump administration is seeking to punish 37 former death row prisoners who received clemency from former president Joe Biden.

Many of the prisoners whose death sentences were overturned say they’ve never been deemed a risk to prison staff or fellow inmates, yet they are being routinely recommended for relocation at ADX in Florence, Colorado. The prison in rural Colorado is considered the most secure in the United States, where prisoners considered too dangerous for standard incarceration are held. Read more at Indiana Public Media

Governor Braun and the Indiana Department of Transportation have announced that the Community Crossings matching grant will be giving out more than $200 million to be used in local road and bridge construction projects. Vigo County will receive $749,799.61 of the $200 million, which is split across 245 cities, towns, and counties throughout Indiana. Read more here.

Let’s contact Senator Van Hollen to thank him for going to El Salvador and fighting for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release.

Some office numbers are (202) 224-4654 or (667) 212-4610 or (301) 545-1500 or (410) 221-2074. You can also send him a thank you card at: 730 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.

You can say something like:

I want to thank the Senator for traveling to El Salvador and visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I am horrified by what’s happening to him—and to countless others like him—and we need this kind of action to draw attention to it. I will never forget what the Senator has done this week; he will go down in history as a man of enormous courage and patriotism. Thanks.

Climate change is not waiting around for America to get its act together. An app put out by Climate Action Now has actions that we can do in minutes to help save the environment. This is even more crucial in the wake of Trump’s efforts to turn back much of what has already been done. Let’s download this app on our Apple and Android phones and start using it.

Indivisible Wabash Valley has launched a calendar for the Southern Indiana/Wabash Valley area

***don’t forget to check out the Nasty Women events calendar!***

Friday, April 25th, 5pm: Vigo Dems ‘event’

Monday, April 28th, 7pm: Citizen’s Call: Understanding Federal Agencies and DOGE at Central Christian Church, 4950 Wabash Ave. More info on Facebook.

Tuesday, May 6th, 6 pm: Interested in running for office? The Vigo Dems will be hosting a candidate training session May 6, 2025. Please RSVP by 5/1/2025 to [email protected].

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can’t move ahead with plans to fire almost everyone at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. That’s good for anyone who hates Elon Musk, and doesn’t like being ripped off by major corporations.

During an end-of-session House Judiciary hearing, committee members added amendment #6, creating the potential for a Class C misdemeanor for using public property for purposes of sleeping or camping, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. BUT the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition coordinated a 'Zombie Legislation Action Alert' that ultimately led to thousands of emails and calls to get rid of this amendment, and the people power worked (for now) in defeating this dangerous legislation. Maintain continued vigilance for additional attempts to sneak that language in elsewhere!

The Oregon Zoo welcomed a new baby elephant. See it in all its wobbly glory here.

Trump's time in the White House runs out in:

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