INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) issued the following statement Thursday following the final passage of the federal “Big Betrayal Bill.” 

“This bill is the largest transfer of wealth from working families to the ultra-wealthy in American history. It’s not just a betrayal in Washington — it’s a betrayal here at home,” said Yoder. 

“Indiana Republicans had every warning. They chose to do nothing. Now Hoosiers are left to face the consequences,” Yoder stated. 

By the numbers: What the Big Betrayal Bill does 

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office: 

  • Increases the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next decade 
  • Imposes the largest reduction of federal entitlement programs in U.S. history 
  • Creates the largest transfer of wealth from working families to the wealthy 

What this means for Indiana: 

  • Medicaid service fees of up to $35 per visit will discourage low-income Hoosiers from seeking care for critical health services, especially in rural communities 
  • Patients delaying treatment will worsen health outcomes — driving up costs for Indiana’s Medicaid system 
  • Rural providers will see fewer patients and will lose essential revenue 
  • Changes to SNAP (food assistance) will cost Indiana an estimated $190 million per year, with further increases expected if the state’s payment error rate rises 
  • New red tape and work requirements will push thousands of Hoosiers off health care and food support — even if they still qualify 

 

“This is a double hit,” Yoder said. “People are being pushed out of care and off food assistance — and at the same time, strapped with more national debt. That’s not policy. That’s cruelty disguised as budgeting.” 

Shifting Wealth 

This bill doesn’t just shift costs — it shifts the ground beneath everyday Hoosier families. It rattles the foundation of how we care for one another, how we keep the lights on in rural hospitals and how we put food on the table. 

And for what? 

Not to save money — the national debt will rise by $3.4 trillion. Not to help families — more than 600,000 Hoosiers stand to lose food or health coverage. Not to strengthen Indiana. 

  • SNAP assistance: gone 
  • Medicaid services: gone 
  • Hospitals receiving essential funding to function: gone 

This isn’t fiscal responsibility. It’s economic sabotage — and Hoosier families are the ones left standing in the rubble. 

Senate Democrats are calling on Indiana leadership to hold a public fiscal impact hearing within 30 days to fully assess the consequences of the Big Betrayal Bill. 

The hearing should include testimony from: 

  • The Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) 
  • Indiana Department of Health
  • Office of Management and Budget 
  • Budget analysts and hospital systems 
  • Hoosiers directly affected by Medicaid and SNAP changes 

“We can not go on with business as usual,” said Yoder. “Before another dollar is spent, before another program is cut, Hoosiers deserve a full public accounting of what this bill will cost their families, their communities and their futures. They deserve to understand if and how our state funding priorities will be shifted to address these coming changes.”