Indiana lawmakers react to 'Big, Beautiful Bill' passing

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After a six-month battle to get the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" onto the President's desk by July 4, House Republicans passed the GOP spending bill by a margin of four votes Thursday.




A statement from Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Indiana) emphasized how the bill delivers many of President Trump's key campaign promises:




"Today is a major victory for our country. The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers on the promises made to the 77 million Americans who voted for bold change. It is the most pro-growth, pro-worker, pro-business, pro-family, and pro-America legislation of our generation. From making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, to eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, securing the border, unleashing American energy, modernizing our air traffic control system, cutting red tape for small businesses, boosting Made in America manufacturing, and achieving the largest reduction in federal spending in history, this bill puts America First. I am proud to keep delivering for Hoosiers as we work with President Trump to make America great again."




Democrats have warned that the bill could result in millions of people, including a quarter of a million Hoosiers, losing their healthcare coverage.




"It's a crime scene going after the health and the safety and the well-being of the American people," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during an eight-and-a-half-hour rebuke of the bill.




In a statement following the vote, Rep. André Carson (D-Indiana) released the following statement:




"After over 24 hours of votes, the American people lost and billionaires won. House Republicans voted to give more tax breaks to billionaires while slashing Medicaid, Medicare, & food stamps for regular people. To all who voted for this cruel bill: you are hurting your own constituents. We won't forget."




While many Republicans said the bill delivers the biggest spending reduction in U.S. history, some questioned whether many people will be kicked off their healthcare plans.




"The Democrat talking points that they have done a good job of trying to scare people that people are going to lose their health insurance," Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) said. "I just don't think that it's as realistic as what they'd like to say."




Rep. Stutzman released the following statement shortly after the vote:




"The bill that passed the House today was a Big Beautiful Start to codifying Trump's America First Agenda. I voted for this bill to lower taxes for the American people. I voted for this bill to make our country safer by building the Golden Dome and securing our borders. I voted for this bill to counter the Green New Scam that stands in the way of productivity in northeast Indiana's manufacturing and agricultural sectors. This bill was not perfect, but it gives all Americans a fresh start by curbing the last 4 years of disaster under Joe Biden. Republicans must continue to unite and continue to Make America Great Again!"




Rep. Jim Baird (R-Indiana) echoed his colleague's sentiment while addressing concerns over the Congressional Budget Office's numbers pertaining to Medicaid cuts:




"After months of hard work and thoughtful deliberation, I was proud to vote for the One Big, Beautiful Bill and help send it to President Trump's desk. This includes much-needed tax relief for the American people. This bill delivers the largest tax cut in American history for workers, families, and seniors by ending taxes on tips and overtime for millions of workers and slashing taxes on Social Security. It also makes a generational investment in Rural America by expanding crop insurance, strengthening biosecurity measures, and boosting investment in the farm safety net, and it prevents a Death Tax increase that would devastate thousands of family farms in Indiana's Fourth Congressional District. On top of these monumental wins, the One Big Beautiful Bill invests in our border security to deliver the most secure border on record and delivers on President Trump's successful foreign policy of peace through strength.
 
"There has been a lot of misleading information on this bill. This legislation strengthens federal programs for those who truly need them and enacts common-sense work requirements that a majority of Americans support. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score assumes an incorrect baseline that simply does not reflect current policy. In reality, the One Big Beautiful Bill reduces the deficit, marking a long-overdue return to fiscal sanity in Washington.
 
"This bill ultimately fulfills many of the promises made to the American people. As we celebrate Independence Day and the birth of our nation, I am pleased to deliver these significant wins that ensure America truly remains the greatest country in history."




During an FSSA Medicaid Advisory Committee meeting held on June 17, FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob warned that Indiana would need to significantly roll back eligibility for the Healthy Indiana plan-a state Medicaid plan that covers Hoosiers ages 19-64.




"Candidly, we don't have the general revenue fund dollars necessary to make up the difference," Secretary Roob said. "If that were to pass, we're going to have some very difficult conversations to have in the coming legislative sessions."




According to Rep. Carson, 125,000 Hoosiers losing Medicaid coverage could also put many smaller hospitals at risk.




"Our hospitals rely on Medicaid," Rep. Carson said. "Our emergency rooms rely on Medicaid to stay open. With these cuts, hospitals, especially rural hospitals in the state of Indiana, are at risk of closing."




In a letter to President Trump sent by four Senate Democrats before the vote, at least 12 rural Indiana hospitals could close or scale back services if the bill passes.




"It could be the case that in some communities in Indiana, patients have to drive for at least one hour or two hours to get to the closest hospital system," State Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis) said.




But some hospitals on that list said they shouldn't have been on it. A statement from Community Hospital of Bremen President David Bailey reads as follows:




"Community Hospital of Bremen leadership wants to reassure our community that the hospital is not at risk of closing. The data used as a basis for the media report is from the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. In that report, Bremen was identified as a hospital that had, at one time, three consecutive years of negative total margin. Bremen is not seeing a continued negative margin and is not at risk of closure. The hospital has not experienced financial distress since it joined Beacon Health System in 2018.




"Our teams take pride in providing exceptional care for patients and are committed to serving our community today and well into the future."




A statement from Indiana Hospital Association President Scott B. Tittle reads:




"Throughout the reconciliation process, IHA urged Congress to restore the original House-passed language that better protected access to care in our communities. Yet we are deeply disappointed in the bill that ultimately passed and what it will mean for the health of our state.




"IHA is greatly concerned about the long-term impacts of the Medicaid cuts on all Indiana hospitals, including our rural hospitals, in which 27% are operating at a loss. While we are not aware of any hospitals that are planning to close at this time, the financial strain for many of Indiana's hospitals is very real and will only be exacerbated by these drastic cuts to Medicaid that will be felt by every Hoosier, regardless of their medical coverage.




"Indiana is projected to lose an estimated $31 billion over the next decade, the seventh-highest total dollar impact across the nation. As a result, Indiana's hospitals will see $12.7 billion in cuts, even lower Medicaid reimbursement, and a sharp increase in uncompensated care. This will unfortunately lead to hospitals cutting services that patients depend on, increased wait times in emergency departments and for standard procedures, potential layoffs, or closing facilities altogether.




"Despite these significant challenges, Indiana hospitals remain committed to working with federal and state officials and fulfilling our mission to serve the health needs of Hoosier patients."




President Trump plans to sign the bill ceremonially on July 4.



via: https://fox59.com/news/politics/indiana-lawmakers-react-to-big-beautiful-bill-passing/