(Indianapolis, IN) – Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder delivered a rebuttal to Gov. Mike Braun’s State of the State address Wednesday night.
Yoder says she welcomes the governor’s stated focus on affordability but criticized what she called a year of policy decisions that have failed to deliver real relief for Hoosier families.
“Affordability is not a slogan. It is a test of how leadership serves the people,” Yoder said. “If policies were working, Hoosiers would feel it. Right now, they don’t.”
Yoder says Braun’s agenda echoed long-standing Democratic priorities, including addressing medical debt, housing costs and utility bills, but questioned why the governor didn’t take responsibility for the Hoosier affordability crisis built on 20 years of Republican control.
“Agreement is welcome,” Yoder said. “But agreement without urgency is just a press release. Hoosiers have been living this affordability crisis for years.”
In her remarks, Yoder said families across Indiana are facing child care center closings, rising housing and utility costs, and continued barriers to affordable health care. She pointed to Braun-directed cuts to child care funding and reimbursement rates as decisions that directly contributed to growing child care deserts and workforce disruptions.
“You cannot claim to support workers and the economy while dismantling the system that allows parents to go to work,” Yoder said.
Yoder also directly challenged the governor’s public safety claims, pointing to Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), signed into law last year, which reduced revenue available to local governments.
“Public safety is not a talking point. It’s whether help arrives when someone calls 911,” Yoder said. “SEA 1 cut funding that cities and towns rely on for police, firefighters and emergency medical response. No matter how it’s framed, that undermined public safety.”
Yoder emphasized that Hoosiers believe in the rule of law, accountability and due process, but warned that fiscal choices must align with those values.
“You cannot claim public safety as a priority while weakening the very services that keep communities safe,” she said.
Yoder also said that Braun’s embrace of affordability rhetoric reflects years of unmet need under one-party control at the Statehouse.
“After 20 years of Republican control, Indiana is in an affordability crisis,” Yoder said. “Hoosiers don’t care who gets credit. They care who gets results.”
Yoder closed by urging the administration and legislative leaders to move beyond messaging and deliver measurable relief for working families.
“Hoosiers are doing everything right, and yet still fall behind” Yoder said. “They deserve leadership that
Yoder (D-Bloomington) represents Senate District 40, which includes the majority of Monroe County along with the Indiana University-Bloomington Campus.
