Worth remembering: Not a single Indiana Republican supported the American Rescue Plan, despite Statehouse GOP gleefully using its resources
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today called out the Indiana Republican Party for its failure to help the state reach the vaccine goal of 70-percent established by President Joe Biden ahead of the July 4th Independence Day holiday. In fact, Indiana Republicans like Attorney General Todd Rokita and a large majority of Republicans at the statehouse have waged a crusade against public universities – like Indiana University – for asking students and staff to provide vaccine verification ahead of the upcoming 2021 fall semester, a practice established for other vaccine requirements. This kind of extreme partisanship is not only rooted in misinformation, but it’s hurting the future of Indiana in the process.
“Let’s be honest, elected officials in the Indiana Republican Party have largely failed Hoosier families at every stage of this pandemic, and their shallow, cultural crusades – whether it was their opposition to a mask mandate or vaccination requirements – have stalled Indiana from putting COVID-19 in the rearview mirror,” said Lauren Ganapini, executive director for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Luckily, President Joe Biden and Indiana Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan, and it has helped Indiana get shots in arms, relief checks to Hoosiers, and provided many the ability to return to a sense of normalcy not seen since the start of the pandemic. The Indiana Republicans’ extreme partisanship is now sadly having a negative effect as COVID cases are rising with unvaccinated Hoosiers, all of which could have been prevented had the GOP just put their Hoosier common sense ahead of politics.”
Luckily, Indiana Democrats have gotten to work on behalf of Hoosier families and every one of Indiana’s 92 counties. At the peak of the pandemic’s grip, Democrats like U.S. Congressmen André Carson and Frank Mrvan, Jr. helped pass the American Rescue Plan and with it, more than 91-percent of Hoosier adults received a $1,400 relief check, more than $2 billion was sent to schools to keep our kids and educators safe, and about $5.8 billion was provided to help Indiana and its cities and towns recover from the damage COVID-19 brought them. And stateside, Democrats in the Indiana General Assembly secured critical investments to help the state build back better from the pandemic itself. This includes $250 million in broadband internet expansion across the state and $500 million in construction projects.
In contrast, not a single Indiana Republican in the state’s Congressional delegation supported the American Rescue Plan. Not only did Republicans like U.S. Senator Todd Young and Congressman Greg Pence voted against the Rescue Plan, they pulled an about face to celebrate the relief it was bringing to Hoosier families. What’s worse, the Republican supermajority at the Indiana General Assembly issued mailers celebrating the same investments in broadband and construction projects that their Congressional colleagues opposed. Indiana Republicans’ extreme partisanship has no limits, and their attempt to have it both ways will fall short as Hoosiers learn about the Rescue Plan’s good news through the Indiana Democratic Party’s ongoing press tour across Indiana.
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