INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) released the following statement on behalf of the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus after the state announced it will once again opt out of the federal SUN Bucks program.

“Hoosier families are being stretched thin in every direction. Groceries cost more. Utilities cost more. Housing costs more. Parents are making hard choices every day just to keep food on the table. In moments like this, government should be stepping up, not stepping away.

“That is why it is unacceptable that Indiana is again refusing to participate in the federally funded SUN Bucks program, which helped feed more than 600,000 Hoosier children during the summer of 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Hoosiers did not quietly accept this decision. Parents, hunger advocates, educators, and communities across Indiana spoke out loudly because they saw firsthand that the program worked. Kids ate. Families had relief. Local businesses benefited. The need did not disappear, but the help did.

“Instead of listening, state leaders have offered shifting explanations. Last year, they blamed the previous administration. This year, they say Indiana cannot afford the administrative costs, even as new revenue forecasts show a multibillion-dollar surplus and reserves far beyond what the state typically maintains.

“Hoosiers understand budgets. They balance them every month, every day. And they know that when billions are available in a budget surplus, refusing modest administrative costs to unlock federal dollars that Hoosiers have already paid for through their taxes is not a money problem. It is a values problem.

“SUN Bucks was not complicated. It did not raise taxes. It did not expand government. It simply made sure children did not go hungry when school was out, using federal dollars Indiana families already paid into.

“With the application deadline tomorrow, this is the moment for leadership. If state leaders care about affordability, about working families and about kids not going hungry in the summer, they should figure it out. Other states have. Indiana can too.

“Budgets reflect values. Senate Democrats believe feeding children and listening to Hoosiers should never be optional. We are calling on the Braun administration to act now, meet the deadline and commit to participating in the SUN Bucks program.”