Porter comments on Gov. Braun’s budget proposal

Today, Jan. 16, Gov. Mike Braun's team presented his “Freedom and Opportunity” budget proposal to the State Budget Committee (SBC). 

State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement on the proposed budget:

“I’ll give him credit where it’s due. There are a couple of things he proposed that House Democrats support. He wants to put an end to the IEDC’s blank check by not re-upping two of their funds and eliminating the other two. I’ve abstained from voting to confirm the SBC agenda multiple times due to millions of dollars in non-transparent IEDC requests. I’m supportive of fully funding the 76,000 children on the waitlist for the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF).

“But a majority of his budget, I cannot and will not support. By ‘doing more with less,’ spending will be cut for programs Hoosiers desperately need. There was no school funding formula, and his proposed $9 billion would not cover a 2% increase for K-12 education. He wants to cut our grants for public health, flat-line food banks and CHOICE and cut each agency by 5% with no exemptions. We’re not renewing the READI grants which helped fund vital infrastructure and public works in our rural communities. It sounds like we’re doing less with less. 

“Under this budget, Indiana will continue to be among the worst states for quality of life. We will continue to prioritize tax cuts for the wealthy over the needs of the middle and working class. It doesn’t matter if we live in a low-tax state if you can’t afford a house or find a job to be taxed on. 

“I’m not in the interest of cutting spending simply because of sentiment on Capitol Hill when Indiana is doing leaps and bounds better with positive revenue growth and a robust surplus. Our social programs, like Medicaid, are growing in enrollment because Hoosiers need them. We can craft a budget that provides for our communities while still being fiscally responsible.”