It’s been over a year since President Trump signed the USMCA trade deal with Canada and Mexico, but the bipartisan agreement remains stalled in Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs to bring this bill to the floor for a vote. She herself has said “it’s the easiest trade deal that we’ve ever done,” and “we want to pass this bill.” Passing USMCA is the best thing Congress can do to keep our economy growing and wages rising, and it is especially important to Indiana’s manufacturing workers and farmers.
 
I spoke about the need to pass USMCA during a press conference last week. Click here or the image below to watch the video. And click here for my interview with WLFI.

Constituent Spotlight

Last Friday, I had the honor of meeting Hoosier veteran Dan Riordan during my visit to Operation Combat Bikesaver, a nonprofit organization in Crown Point. Operation Combat Bikesaver enables veterans and first responders to cope with PTSD and depression by refurbishing and rebuilding motorcycles. Dan has been working on his bike for almost a year now and credits the organization for giving him the opportunity to rediscover himself. If you or a veteran you know is in need, learn more about how my office can help here.

Solving the Student Debt Crisis

With countless students across Indiana suffering from unaffordable student loan debt, we need to find a solution. An increasing number of students across America are being drawn to innovative, privately funded, debt-free arrangements known as Income Share Agreements (ISAs).
 
In an op-ed for the Kokomo Tribune I outlined the need for my ISA Student Protection Act, which provides a new financing option for higher education as an alternative to the unworkable free-college proposals from Democrats. ISAs are already up and running in schools across the country, including Kenzie Academy in Indiana.

Beijing is set to host the Olympics in 2022. Before they do, it’s imperative that China adopt the International Olympic Committee’s new Host City contract obligations to ensure human rights are protected and acts of corruption remedied. The whole world will be watching. Click here to learn more.

When we passed tax reform in 2017, I was proud to support the creation of Opportunity Zones, which incentivize new investment in distressed communities across the country. Last week, I helped introduce the IMPACT Act to strengthen Opportunity Zones by increasing transparency within the program and creating metrics to measure and improve on its success.
 
Learn more about how these requirements would assist the more than 8,700 Opportunity Zones across the country.

Keeping Hoosiers Healthy 

A person’s health should not be dependent on where they live or the economic challenges they face. I introduced the bipartisan Social Determinants Accelerator Act to help communities solve challenges such as reliable transportation and affordable housing that negatively impact the health and well-being of our most vulnerable citizens.

Second Annual Federal Contracting Summit

Right now in Indiana, millions of dollars in federal contracts are available to Hoosier business owners. On Friday, I hosted my second annual Federal Contracting Summit to help Hoosier small businesses secure federal contracts.

Read WISH TV’s coverage of the event here: “Business owners learn to navigate red tape for federal contracts”.

 : Photo Review 

For an overview of the past week in photos, click here or the image above.

Social Media Recap 

Join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates. 

Thank you for the continued privilege to serve you in the U.S. Senate. My mission is to fight on behalf of Hoosiers and the interests that are unique to our state. I look forward to working with you, and sharing our progress, in the days ahead. 

In Service,